Jackson Hole Galerie Rundgang 2021

VERÖFFENTLICHT IN: Galerie Rundgänge

KUNSTWERKE, DIE DERZEIT IN HEATHER JAMES JACKSON HOLE ZU SEHEN SIND

Am 15. Mai 1886 wurde ein visuelles Manifest für eine neue Kunstbewegung geboren, als Georges Seurats krönendes Werk, Ein Sonntagnachmittag auf der Insel La Grande Jatte, auf der Achten Impressionisten-Ausstellung enthüllt wurde. Seurat kann für sich in Anspruch nehmen, der ursprüngliche "wissenschaftliche Impressionist" zu sein, der in einer Weise arbeitete, die später als Pointillismus oder Divisionismus bekannt wurde. Es war jedoch sein Freund und Vertrauter, der 24-jährige Paul Signac, und ihr ständiger Dialog, der zu einer Zusammenarbeit führte, um die Physik des Lichts und der Farbe zu verstehen und den daraus entstandenen Stil zu entwickeln. Signac war ein ungeschulter, aber äußerst talentierter impressionistischer Maler, dessen Temperament perfekt zu der Strenge und Disziplin passte, die für die mühsame Pinselführung und Farbgebung erforderlich waren. Signac eignete sich die Technik schnell an. Er war auch Zeuge von Seurats mühsamer zweijähriger Reise, auf der er unzählige Schichten unvermischter Farbpunkte auf dem kolossal großen La Grande Jatte aufbaute. Gemeinsam waren Signac, der forsche, extrovertierte Künstler, und Seurat, der verschlossene, introvertierte Künstler, im Begriff, den Impressionismus zu untergraben und den Lauf der modernen Kunst zu verändern.

PAUL SIGNAC

Cottonwood Tree (Near Abiquiu), New Mexico (1943) by celebrated American artist Georgia O’Keeffe is exemplary of the airier, more naturalistic style that the desert inspired in her. O’Keeffe had great affinity for the distinctive beauty of the Southwest, and made her home there among the spindly trees, dramatic vistas, and bleached animal skulls that she so frequently painted. O’Keeffe took up residence at Ghost Ranch, a dude ranch twelve miles outside of the village of Abiquiú in northern New Mexico and painted this cottonwood tree around there. The softer style befitting this subject is a departure from her bold architectural landscapes and jewel-toned flowers.<br><br>The cottonwood tree is abstracted into soft patches of verdant greens through which more delineated branches are seen, spiraling in space against pockets of blue sky. The modeling of the trunk and delicate energy in the leaves carry forward past experimentations with the regional trees of the Northeast that had captivated O’Keeffe years earlier: maples, chestnuts, cedars, and poplars, among others. Two dramatic canvases from 1924, Autumn Trees, The Maple and The Chestnut Grey, are early instances of lyrical and resolute centrality, respectively. As seen in these early tree paintings, O’Keeffe exaggerated the sensibility of her subject with color and form.<br><br>In her 1974 book, O’Keeffe explained: “The meaning of a word— to me— is not as exact as the meaning of a color. Color and shapes make a more definite statement than words.” Her exacting, expressive color intrigued. The Precisionist painter Charles Demuth described how, in O’Keeffe’s work, “each color almost regains the fun it must have felt within itself on forming the first rainbow” (As quoted in C. Eldridge, Georgia O’Keeffe, New York, 1991, p. 33). As well, congruities between forms knit together her oeuvre. Subjects like hills and petals undulate alike, while antlers, trees, and tributaries correspond in their branching morphology.<br><br>The sinewy contours and gradated hues characteristic of O’Keeffe find an incredible range across decades of her tree paintings. In New Mexico, O’Keeffe returned to the cottonwood motif many times, and the seasonality of this desert tree inspired many forms. The vernal thrill of new growth was channeled into spiraling compositions like Spring Tree No.1 (1945). Then, cottonwood trees turned a vivid autumnal yellow provided a breathtaking compliment to the blue backdrop of Mount Pedernal. The ossified curves of Dead Cottonweed Tree (1943) contain dramatic pools of light and dark, providing a foil to the warm, breathing quality of this painting, Cottonwood Tree (Near Abiquiu). The aural quality of this feathered cottonwood compels a feeling guided by O’Keeffe’s use of form of color.

GEORGIA O'KEEFFE

<br>In Diego Rivera’s portrait of Enriqueta Dávila, the artist asserts a Mexicanidad, a quality of Mexican-ness, in the work along with his strong feelings towards the sitter. Moreover, this painting is unique amongst his portraiture in its use of symbolism, giving us a strong if opaque picture of the relationship between artist and sitter.<br><br>Enriqueta, a descendent of the prominent Goldbaum family, was married to the theater entrepreneur, José María Dávila. The two were close friends with Rivera, and the artist initially requested to paint Enriqueta’s portrait. Enriqueta found the request unconventional and relented on the condition that Rivera paints her daughter, Enriqueta “Quetita”. Rivera captures the spirit of the mother through the use of duality in different sections of the painting, from the floorboards to her hands, and even the flowers. Why the split in the horizon of the floorboard? Why the prominent cross while Enriqueta’s family is Jewish? Even her pose is interesting, showcasing a woman in control of her own power, highlighted by her hand on her hip which Rivera referred to as a claw, further complicating our understanding of her stature.<br><br>This use of flowers, along with her “rebozo” or shawl, asserts a Mexican identity. Rivera was adept at including and centering flowers in his works which became a kind of signature device. The flowers show bromeliads and roselles; the former is epiphytic and the latter known as flor de jamaica and often used in hibiscus tea and aguas frescas. There is a tension then between these two flowers, emphasizing the complicated relationship between Enriqueta and Rivera. On the one hand, Rivera demonstrates both his and the sitter’s Mexican identity despite the foreign root of Enriqueta’s family but there may be more pointed meaning revealing Rivera’s feelings to the subject. The flowers, as they often do in still life paintings, may also refer to the fleeting nature of life and beauty. The portrait for her daughter shares some similarities from the use of shawl and flowers, but through simple changes in gestures and type and placement of flowers, Rivera illuminates a stronger personality in Enriqueta and a more dynamic relationship as filtered through his lens.<br><br>A closer examination of even her clothing reveals profound meaning. Instead of a dress more in line for a socialite, Rivera has Enriqueta in a regional dress from Jalisco, emphasizing both of their Mexican identities. On the other hand, her coral jewelry, repeated in the color of her shoes, hints at multiple meanings from foreignness and exoticism to protection and vitality. From Ancient Egypt to Classical Rome to today, coral has been used for jewelry and to have been believed to have properties both real and symbolic. Coral jewelry is seen in Renaissance paintings indicating the vitality and purity of woman or as a protective amulet for infants. It is also used as a reminder, when paired with the infant Jesus, of his future sacrifice. Diego’s use of coral recalls these Renaissance portraits, supported by the plain background of the painting and the ribbon indicating the maker and date similar to Old Master works.<br><br>When combined in the portrait of Enriqueta, we get a layered and tense building of symbolism. Rivera both emphasizes her Mexican identity but also her foreign roots. He symbolizes her beauty and vitality but look closely at half of her face and it is as if Rivera has painted his own features onto hers. The richness of symbolism hints at the complex relationship between artist and sitter.

