Exhibition Status: Past

James McNeill Whistler

JAMES-MCNEILL-WHISTLER- SELECTED-WORKS-FROM-THEHUNTERIAN-ART-GALLERY

James McNeill Whistler: Selected Works from the Hunterian Art Gallery

“One hundred years after his death, James McNeill Whistler remains a fascinating, complicated, and controversial figure.”

“’James McNeill Whistler’…presents a full picture of his creative output.”

— Peter Black, American Art Review

For the first time, selected artworks from the estate of James McNeill Whistler toured the US. The 129 works—all personal favorites of the artist and his heirs—included 12 paintings, more than 50 prints, watercolors, designs, and manuscripts, as well as personal belongings such as silverware and porcelain. Central to this collection are the remarkable etchings that may represent his most potent influences on 19th and 20th century art. By synthesizing his knowledge of Chinese and Japanese print art with his own, impressionistic aesthetic, Whistler rescued copper-plate etching from its bookish antecedents, transforming it into a fine art to be signed, framed, and hung beside his other masterpieces of oil and watercolor art. His innovations encompassed theme as well as technique: in these works and others, he often eschews the conventional “storytelling” aesthetic of 19th century pictorial art in favor of atmospheric effects and abstract impressions that have lost none of their vividness over time.

This informative, biographical exhibition spanned nearly 40 years of Whistler’s life, highlighting the locations, personalities, and aesthetic breakthroughs that both influenced his artistic vision and immortalized Whistler the man as an iconoclastic American artist.

Leaded

Leaded

Leaded: The Materiality and Metamorphosis of Graphite

“New work from young professional artists, a contemporary approach, and phenomenal experimentation. It’s a win-win for art lovers as well as curiosity seekers.”

— Barbara Satterfield, director, Baum Gallery of Fine Art

“It’s as if the exhibit’s curator…handed out pencils to a group of artists and said, ‘Show me what you can do.'”

— Robert Taylor, Contra Costa Times

Leaded featured more than 40 contemporary artworks by 16 internationally renowned artists who utilize the physical nature and visual characteristics of graphite and pencils as content in their two- and three-dimensional work. Engaging with the medium in one (or more) of three conceptual themes—Graphite as Content, Graphite as Transformative Agent, or Graphite as Sculpture—each artist delved into the limitless possibilities of graphite art. Curated by N. Elizabeth Schlatter, deputy director and curator of exhibitions at the University of Richmond Museums, Virginia, Leaded looked beyond drawing to explore the many exquisite forms graphite can take.

The exhibition featured works by The Art Guys (American), James Busby (American, born 1973), Hsin-Hsi Chen (Taiwanese, born 1969), Christopher Cook (British, born 1959), Meghan Gerety (American, born 1970), Michael Joaquin Grey (American, born 1961), Sarah Lovitt (American, born 1969), Marco Maggi (Uruguayan, born 1957), Stephana McClure (N. Ireland, born 1959), Creighton Michael (American, born 1949), Shimon Okshteyn (American, born in the Ukraine, 1951), Gloria Ortiz-Hernandez (Colombian, born 1943), Mark Sheinkman (American, born 1963), Stephen Sollins (American, born 1967), and Molly Springfield (American, born 1977).

Inspiring Beauty

inspiring-beauty-Ebony

Inspiring Beauty: 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair

“An unprecedented opportunity to show how fashion became a vehicle for African American empowerment, pride, and achievement.”

– Gary T. Johnson, President, Chicago History Museum

The first-ever exhibition to celebrate the Ebony Fashion Fair, Inspiring Beauty explores the 50-year history of the charity fashion spectacle that redefined the concepts of beauty, style, and empowerment for African Americans, by examining the history of the show as well as the life and career of its director/producer, Eunice W. Johnson. Inspiring Beauty showcases nearly 100 objects—including ensembles and accessories displayed on fully stylized mannequins—along with a cache of archival photographs, video, and Johnson’s personal effects, to recreate the runway experience and tell the full story of these unparalleled events. At the center of this dynamic show are the stunning gowns, feathered coats, and statement designs seen in the 40 garments selected from a collection of thousands amassed by Johnson over five decades. Works by world-class designers Stephen Burrows, Christian Dior, Christian Lacroix, Bob Mackie, Missoni, Jean Patou, Sarli, and others illustrate themes of vision, innovation, and power as exemplified by Johnson’s entrepreneurial spirit, flair for fashion, and philanthropic goals as co-founder of Johnson Publishing Company, the publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines.