DIEGO RIVERA

Led by a triumvirate of painters of the American Scene, Thomas Hart Benton, John Steuart Curry, and Grant Wood took on the task of exploring, defining, and celebrating the Midwest as a credible entity within the geographical, political, and mythological landscape of the United States. Their populist works were figurative and narrative-driven, and they gained widespread popularity among a Depression-weary American public. The landscapes Grant Wood painted, and the lithographs marketed by Associated American Artists were comforting reminders of traditional Midwestern values and the simplicity of country life. Yet, Wood's most iconic works, including American Gothic, were to be viewed through the lens of elusive narratives and witty ironies that reflect an artist who delighted in sharing his charming and humorous perspective on farm life. <br><br>In 1930, Wood achieved national fame and recognition with American Gothic, a fictionalized depiction of his sister, Nan, and his family dentist. Frequently regarded as the most famous American painting of the twentieth century, to fully grasp American Gothic's essential nature, one must recognize Wood's profound connection to his Iowan roots, a bond that borders on a singular fixation and the often-brutal confrontation between the moral and cultural rigidity of Midwest isolationism and the standards that prevailed elsewhere in America. This war of values and morality became dominant throughout Wood's oeuvre. Their fascination with American Gothic may have mystified the public, but the story, told in the attitude of a farmer and his wife, is as lean and brittle as the pitchfork he carries. Their attitude, as defiant as it is confrontational, is an unflinching dare to uppity gallery-goers to judge their immaculate well-scrubbed farm. American Gothic became an overnight sensation, an ambiguous national icon often interpreted as a self-effacing parody of midwestern life. Yet it also served as an unflinching mirror to urban elite attitudes and their often-derisive view of heartland values and way of life. In Grant Wood's hands, the people of the Midwest have stiffened and soured, their rectitude implacable.<br> <br>Portrait of Nan is Grant Wood's most intimate work. He may have been motivated to paint it to make amends for the significant scrutiny and harsh treatment his sister received as American Gothic's sternly posed female. Grant poured his heart into it as a sign of sibling love. Intent upon painting her as straightforward and simply as possible so as not to invite unintended interpretations, Wood's deep attachment to the portrait was significant enough for him to think of it as having irreplaceable value. When he moved from Cedar Rapids to Iowa City in 1935, he designed his entire living room around the work. It occupied the place of honor above the fireplace and was the only painting he refused to sell. <br> <br>The lithograph July Fifteenth, issued in 1938, proves his mystical vision of the Iowan heartland is anything but a pitchfork approach. Drawings assumed central importance in Wood's output, and this work is executed in meticulous detail, proving his drawings were at least as complex, if not more so, than his paintings. The surface of the present work takes on an elaborate, decorative rhythm, echoed throughout the land that is soft, verdant, and fertile. Structurally, it alludes in equal measure to the geometry of modern art and the decorative patterning of folk-art traditions. This is a magical place, a fulsome display of an idealized version of an eternal, lovely, and benign heartland. <br><br>The Young Artist, an en plein air sketch, may have been produced during, or slightly after, what Wood called his "palette-knife stage" that consumed him in 1925. Having not yet traveled to Munich where, in 1928, he worked on a stain-glass window commission and came under the influence of the Northern Renaissance painters that sparked his interest in the compositional severity and detailed technique associated with his mature works, here, he worked quickly, and decisively. The view is from a hilltop at Kenwood Park that overlooks the Cedar River Valley near Cedar Rapids, where he built a house for his sister, Nan.

GRANT WOOD

WILLEM DE KOONING - Frau in einem Ruderboot - Öl auf Papier auf Masonit gelegt - 47 1/2 x 36 1/4 in.

WILLEM DE KOONING

Alexander Calder was a key figure in the development of abstract sculpture and is renowned for his groundbreaking work in kinetic art; he is one of the most influential artists of the Twentieth Century. "Prelude to Man-Eater" is a delicately balanced standing sculpture that responds to air currents, creating a constantly changing and dynamic visual experience.<br><br>Calder's Standing Mobiles were a result of his continuous experimentation with materials, form, and balance. This Standing Mobile is a historically significant prelude to a larger work commissioned in 1945 by Alfred Barr, the first director of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. "Prelude to Maneater" is designed to be viewed from multiple angles, encouraging viewers to walk around and interact with it.<br><br>The present work is a formal study for Man-Eater With Pennant (1945), part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The work is also represented in "Sketches for Mobiles: Prelude to Man-Eater; Starfish; Octopus", which is in the permanent collection of the Harvard Fogg Museum.<br><br>Calder's mobiles and stabiles can be found in esteemed private collections and the collections of major museums worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Tate Gallery in London among others.

ALEXANDER KALANDER

<div>Having unwittingly inserted himself into the Pop Art conversation with his Great American Nude series, Tom Wesselmann spent the rest of his career explaining that his motivation was not to focus excessively on a subject matter or to generate social commentary but instead, to give form to what titillated him most as beautiful and exciting. His disembodied Mouth series of 1965 established that an image did not have to rely on extraneous elements to communicate meaning. But it was his follow-up performances with the Smoker series and its seductive, fetish allure that raised his standing among true sybarites everywhere. Apart from perceiving smoking as cool and chic, a painting such as Smoker #21 is the consummate celebration of Wesselmann’s abilities as a painter. Enticed by the undulating smoke, Wesselmann took great pains to accurately depict its sinuous movements and observe the momentary pauses that heightened his appreciation of its sensual nature. Like all of Wesselmann’s prodigious scaled artworks, Smoker #21 has the commanding presence of an altarpiece. It was produced during long hours in his impressive Manhattan studio in Cooper Square, and the result is one of sultry dynamism — evocative, sensual, alluring, sleek, luscious, and perhaps, even sinister — a painting that flaunts his graphic supremacy and potent realism varnished with his patented sex appeal flair.<br><br><br><br>Tom Wesselmann expanded upon the success of his Great American Nudes by focusing on singular features of his subjects and began painting his Mouth series in 1965. In 1967, Wesselmann’s friend Peggy Sarno paused for a cigarette while modeling for Wesselmann’s Mouth series, inspiring his Smoker paintings. The whisps of smoke were challenging to paint and required Wesselmann to utilize photographs as source material to capture the smoke’s ephemeral nature properly. The images here show Wesselmann photographing his friend, the screenwriter Danièle Thompson, as she posed for some of Wesselmann’s source images.</div>

TOM WESSELMANN

Trained as a woodcarver, Emil Nolde was almost 30 years old before he made his first paintings. The early paintings resembled his drawings and woodcuts: grotesque figures with bold lines and strong contrasts. The style was new, and it inspired the nascent movement Die Brücke (The Bridge), whose members invited Nolde to join them in 1906. But, it was not until the garden became his locus operandi by 1915 that he built upon his mastery of contrasting luminosities to focus on color as the supreme means of expression. Later, Nolde claimed “color is strength, strength is life,” and he could not have better characterized why his flower paintings reinvigorate our perception of color.<br><br>Much of the strength of Nolde’s dramatic, Wagnerian-like color sensibilities is the effect of staging primary colors, such as the deep reds and golden yellows of Sonnenblumen, Abend II, against a somber palette. The contrast highlights and deepens the luminosity of the flowers, not just visually, but emotionally as well. In 1937, when Nolde’s art was rejected, confiscated, and defiled, his paintings were paraded as “degenerate art” throughout Nazi Germany in dimly lit galleries. Despite that treatment, Nolde’s status as a degenerate artist gave his art more breathing space because he seized the opportunity to produce more than 1,300 watercolors, which he called “unpainted pictures.” No novice in handling watercolor, his free-flowing style of painting had been a hallmark of his highly-charge, transparent washes since 1918. Sonnenblumen, Abend II, painted in 1944, is a rare wartime oil. He let his imagination run wild with this work, and his utilization of wet-on-wet techniques heightened the drama of each petal.<br><br>Nolde’s intense preoccupation with color and flowers, particularly sunflowers, reflects his continuing devotion to van Gogh. He was aware of van Gogh as early as 1899 and, during the 1920s and early 1930s, visited several exhibitions of the Dutch artist’s work. They shared a profound love of nature. Nolde’s dedication to expression and the symbolic use of color found fullness in the sunflower subject, and it became a personal symbol for him, as it did for Van Gogh.

EMIL NOLDE

No artist bridged the gap between European Modernism and American Abstract Expressionism the same way Hans Hofmann did. The reason is simple. He was trained in Parisian academies prior to World War I and was friendly with Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, and, most significantly, Robert and Sonia Delaunay. Conversely, his endeavors as a teacher and later, as a mature artist in full command of his abilities were stimulated — made possible even — by the exhilarating New York milieu that gave rise to Abstract Expressionism. So perhaps it is not surprising that unlike most of the Abstract Expressionists who pursued a single iconographic look — Rothko’s soft-edged rectangles, Franz Klein’s enlarged calligraphic strokes, Clyfford Still’s dark, ragged shapes — Hofmann was constantly reaching for different and contradictory effects. That meant his paintings were wildly varied and that they carved a wide swath toward the most exciting avenues available to contemporary abstraction. Hofmann proved to be a gallant experimenter, refusing to settle on a single style for long.<br><br>The Climb was painted in 1960 at a time when most American painters were pushing abstraction in new directions. Not surprisingly, as an outlier, it does not evoke Hofmann’s usual “push and pull’ technique. But it is very much a painting of its time, marked by a sensuousness and a deft, painterly touch. It suggests what Irving Sandler characterized as Hofmann’s hedonistic touch, an optimistic celebration of the lyrical abstraction that overcame the burning darkness of painting in the 40s and trumped even the lighter palette of Pollock or Pousette-Dart that emerged later. While the passages of The Climb are brushed rather than poured or stained, it reflects the delicate lyricism of his former student, Helen Frankenthaler who, since 1952 had experimented with floating areas of color, absorbed into the canvas with watercolor-like ease. She, in turn, had inspired a generation of Color Field painters including Morris Louis and Kenneth Noland. On the other hand, these short bands and prismatic slurries recall those halcyon days in Paris when Hofmann worked through color theory with his good friend Robert Delaunay and thought a lot about prisms. Hofmann not only retained elements of Synthetic Cubism, but the lessons he learned from the Fauves and the artists who verily invented abstraction, Wassily Kandinsky, Kasimir Malevich, Frantisek Kupka, and Piet Mondrian to name a few of the key players. The Climb is a glorious expression of a painter drawing from both the past and the present, painting in a playful, but not frivolous manner fully informed and prepared to express his abilities as a painter, simply, and with great conviction.<br><br>As New York City became the avant-garde’s global hub in the 1940s, radical, new approaches to art, such as action painting and abstraction, took root among the informally grouped New York School painters. By 1950, Abstract Expressionism was well underway, but the movement was often overlooked by institutions. When the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced its plan to exhibit a survey of contemporary American painting, many of the New York School painters felt there was a bias against more “progressive” art in the museum’s selection process, prompting them to draft an open letter protesting the show.<br><br>The letter garnered attention, and Life magazine published an article on the protest in January 1951, “The Irascible Group of Advanced Artists Led Fight Against Show.” To accompany the article, Nina Lee photographed 15 of the 18 painters who signed the letter, including Hans Hofmann, Willem de Kooning, Adolph Gottlieb, Ad Reinhardt, Richard Pousette-Dart, William Baziotes, Jackson Pollock, Clyford Still, Robert Motherwell, Barnett Newman, and Mark Rothko. Today, this article is considered a turning point in the prominence of Abstract Expressionism, and the artists involved are often referred to as the “Irascibles.”

HANS HOFMANN

Alexander Calder executed a surprising number of oil paintings during the second half of the 1940s and early 1950s. By this time, the shock of his 1930 visit to Mondrian’s studio, where he was impressed not by the paintings but by the environment, had developed into an artistic language of Calder’s own. So, as Calder was painting The Cross in 1948, he was already on the cusp of international recognition and on his way to winning the XX VI Venice Biennale’s grand prize for sculpture in 1952. Working on his paintings in concert with his sculptural practice, Calder approached both mediums with the same formal language and mastery of shape and color.<br><br>Calder was deeply intrigued by the unseen forces that keep objects in motion. Taking this interest from sculpture to canvas, we see that Calder built a sense of torque within The Cross by shifting its planes and balance. Using these elements, he created implied motion suggesting that the figure is pressing forward or even descending from the skies above. The Cross’s determined momentum is further amplified by details such as the subject’s emphatically outstretched arms, the fist-like curlicue vector on the left, and the silhouetted serpentine figure.<br><br>Calder also adopts a strong thread of poetic abandon throughout The Cross’s surface. It resonates with his good friend Miró’s hieratic and distinctly personal visual language, but it is all Calder in the effective animation of this painting’s various elements. No artist has earned more poetic license than Calder, and throughout his career, the artist remained convivially flexible in his understanding of form and composition. He even welcomed the myriad interpretations of others, writing in 1951, “That others grasp what I have in mind seems unessential, at least as long as they have something else in theirs.”<br><br>Either way, it is important to remember that The Cross was painted shortly after the upheaval of the Second World War and to some appears to be a sobering reflection of the time. Most of all, The Cross proves that Alexander Calder loaded his brush first to work out ideas about form, structure, relationships in space, and most importantly, movement.

ALEXANDER KALANDER

<div>In the mid-1920s, Rufino Tamayo embarked on the crucial development phase as a sophisticated, contemporary colorist. In New York, he encountered the groundbreaking works of Picasso, Braque, and Giorgio de Chirico, along with the enduring impact of Cubism. Exploring painterly and plastic values through subjects sourced from street scenes, popular culture, and the fabric of daily life, his unique approach to color and form began to take shape. It was a pivotal shift toward cosmopolitan aesthetics, setting him apart from the nationalist fervor championed by the politically charged narratives of the Mexican Muralist movement.  By focusing on the vitality of popular culture, he captured the essential Mexican identity that prioritized universal artistic values over explicit social and political commentary. The approach underscored his commitment to redefining Mexican art on the global stage and highlighted his innovative contributions to the modernist dialogue. </div><br><br><div> </div><br><br><div>Like Cézanne, Tamayo elevated the still life genre to some of its most beautifully simple expressions. Yet high sophistication underlies the ease with which Tamayo melds vibrant Mexican motifs with the avant-garde influences of the School of Paris. As "Naturaleza Muerta" of 1935 reveals, Tamayo refused to lapse into the mere decoration that often characterizes the contemporary School of Paris art with which his work draws comparisons. Instead, his arrangement of watermelons, bottles, a coffee pot, and sundry items staged within a sobering, earthbound tonality and indeterminant, shallow space recalls Tamayo's early interest in Surrealism. An overlayed square matrix underscores the contrast between the organic subjects of the painting and the abstract, intellectualized structure imposed upon them, deepening the interpretation of the artist's exploration of visual perception and representation. In this way, the grid serves to navigate between the visible world and the underlying structures that inform our understanding of it, inviting viewers to consider the interplay between reality and abstraction, sensation and analysis.</div>