Exhibition highlights include garments from fashion greats such as Valentino, Pierre Cardin, and Alexander McQueen for Givenchy, before they reached world-renowned status. An Yves Saint Laurent “Picasso” cocktail dress, Nina Ricci evening ensemble of a shirred jumpsuit and ruffle coat, Karl Lagerfeld for Chloébeaded gown, Vivienne Westwood animal print evening gown, and Emanuel Ungaro two-piece bridal gown are prime examples of the spectacular trends of fashion in all their exquisite attitude and style.

Developed by the Chicago History Museum in cooperation with Johnson Publishing Company, Inspiring Beauty offers an unprecedented multisensory experience for visitors who have never attended an Ebony Fashion Fair, while reconnecting those who experienced it first-hand.

Zigi Ben-Haim

ZIGI-BEN-HAIM-JOURNEY-WITH-ME

Zigi Ben-Haim: Journey With Me

“Nothing is safe from the hands and wickedly humorous and tantalizing imagination of Ben-Haim.”

— Vivienne Thaul Wechter

“The essence of my work lies in balancing the tension between surviving and vanishing. To my work, this is the seed of inspiration—capable of bringing new life.”

– Zigi Ben-Haim

Journey With Me showcased internationally renowned American-Israeli sculptor and painter Zigi Ben-Haim’s artistry and philosophy. In this exhibition, Ben-Haim evoked his heartfelt views on migration, with allusion to his own experiences as an émigré to the US. Ben-Haim’s sculptures are dynamic hybrids, most of which meld diverse materials (copper, concrete, steel mesh, acrylic urethane) and antithetical textures (softness and toughness, organic and urban) to suggest the perpetual balancing act of a divided identity.

Born in Baghdad, Ben-Haim grew up in Israel and studied at the Avni Institute of Fine Arts in Tel-Aviv from 1966 to 1970. After moving to the US, he went to California College of Arts & Crafts in 1971, receiving his MA from JFK University in 1973 and his MFA from San Francisco State University a year later. An accomplished artist, Ben-Haim has works in many public collections, including Haifa Museum, Haifa, Israel; Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel; Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY; World Bank, Washington, DC; Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, New York, NY; University of Maryland, College Park, MD; Phillip Berman Museum, Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA; and many others.

Zelda by Herself

Zelda-by-herself

Zelda by Herself: The Art of Zelda Fitzgerald

“Zelda’s compositions were so suggestive of dramatic stage sets—her use of primary colors so bold—that I sensed, even then, the poetry of her every endeavor.”

– Eleanor Lanahan, granddaughter

“Zelda Fitzgerald possessed many—almost too many—innate gifts. She brimmed with creativity, and, unlike her husband, Scott, fired off her talents in all directions at once.”

– Ariella Budick, Newsday

Although best known as the beautiful and flamboyant wife of writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, Zelda Fitzgerald was an accomplished artist in her own right. Her creative endeavors in writing, dancing, doll crafting, and painting were highly successful yet overshadowed by her husband’s work. This exhibition includes 54 watercolors and paper dolls from the Fitzgerald estate, some illustrative of their fast-paced life and others drawn from well-known literature. Her work, which covers religious themes as well as fairytales, children’s books, and her lifelong fascination with dance, combines a wealth of influences—Expressionism, Surrealism, and Cubism, as well as American Modernists such as Georgia O’Keefe—but is strikingly original in its lyrical intensity and almost febrile use of color.

Zelda developed schizophrenia in her thirties and spent the last two decades of her life in a succession of hospitals and institutions, where painting and doll-making gave structure to her days and served as an outlet for the emotions, obsessions, and nostalgia that had come to dominate her life. Sadly, many of the extraordinary paintings she created during this time—the most prolific of her life—have been lost, whether misplaced or destroyed in fires; even so, enough survive to demonstrate her incandescent talent and show conclusively that she was much more than just her husband’s shadow. This exhibition was organized by the Robert Hull Fleming Museum and the Fitzgerald estate with International Arts & Artists.