RUFINO TAMAYO TAMAYO

Die Welt von Marc Chagall lässt sich nicht eindämmen oder begrenzen durch die Etiketten, die wir ihr anheften. Es ist eine Welt der Bilder und Bedeutungen, die ihren eigenen, herrlich mystischen Diskurs bilden. Les Mariés sous le baldaquin (Die Braut und der Bräutigam unter dem Baldachin) entstand zu Beginn des 90. Lebensjahres des Künstlers, eines Mannes, der Tragödien und Kämpfe erlebt hatte, der aber nie die Momente der Freude im Leben vergaß. Hier werden uns die träumerischen Freuden einer russischen Dorfhochzeit mit ihren Arrangements aus altgedienten Teilnehmern mit so viel fröhlichem Witz und heiterer Unschuld vor Augen geführt, dass man sich ihrem Charme nicht entziehen kann. Durch die Verwendung einer goldfarbenen Emulsion, die eine Kombination aus Öl und opaker Gouache auf Wasserbasis darstellt, wird die Wärme, das Glück und der Optimismus von Chagalls üblichem Positivismus in einen leuchtenden Glanz gehüllt, der an den Einfluss von religiösen Ikonen mit Blattgold oder an die Malerei der Frührenaissance erinnert, die den Eindruck von göttlichem Licht oder spiritueller Erleuchtung vermitteln wollte. Die Kombination von Öl und Gouache kann eine Herausforderung sein. Aber hier, in Les Mariés sous le baldaquin, setzt Chagall sie ein, um der Szene eine jenseitige Qualität zu verleihen, fast so, als ob sie sich vor seinem geistigen Auge materialisiert hätte. Die zarte Textur erweckt den Eindruck, dass das Licht vom Werk selbst ausgeht, und verleiht den im Himmel schwebenden Figuren eine gespenstische Qualität.

MARC CHAGALL

SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL

The Pop Art Movement is notable for its rewriting of Art History and the idea of what could be considered a work of art. Larry Rivers association with Pop-Art and the New York School set him aside as one of the great American painters of the Post-War period. <br><br>In addition to being a visual artist, Larry Rivers was a jazz saxophonist who studied at the Juilliard School of Music from 1945-1946. This painting's subject echoes the artists' interest in Jazz and the musical scene in New York City, particularly Greenwich Village and the Lower East Side. <br><br>“Untitled” (1958) is notable bas the same owner has held it since the work was acquired directly from the artist several decades ago. This work is from the apex of the artists' career in New York and could comfortably hang in a museum's permanent collection.

STEUERFLÜSSE

<div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>Martha's Vineyard played a pivotal role in Thomas Hart Benton's artistic journey, offering him both inspiration and respite from urban life. His first visit to the sparsely populated island in 1920 marked a turning point, allowing him to escape the sweltering New York summers and find clarity in the island's serene environment. At a time before the island was deluged by the fabulously wealthy, Vineyard was a freewheeling community of artists and intellectuals that gave the ever-inquisitive Benton much-needed stimulation. It is here that Benton's bold colors and dynamic compositions achieved contour inflections, pictorial rhythms, and a strong-hued palette, which we associate with his mature style. Inspired early by Cézanne, Benton's landscapes transcend fleeting impressions. Yet he never abandoned the influence of Synchronism and its focus on color harmonies, tempo, and rhythm. That latter influence drives the energy and spirit of "Keith's Farm, Chilmark," organized into horizontal bands of visual information, creating a sense of motion and unity.</font></div><br><br><div> </div><br><br><div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>With its rolling pastures to the Atlantic Ocean and tranquil cloud formations beyond, the view over the Keith Farm pastures is one of the island's most spectacular. Overlooking Menemsha Pond to the Vineyard Sound, Benton captured and distilled the essential nature of the place, transforming it into a picturesque and personally significant composition. His use of modern techniques to strip the landscape down to its basic tendencies embodies pride in regional America and a reverence for the country's natural beauty in ways the streets of New York never could. Simultaneously, Benton imbues the work with what his daughter, Jessie, noted: music played a vital role in her father's art, informing a sense of motion using sinuous forms, each rendered in flowing complementary and contrasting colors and 'twisting, always moving, moving, moving.' Typical of Benton's best paintings, "Keith's Farm, Chilmark" is a well-orchestrated work that pulls individual elements into a unifying scheme of visual rhythm — a testament to his mastery of landscape painting and deep connection to Martha's Vineyard.</font></div>

THOMAS HART BENTON

JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT - Ohne Titel (Anatomie der Taube) - Öl, Graphit und Kreide auf Papier - 22 x 30 Zoll.

JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT

DAMIEN HIRST - Forgotten Thoughts - Schmetterlinge und Haushaltsglanz auf Leinwand - 48 x 48 in.

DAMIEN HIRST

<div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>Deeply influenced by his populist views and commitment to social realism, Thomas Hart Benton became an advocate for the common man, often depicting the struggles and resilience of ordinary Americans in his work. Coal strikes were frequent occurrences in the late 1920s and early 1930s, and <em>"Mine Strike"</em> is a visually compelling account of such an uprising, rich with social commentary. At the time, Benton traveled the nation seeking inspiration for a mural project and was particularly interested in social issues. In 1933, he illustrated the modern social history of the United States for <em>“We the People”,</em> published by Harper & Brothers, New York. <em>"Mine Strike"</em> is carefully constructed to highlight the chaos and human drama. </font></div><br><br><div> </div><br><br><div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>The figures are robust and grounded, reflecting Benton's signature style of muscular forms. The scene, though aggressive and violent, displays commitment and sacrifice. Two officers fire on the strikers, one of whom has fallen to the ground, shot. Set against the backdrop of an imposing mining complex, a towering black structure known as a 'tipple' looms ominously over the strikers. Its darkly sinister anthropomorphic shape contrasts sharply with the lighter, more organic human figures — an appearance intensified by its coal chutes resembling mechanical arms. This visual metaphor of industrial oppression underscores the pervasive threat posed by the coal mining industry and those paid to protect its interests.</font></div><br><br><div> </div><br><br><div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>Through <em>"Mine Strike,"</em> Benton not only documents a specific historical moment but also critiques the broader socio-economic conditions of his time. His depiction of the workers' plight is a powerful statement on the exploitation and struggles the working-class faces. Benton's political leanings towards advocating for social justice and his commitment to portraying the reality of American life are vividly encapsulated in this painting, making it a poignant and enduring piece of art.</font></div><br><br><div> </div><br><br><div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>Benton made two compositions about strike activities during this time: this painting and another, <em>“Strikebreakers”</em>, painted in 1931. Of the two, Benton used <em>"Mine Strike"</em> as the basis for a well-known lithograph issued in 1933. Benton described the scene as a "Strike battle" in the coal country. This is an imaginary reconstruction of a situation only too common in the late twenties and early thirties."</font></div>

THOMAS HART BENTON

Thomas Hart Benton, der Landwirte und Feldarbeiter sympathisch darstellte und Themen wie Hingabe und harte Arbeit bevorzugte, schuf Hunderte von Studien, die den Existenzkampf darstellen, der für so viele Amerikaner in dieser Zeit zum brutalen Alltag gehörte. Hoeing Cotton hat viel von der dunklen, stimmungsvollen Blässe, die die Härte der südlichen Landwirtschaft während der Großen Depression heraufbeschwört. Benton nutzt das dynamische Zusammenspiel von Himmel und Landschaft, um das Leben auf dem Land im tiefen Süden zu vertiefen. Diese Elemente verdeutlichen die Verbindung zwischen den Menschen und ihrer Umwelt und den anhaltenden Geist der Widerstandsfähigkeit.

THOMAS HART BENTON

FRANZ KLINE - Ohne Titel, Nr. 7246 - Öl auf Papier auf Karton gelegt - 18 1/8 x 23 1/4 Zoll.

FRANZ KLINE

HANS HOFMANN - Lied der Liebe - Öl auf Leinwand - 36 1/4 x 48 1/4 Zoll.

HANS HOFMANN

AMEDEO MODIGLIANI - Cariatide - blaue Kreide auf chamoisfarbenem Papier - 24 x 18 in.

AMEDEO MODIGLIANI

Théo van Rysselberghes Portrait de Sylvie Lacombe aus dem Jahr 1906 ist ein klassisches Meisterwerk eines der raffiniertesten und konsequentesten Porträtmaler seiner Zeit. Die Farben sind harmonisch, der Pinselstrich kraftvoll und auf seine Aufgabe zugeschnitten, Körper und Antlitz wahrhaftig und freizügig. Bei der Dargestellten handelt es sich um die Tochter seines guten Freundes, des Malers Georges Lacombe, der eng mit Gauguin befreundet war und mit den Künstlern Bonnard, Denis, Vuillard u. a. zu den Nabis gehörte. Wir wissen jetzt über Sylvie Lacombe Bescheid, weil Van Rysselberghe so geschickt darin ist, subtile Gesichtsausdrücke wiederzugeben und durch sorgfältige Beobachtung und Liebe zum Detail Einblicke in ihre innere Welt zu geben. Er wählte einen direkten Blick, ihre Augen auf die des Betrachters, eine unausweichliche Verbindung zwischen Subjekt und Betrachter, unabhängig von unserer physischen Beziehung zum Bild. Van Rysselberghe hatte die pointillistische Technik weitgehend aufgegeben, als er dieses Porträt malte. Er wandte jedoch weiterhin die Richtlinien der Farbtheorie an, indem er Rottöne - Rosatöne und Mauvetöne - gegen Grüntöne einsetzte, um eine harmonisch abgestimmte Palette von Komplementärfarben zu schaffen, denen er einen starken Akzent hinzufügte, um den Blick auf sich zu ziehen - eine intensiv gesättigte, rote Schleife, die asymmetrisch an der Seite ihres Kopfes angebracht ist.

THÉO VAN RYSSELBERGHE

HIROSHI SENJU - Wasserfall - natürliche Pigmente und Platin auf japanischem Maulbeerpapier auf Karton montiert - 36 x 46 in.

HIROSHI SENJU

HANS HOFMANN - Ohne Titel - Öl auf Leinwand - 25 x 30 1/4 Zoll.

HANS HOFMANN

Max Weber zog 1905 nach Paris, als die Stadt das Epizentrum der künstlerischen Innovation war. Seine frühen Werke zeigen den gleichzeitigen Einfluss der kühnen Farbpalette des Fauvismus und der fragmentierten Darstellung der Realität durch den Kubismus. Weber imitierte diese Stile jedoch nicht einfach, sondern integrierte und interpretierte sie neu, um etwas Eigenes zu schaffen. Webers Bedeutung liegt nicht nur in seinen abstrakten Werken, sondern auch in seiner Rolle als Vermittler von Ideen der Moderne. Weber spielte eine entscheidende Rolle im transatlantischen Dialog, der die Entwicklung der amerikanischen Kunst im 20. Seine Darstellungen von Frauenfiguren stellen eine Synthese aus Abstraktion und Gegenständlichkeit dar, die das Wesen seiner Sujets einfängt und sich von den traditionellen figurativen Werken löst.

MAX WEBER

Die künstlerische Entwicklung von Rouault, die von seinem frommen katholischen Glauben geprägt ist, ist einzigartig unter den Modernisten. Fasziniert von den leuchtenden Farben und der Art und Weise, wie das Licht durch die mittelalterlichen Kirchenfenster fällt, trug er dicke, satte Farbschichten auf und verstärkte die rohen und kühnen Formen, die von tiefen Blautönen durchzogen waren, mit schweren schwarzen Linien. Rouault unterstützte oft starke, wiederkehrende religiöse Themen, die der Macht der Erlösung gewidmet sind. Carlotta dient weder dieser höheren Berufung noch dem marginalisierten Leiden der Motive, zu denen Clowns, Prostituierte und Kreuzigungen gehören. Stattdessen ist Carlotta eine Gelegenheit, Rouaults subtilere Farbvariationen und das dynamische Zusammenspiel zwischen der rauen, taktilen Qualität des Impastos und der weicheren, diffuseren Wirkung der verkrümelten Passagen eines Modells zu bewundern, das nicht durch Themen des menschlichen Schmerzes und der Verzweiflung belastet ist.

GEORGES ROUAULT

Well known for his candor and pragmatic sensibility, Alexander Calder was as direct, ingenious, and straight to the point in life as he was in his art. “Personnages”, for example, is unabashedly dynamic, a work that recalls his early love of the action of the circus as well as his insights into human nature. The character of “Personnages” suggests a spontaneous drawing-in-space, recalling his radical wire sculptures of the 1920s.<br>© 2023 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

ALEXANDER KALANDER

JOHN CHAMBERLAIN - ASARABACA - Aluminiumfolie in Industriequalität mit Acryllack und Polyesterharz - 20 x 23 x 22 Zoll.

JOHN CHAMBERLAIN

Genieve Figgis ist eine bemerkenswerte Figur in der zeitgenössischen irischen Kunstszene. Sie ist bekannt für ihre klugen und kritischen Gruppenporträts, die sich oft über längst vergangene gesellschaftliche Konventionen lustig machen. Als relative Späteinsteigerin in die Malerei erregte sie über Twitter die Aufmerksamkeit des amerikanischen Appropriation-Künstlers Richard Prince, der daraufhin eines ihrer Werke erwarb und sie in die einflussreichen Kreise der New Yorker Kunstszene einführte. Figgis' Werk kritisiert spielerisch die Konsumgewohnheiten der wohlhabenden Mittelschicht und den luxuriösen Lebensstil, wie er von Künstlern der Vergangenheit verewigt wurde, und holt diese Themen mit einer Mischung aus Satire und rohen, authentischen Darstellungen des Lebens in die Gegenwart. Figgis schlägt eine Brücke zu Daumier oder Hogarth, deren Werke häufig einen satirischen Blick auf die zeitgenössische Gesellschaft werfen, und schließt sich Künstlern an, die sich der Gesellschaftssatire verschrieben haben und für ihre scharfe Beobachtungsgabe bekannt sind.