Voices

Voices_sweedenCeramic-600x600

Voices: Contemporary Ceramic Art from Sweden

“From color-spattered hanging lamps to luminescent volcanoes to ceramics like spineless deep-sea creatures, ‘Voices’ is neither neutral nor colorless, and is one of the best exhibits I’ve seen.”

– Angelina Castillo, Ithaca Rattle

“It flows out of them like some sort of pure, gorgeous, momentarily materialized sound.”

– Roberta Smith, New York Times

The ten artists featured in Voices are leading exponents of the dynamism and originality of contemporary ceramic art in Sweden. Viewed together, they testify to the striking uniqueness of the contemporary development of Swedish ceramics. The artists, selected from different generations, work in varying styles and are free in their relationship to traditional ceramic art to seek new directions and exercise full freedom of expression. Despite their use of a wide array of media—such as clay, glass, rope, glaze, and metal—they demonstrate that it is no longer the material that is of utmost importance but rather the point of view of the ceramic artist. The artists contributing their “voices” to the exhibition work sculpturally and conceptually, addressing existential issues with humor or abstraction.

The ten artists were selected by Inger Molin, owner of Galleria Molin in Stockholm and a preeminent figure in Swedish ceramics. Voices: Contemporary Ceramic Art from Sweden was developed by the Swedish Institute and organized for tour by International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC.

The View from Here

The View from Here: Contemporary Russian and American Screenprints

“Plan to make an extended visit—or multiple visits—to absorb the depth of the work in this show.”

– Dave Rootes, Colorado Springs Independent

“The literal, profound differences between the two countries are some of the most intriguing aspects of this exhibition.”

– Alex Miokovic and Heidi Nickisher, Rochester City Newspaper

A fashion model sports a camouflage bikini in the inferno of the Gulf War, amidst battle-weary marines; a patchwork of cancelled postage stamps all feature the stern, bewhiskered faces of Russian Tsars; R-rated tarot cards eroticize the 1939 Hitler-Stalin Pact into something more than a handshake…

The irreverent Russian and American printmakers of the Hand Print Workshop are known for tackling subjects both jocular and taboo. The common thread is social relevance: the American printmakers, most of them minority artists, touch on aspects of America’s stratified society, while the Russians give full rein to their post-Perestroika license to satirize history, politics, and Soviet social realism.

A colorful, sometimes shocking, excavation of history and cultural identity, this exhibition raises fascinating comparisons between American and Russian culture and heritage. Included are such artists as Barton Lidice Benes, William Christenberry, Y. David Chung, Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid, Hung Liu, Igor Makarevich, Pavel Makov, Juane Quick-to-See Smith, Renee Stou, and Carrie Mae Weems. First shown at The State Tretiakov Gallery in Moscow, the U.S. version included a selection of 70 screenprints by 21 artists working within the Hand Print Workshop International, a nonprofit collaborative in Alexandria, Virginia.

Victorian Visions

Victorian_visions

Victorian Visions: Pre-Raphaelite Drawings and Watercolours from the National Museums & Galleries of Wales

“The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood [was] a small but influential association of artists determined to revive the purity of art before Raphael by returning to the legendary themes, vibrant colors and accumulation of detail characteristic of medieval art.”

– D. Tom Mack, Aiken Standard

“One doesn’t have to be an expert in 19th-century British art to appreciate ‘Victorian Visions’ . . . An interest in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ movies, and an attraction to the lips of Angelina Jolie and Scarlett Johansson, will do. “

– Jeffrey Day, The State

Victorian Visions showcased 67 exquisite drawings and watercolors from the National Museums & Galleries of Wales. Comprising works by Victorian artists, primarily the Pre-Raphaelites, this exhibition examined the methods and motivations behind drawings and paintings of this era.