GENIEVE FIGGIS

EMILY KAME KNGWARREYE - Anooralya Yam Story - synthetische Polymerfarbe auf Leinen - 60 1/4 x 48 in.

EMILY KAME KNGWARREYE

KEITH HARING - Ohne Titel (Figur auf Hund balancierend) - Aluminium - 35 1/2 x 25 x 29 Zoll.

KEITH HARING

Roger Brown ist bekannt für seine persönliche und oft fantastische Bildsprache und seine stark stilisierten Gemälde mit Figuren und Objekten, die sein Interesse an alltäglichen Erfahrungen widerspiegeln. Acid Rain erforscht Themen des modernen Lebens und soziale Kommentare, die die Rolle des Künstlers in der Gesellschaft und das Potenzial der Kunst, Veränderungen zu bewirken, widerspiegeln. Auf einer persönlicheren Ebene kann das Thema des sauren Regens zersetzende emotionale oder psychologische Zustände symbolisieren, wie Depression, Angst oder das Gefühl, von Umständen überwältigt zu werden, die sich der eigenen Kontrolle entziehen. So wie der saure Regen ein weitgehend unsichtbares, aber verheerendes Umweltproblem darstellte, motivierte die Krise der aufkommenden HIV/AIDS-Epidemie Brown wahrscheinlich dazu, das Werk zu schaffen, um persönlichen Kummer zu verarbeiten, die unzureichende Reaktion der politischen Führung zu kritisieren und für Mitgefühl, Verständnis und medizinische Forschung einzutreten.

ROGER BROWN

Diebenkorns Ocean Park-Serie erinnert an die delikate Balance von Licht und Farbe, die durchdachte Komposition und die subtile Integration von Landschaftselementen, die alle das Küstenambiente seines Ateliers in Santa Monica simulieren. Anfang der 1990er Jahre griff Diebenkorn die Themen und das ästhetische Empfinden der Ocean Park-Serie wieder auf, indem er verschiedene Drucktechniken einsetzte, um seine Erkundung der abstrakten Sprache, die er in seinen Gemälden entwickelt hatte, zu erweitern. "High Green, Version I" ist ein Beispiel für dieses Streben. Es zeigt die kompositorischen Strategien, die Farbpalette und die räumlichen Aspekte, die für die Ocean Park-Serie charakteristisch sind, und demonstriert gleichzeitig die einzigartigen Möglichkeiten der Druckgrafik, diese Elemente neu zu interpretieren.

RICHARD DIEBENKORN

JOAN MIRO - L'Oiseau - Bronze und Ziegelstein - 23 7/8 x 20 x 16 1/8 in.

JOAN MIRO

© 2023 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

ALEXANDER KALANDER

Andy Warhol ist ein Synonym für die amerikanische Kunst in der zweiten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts und bekannt für seine ikonischen Porträts und Konsumgüter, in denen er Populärkultur und bildende Kunst vermischte und damit neu definierte, was Kunst sein könnte und wie wir Kunst betrachten. Viele von Warhols Werken stellen zwar keine berühmten Persönlichkeiten dar, aber seine Darstellungen von unbelebten Gegenständen erheben seine Subjekte auf eine Ebene der Berühmtheit. Warhol stellte erstmals zu Beginn seiner Karriere Schuhe dar, als er als Modeillustrator arbeitete, und kehrte in den 1980er Jahren zu diesem Thema zurück, um seine Faszination für Konsum und Glamour zu verbinden. In seinem ständigen Bestreben, Hoch- und Niedrigkultur zu vereinen, wählte Warhol ein Thema, das so allgegenwärtig ist wie Schuhe. Das Motiv kann für Armut oder Reichtum, Funktion oder Mode stehen. Warhol glamourisiert den Haufen Schuhe, indem er sie mit einer Patina aus glitzerndem Diamantenstaub überzieht und so die Bedeutung zwischen utilitaristischer Notwendigkeit und stilisiertem Statement-Piece weiter verwischt.

ANDY WARHOL

Robert Motherwells "Open"-Serie, die in den späten 1960er Jahren begann, stellt eine bedeutende Richtung in seinem Werk dar, die Offenheit und räumliche Komplexität durch minimalistische Kompositionen betont. Ausgehend vom Fenster als metaphorischem Motiv, das reich an Introspektion und Intimität ist, soll "Open Study in Tobacco Brown" die Beziehung zwischen dem inneren Selbst und der äußeren Welt widerspiegeln. Es zeigt auch das Engagement, die Grenzen der Abstraktion, das Zusammenspiel der Formen und die emotionale Tiefe der Farbe auszuloten. "Open Study in Tobacco Brown" entstand 1971, einem Übergangsjahr, in dem sich der Künstler von seiner Frau Helen Frankenthaler scheiden ließ und die deutsche Fotografin Renate Ponsold kennenlernte, die er im folgenden Jahr heiraten sollte.

ROBERT MOTHERWELL

"Wigwam rouge et jaune", ein fesselndes Gouache-Gemälde von Alexander Calder, ist eine lebendige Erkundung von Design und Farbe. Die Komposition wird von einem Gitter aus diagonalen Linien dominiert, die sich in der Nähe ihres Scheitelpunkts kreuzen, und strahlt ein dynamisches Gleichgewicht aus. Calder bringt mit roten und gelben Rautenformen ein Element der Laune ins Spiel, das dem Werk Verspieltheit verleiht und eine festliche Atmosphäre schafft. Rote Kugeln am Scheitelpunkt der rechten Linien erwecken einen skurrilen Eindruck, während kleinere graue Kugeln auf den linken Linien für Kontrast und Gleichgewicht sorgen. Calders meisterhafte Verschmelzung von Einfachheit und lebendigen Designelementen macht Wigwam rouge et jaune zu einem visuellen Vergnügen.

ALEXANDER KALANDER

Deborah Butterfield nimmt einen bedeutenden Platz im Pantheon der amerikanischen Bildhauer ein und ist bekannt für ihren Pioniergeist und ihre Beherrschung verschiedener Medien. "Beacon" ist aus geformtem Stahl gefertigt und ein Beweis für ihren Mut und ihre Hingabe, künstlerische Grenzen zu überschreiten. Butterfield hat sich den Herausforderungen dieses anspruchsvollen Mediums gestellt, und es ist eine Verschmelzung von Innovation und Tradition. Mit ihrer modernen Ästhetik, die sich durch geschwungene, elegante Linien auszeichnet, ist diese Pferdeskulptur eine Quelle der Verzauberung und lädt den Betrachter in ein Reich ein, in dem zeitgenössische Kunst mit zeitloser Schönheit zusammentrifft. Beacon ehrt die klassische Anmut der Pferdeform und bekräftigt Butterfields Position als Visionär in der Landschaft der modernen Bildhauerei.

DEBORAH BUTTERFIELD

© 2023 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

ALEXANDER KALANDER

SALVADOR DALI - Der Vorbote (Mystische Hochzeit) - Tusche, Gouache und Aquarell auf Karton - 10 1/2 x 8 1/8 Zoll.

SALVADOR DALI

SALVADOR DALI - Adam und Eva - Gouache, Aquarell und Tinte auf Karton - 10 1/2 x 8 Zoll.

SALVADOR DALI

SALVADOR DALI - Apollon... - Gouache und Aquarell auf KartonSalvador DalíApollon...ca. 1976 - 10 1/2 x 8 1/8 in.

SALVADOR DALI

LOUIS VALTAT - Vase de coquelicots - Öl auf Leinwand - 23 1/2 x 19 in.

LOUIS VALTAT

<div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>Harry Bertoia’s “Sonambient” sculptures are a mesmerizing blend of art, sound, and science, and this 36-tine piece is a quintessential example of his innovative genius. Meticulously crafted with 36 rods aligned in a precise six-by-six configuration on a square base, this 77-inch-tall work embodies the harmonious intersection of visual beauty and auditory wonder.</font></div><br><br><div> </div><br><br><div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>Made from beryllium copper, a material favored by Bertoia for its superior acoustic properties and aesthetic appeal, the rods have developed a rich walnut-like patina over time. This patina adds to the sculpture’s visual allure, enhancing its historical and artistic value, and reflects a natural aging process that the artist himself, a naturalist, would have admired. When activated by touch or the movement of air, the rods produce a perceptible, fixed note accompanied by a range of ethereal tones, transforming the sculpture from a static object into a dynamic, multisensory experience. The long, swaying motion of the tall rods, reminiscent of the undulating desert grasses that inspired the artist initially, adds a captivating visual dimension. The cattail-like finials further evoke natural forms, underscoring Bertoia’s inspiration derived from the natural world.</font></div><br><br><div> </div><br><br><div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>Bertoia’s 36-tine “Sonambient” sculpture is more than a visual masterpiece; it profoundly explores sound, material, and participatory interaction. It exemplifies Bertoia’s belief in art as an immersive and evolving experience, where each encounter offers discoveries and sensations. Through this work, Bertoia has created a timeless piece that continues to captivate and inspire, highlighting his artistic vision's enduring power and deep connection to nature’s spiritual qualities.</font></div>

HARRY BERTOIA

Théo van Rysselberghe, ein unbestrittener Meister der ab 1887 aufblühenden belgischen neoimpressionistischen Bewegung, malte dieses Porträt seiner Frau Maria (geborene Monnom) im ersten Jahrzehnt des zwanzigsten Jahrhunderts. Jahrhunderts. Unter dem Einfluss des Tonalismus von Whistler, des Impressionismus und des Pointillismus von Seurat hatte er ein hochgradig verfeinertes Verständnis für die Farbe, ihre harmonischen Resonanzen und eine akribische Wiedergabe der formalen Elemente entwickelt. Als vorbildlicher Zeichner bleibt der optische Eindruck, der auf dem Zusammenspiel der Farben beruht, ein Hauptanliegen von Van Rysselberghe. Hier ersetzen kurze Farbstriche die kleinen Punkte eines Pointillisten, und das Farbschema ist nicht das homogenisierte, harmonische, für das der Künstler einen wohlverdienten Ruf genießt. Vielmehr wird in diesem Porträt die Farbtheorie auf eine ganz andere Weise weiterentwickelt. Sein visuelles Interesse liegt in den dynamischen Kontrasten der versilberten Frisur seiner Frau, ihres platinfarbenen Kleides und des strahlend weißen Kaminmantels - alles in der optischen Lebendigkeit der von komplementären Rot- und Grüntönen dominierten Umgebung. Es ist eine visuell anregende Demonstration eines Malers, der die dynamische Wirkung dieses ungewöhnlichen Farbschemas verstanden hat und der die Dargestellte mit einem starken Akzent auf einer Diagonale arrangiert und die Formel mit dem Geschick und der Gewandtheit eines Malers ausgeführt hat, der sein malerisches Vermögen voll beherrscht.

THÉO VAN RYSSELBERGHE

Kein Künstler hat die Kluft zwischen der europäischen Moderne und dem amerikanischen Abstrakten Expressionismus so gut überbrückt wie Hans Hofmann. Der Grund dafür ist einfach: Er wurde vor dem Ersten Weltkrieg an Pariser Akademien ausgebildet und war mit Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque sowie Robert und Sonia Delaunay befreundet, was ihm eine Vertrautheit mit der europäischen Moderne verschaffte, die kein anderer Abstrakter Expressionist besaß. Untitled (View of Provincetown Harbor) verbindet Elemente dieser frühen Zeit, die ungezügelte Farbigkeit der Fauves in breit gepinselten Passagen mit dem Versprechen der kommenden automatistischen Malerei der New York School. Es ist sehr gestisch und verbindet die Motive und die Geschwindigkeit des Pinsels von Raoul Dufy mit einer männlicheren, kühneren Projektion, die auf die Wurzeln des Action Painting hinweist.

HANS HOFMANN

ANDY WARHOL - Goethe - Siebdruck in Farben - 38 x 38 in.

ANDY WARHOL

Andy Warhol, der für seine Faszination für Ruhm, Berühmtheit und kulturelle Ikonen bekannt ist, ging gelegentlich über seine Zeitgenossen hinaus und bezog historische Persönlichkeiten mit ein. Von besonderem Interesse sind Goethes Farbtheorien, die die Wahrnehmung von Farben und ihre psychologische Wirkung betonen und im Gegensatz zum vorherrschenden, auf der Newtonschen Physik basierenden Verständnis von Farbe als wissenschaftlichem Phänomen stehen. Obwohl es keine direkte Verbindung gibt, dass Goethes Farbtheorie Warhol direkt dazu inspiriert hat, ihn als Sujet auszuwählen, unterstreicht sie thematisch, wie wir Warhols Kunst als Auseinandersetzung mit historischen Traditionen betrachten, um eine Verbindung zwischen ihren jeweiligen Bereichen und Epochen zu symbolisieren. In diesem Sinne ist das Werk eine Hommage und eine zeitübergreifende Zusammenarbeit, die Warhols Bildsprache mit Goethes Bewusstsein für Farbe als starkes, stimulierendes Element der Wahrnehmung verbindet.

ANDY WARHOL

RODOLFO MORALES - Ohne Titel - Öl auf Leinwand - 37 1/4 x 39 1/4 Zoll.

RODOLFO MORALES

JESSIE ARMS BOTKE - Zwei weiße Pfaue - Öl auf Karton - 29 1/4 x 24 1/2 Zoll.

JESSIE ARMS BOTKE

<div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>Harry Bertoia was an authentic visionary in art, and they are rare. Of those whose métier is sculpture, Alexander Calder and Harry Bertoia are the twentieth-century American standouts. They are engineers of beauty; their creative currency is feats of invention and pure artistry that honor our experience of them (if we are willing to quiet our mind) as if a sacred event. It was Duchamp who suggested Calder call his kinetic works “mobiles”, but it was up to Bertoia himself to coin a word to describe something for which there was little precedent. Visually precise, kinetic, and offering resonant, vibratory sound, a “Sonambient” sculpture is at once a metaphor for our sentient experience in the world yet capable of inducing an aura of transcendent experience. Given that insight, it is easy to understand Bertoia’s view that “I don’t hold onto terms like music and sculpture anymore. Those old distinctions have lost all their meaning.”</font></div><br><br><div> </div><br><br><div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>The present “Sonambient” sculpture is a forty-eight-inch-tall curtain of thin-gauged tines. Once activated, it becomes a 15 3/4 inch long, 8 inches deep wall of sound. Five rows of narrow tines are staggered in number, alternating between 30 and 29 tines that, when activated, present as an undulating wall of sound. When touched or moved by air currents, the rods produce a sound that, while metallic, does not betray its source of inspiration: the serene connection Bertoia felt in observing the gentle undulating movement of desert grasses. As always, this is a Bertoia sculpture that invites participation in the experience of changing shapes and sounds, a participatory work that asks us to be present in the moment, to connect across time with the object and its creator.</font></div>

HARRY BERTOIA

<div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>Art enthusiasts celebrate Harry Bertoia’s “Sonambient” sculptures for their ability to transcend the traditional boundaries of visual art. Rising 56 inches, this sculpture of sixteen tines, topped with cattail-like finials crafted from beryllium copper and aged to a unique patina, suggests a powdery effect reminiscent of cattails in their natural state. This richly mottled patina enhances its visual appeal and historical significance, reflecting the natural aging process that Bertoia, a naturalist, would have deeply admired. The large surface area of the finials allows the patina to express itself differently, adding texture and depth to the sculpture’s appearance. The effect gives the piece an organic quality, further connecting it to the natural world that inspired Bertoia.</font></div><br><br><div> </div><br><br><div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>When activated by touch or the movement of air, the rods produce a continuous sound akin to an old church chime. This haunting, melodic tone transforms the sculpture from a static object into a dynamic auditory experience, evoking the serene and spiritual atmosphere of ancient places of worship. Bertoia always retained an awareness of the irony of using metal to produce the sounds of nature and organic forms. The sound resonates with a timeless quality, drawing listeners into a meditative state and highlighting the spiritual dimensions of Bertoia’s work.</font></div><br><br><div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>Bertoia’s 56-inch “Sonambient” sculpture exemplifies his belief in art as an immersive, evolving experience. It invites viewers to engage with it physically and emotionally, discovering new layers of beauty and meaning with each interaction. Through this piece, Bertoia continues to captivate and inspire, celebrating the profound connection between art, nature, and spirituality.</font></div>

HARRY BERTOIA

ALEX KATZ - Peter - Öl auf Masonitplatte - 15 7/8 x 7 1/8 Zoll.

ALEX KATZ

ARMAND GUILLAUMIN - Roquebrune, Le Matin - Öl auf Leinwand - 25 x 31 1/4 Zoll.

ARMAND GUILLAUMIN

Andy Warhols Campbell's Soup Cans Serie markiert einen entscheidenden Moment in seiner Karriere und der Pop Art Bewegung. Die Serie, bestehend aus 32 Leinwänden, die jeweils eine andere Geschmacksrichtung zeigen, revolutionierte die Kunstwelt, indem sie alltägliche Konsumgüter in den Status der hohen Kunst erhob. Der Siebdruck Pepper Pot aus dem Jahr 1968 zeigt den für ihn typischen Stil mit leuchtenden, flachen Farben und sich wiederholenden Bildern, die für die Massenproduktion und die Konsumkultur charakteristisch sind. Der Siebdruck, eine kommerzielle Technik, passt zu Warhols Interesse, die Grenzen zwischen hoher Kunst und kommerzieller Kunst zu verwischen und künstlerische Werte und Wahrnehmungen in Frage zu stellen.

ANDY WARHOL

Die Fotos von Ansel Adams sind © The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust. Reproduziert mit Genehmigung.

ANSEL ADAMS

<div><font size=3 color=black>Harry Bertoia's “Sonambient” sculptures are renowned for their meditative qualities, inviting viewers into a serene and contemplative state. Among the five “Sonambients” in our exhibition, even this most petite sculpture stands out with its remarkable sonic capabilities. This work, with its 64 tines, each capped with long, slender finials, produces a high-timbered sonority that is surprisingly robust. The delicate yet powerful sound offers an auditory experience that encourages reflection and heightened awareness.</font></div><br><br><div><font size=3> </font></div><br><br><div><font size=3 color=black>A pivotal aspect of the “Sonambient” sculptures' evolution was the involvement of Bertoia's brother, Oreste, whose expertise as a musician enabled him to help Harry reconceptualize these sculptures, not just as visual or kinetic art but as instruments capable of producing an immersive soundscape. This collaboration highlighted the interdisciplinary nature of Bertoia's work, merging the worlds of sculpture and music. Experimenting with rods and tines of different metals, varying in length and thickness, he discovered a wide range of tones and textural droning sounds. Exhilarated by their ethereal, otherworldly resonance and his brother's encouragement, Bertoia filled his historic barn in Bally, Pennsylvania, with more than sixty “Sonambient” sculptures. It became a kind of orchestral studio and laboratory where he recorded albums and held concerts, and the once lowly barn became a hallowed place—a chapel of sorts—where visitors experienced it as a pilgrimage and a place of profound inspiration and meditation.</font></div>

HARRY BERTOIA

ANSEL ADAMS - Mond und Half Dome, Yosemite, CA - Silbergelatineabzug - 19 x 14 1/2 Zoll.

ANSEL ADAMS

MARY ABBOTT - Ohne Titel - Öl und Ölstift auf Papier auf Leinwand aufgezogen - 23 x 29 in.

MARY ABBOTT

Karl Benjamin und seine Kollegen Lorser Feitelson, Frederick Hammersley und John McLaughlin nehmen in der Geschichte der amerikanischen abstrakten Kunst einen besonderen Platz ein. Sie sind bekannt für ihre präzisen, geometrischen Formen und sauberen, die Flächigkeit betonenden Kanten und gehören zu den kalifornischen Hard-Edge-Malern, die in den späten 1950er Jahren aufkamen. Im Gegensatz zu Ellsworth Kelly beispielsweise spiegeln ihre Werke eine Helligkeit, Klarheit und Farbpalette wider, die eher auf die natürliche und gebaute Umgebung Kaliforniens als auf die eher urbanen und industriellen Einflüsse der Ostküste verweisen. Darüber hinaus war die kalifornische Gruppe im Vergleich zur konkurrierenden Kunstszene an der Ostküste eine relativ kleine und eng verbundene Gemeinschaft von Künstlern mit einem Sinn für Zusammenarbeit und gemeinsame Erkundungen, die zu einer zusammenhängenden Bewegung mit einer eigenen Identität beitrugen.

KARL BENJAMIN

The Arts and Crafts Movement in Great Britain and the corresponding ripples that made their way across the Atlantic Ocean were felt in the work of Jesse Arms Botke (1883-1971). Botke was born in Chicago, Illinois but found her home in California, where she had a successful career working first in Carmel and later in Southern California. <br><br>Rich textures, extensive use of gold leaf, and highly stylized birds would become synonymous with Botke's mature work as she established herself as one of the West Coast’s leading decorative mural painters of the 20th century.<br><br>"The White Peacock" (1922) shows an idyllic landscape with Botke's signature bird subject matter; the white peacock and cockatoos were among her favorite aviary subjects. Her work today can be found in countless museum collections, including the Art Institute, Chicago.

JESSIE ARMS BOTKE

ANDY WARHOL - Northwest Coast Mask - Siebdruck in Farben auf Lenox Museum Board - 38 x 38 in.

ANDY WARHOL

ROBERTO MATTA - L'epreuve - Öl auf Leinwand - 29 1/2 x 25 1/2 in.

ROBERTO MATTA

PABLO PICASSO - Femme assise en pyjama de plage - Linolschnitt - 21 1/2 x 17 in.

PABLO PICASSO