The fraternity of artists known as the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB) began as a response to and an outgrowth of the rapidly expanding British Empire toward the end of the Industrial Revolution. Seeking a haven from urban blight, and feeling alienated from an increasingly global, mechanized society, the PRB looked to a romanticized past derived mostly from mythology, religion, and idyllic poetry, such as Lord Tennyson’s Idylls of the King. Ironically, they also sought patronage from the burgeoning middle class—a product of the machine age—and took ideas and inspiration from recent archaeological finds and from the influx of foreign art styles and exotic culture that came with Empire.

Reflecting the wide range of styles found in the museum collection, the diverse works of Victorian Visionsincluded careful portraits of recognizable individuals as well as fleeting sensory images or idealized impressions of people and landscapes. The exhibition uniquely combined works that were completed for sale with ones originally intended to be used as backgrounds for oil paintings.

Artists in this exhibition included Sir Edward Burne-Jones, Sir William Morris, William Burges, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and Sir Edward Poynter.

The Tsars’ Cabinet

russian decorative arts under romanovs

The Tsars’ Cabinet: Two Hundred Years of Russian Decorative Arts under the Romanovs

“The last of the Russian Romanov dynasty perished just about 100 years ago. If you’ve ever wanted to see how they lived, and more specifically how they dined, you now can.”

– Carla Ives, AXS

“I was stunned by the quality of this exhibition, where each object is a true masterpiece-example of the Russian imperial porcelain… I am so glad that in America, in addition to the renowned Marjorie Merriweather Post’s priceless collection of Russian art at the Hillwood Museum and Gardens in Washington, D.C., there are more equally astounding private collections of Russian decorative applied art.”

– Ekaterina Khmelnitskaya, Curator, State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia

The Epoch Times, May 9, 2012

Organized by the Muscarelle Museum of Art at the College of William & Mary, this exhibition highlights more than 200 years of decorative arts under the Romanovs during the 18th and 19th centuries. Most of the works were designed for use by the tsars and members of their families, while others illustrate prominent styles of the period. Comprising objects ranging from porcelain services, glassware, enamel, silver gilt, and decorated eggs, the exhibition is a comprehensive and inclusive collection demonstrating the majesty and luxury of the Romanov reign.

Many of the items are grouped by tsar, which helps to illustrate major social or political trends of each tsar’s reign: for example, Peter the Great and the engagement of the West; Catherine the Great and the Enlightenment; and Alexander I and the defeat of Napoleon, among others. The objects and their styles reflect the political forces that shaped each tsar’s regime. Each grouping of objects shows the tastes and singularities of the Romanov family through the magnificent items they owned and commissioned. The exhibition puts these important artistic objects in context, to connect the viewer to the individuals and events that shaped the history of Russia.

Gather Up the Fragments

GATHER-UP-THE-FRAGMENTS

Gather Up the Fragments: The Andrews Shaker Collection

“Complex in its simple beauty, Gather Up the Fragments is an inspirational tour de force spotlighting a culture all but gone. It is a journey into the psyche of men and women living their calling with intent, dreaming of Heaven on Earth and dedicating themselves to using every fiber of themselves to make that happen.”

– F. Daniel Kent, excerpt from Now Hear This! blog

“Virtually everything in this show projects an aura of the respect the Shakers afforded to both the materials and the user, as well as their ethic of faith in simplicity.”

– Ken Greenleaf, Portland Phoenix

“Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.”

– John 6:12, King James Version

Gather Up the Fragments tells the story of the first and most avid collectors of the Shaker art—Faith and Edward Deming Andrews. This exhibition of approximately 190 objects—including craft and household objects such as textiles, baskets, kitchen implements, and furniture—is the most comprehensive collection of Shaker materials ever assembled, offering insight into the Andrews’ complex role as pioneers in the field of Shaker studies.

Organized by Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, this exhibition examines the full scope of the Andrews’ involvement with Shakerism—as scholars, collectors, and dealers. From the 1920s through the ’60s, they actively pursued Shaker objects, collecting mainly from the Shakers themselves. Through careful documentation and scholarship, they have illuminated these materials, and their collection has bequeathed to future generations the most comprehensive body of evidence on the culture of the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing.