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Perle Fine
Astraea, 1965
courtesy of
Thomas McCormick Gallery, Chicago |
Jack Tworkov
The Sirens, 1951
collection of
Tom and Darlene Furst |
funderburg gallery:
Reuniting an Era:
abstract expressionists of the 1950s
November 12, 2004–January 23, 2005
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The Rockford Art Museum's exhibition, Reuniting an Era: Abstract Expressionists of the 1950s, has over 40 works including paintings by Hans Hofmann, Joan Mitchell, Robert Motherwell, Melville Price, and Lee Krasner, among others. Accompanying the exhibition will be a 60-page catalog with biographical information on each artist and an essay by art historian Gerald Nordlund.
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Mary Abbott
Red Harbour
courtesy of Thomas McCormick Gallery
Chicago
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The essay and exhibition will focus on what is known as the New York School. This was a vast artistic community that was responsible for a historic shift in art world dominance and praise. For the first time, international critics and collectors shifted their gaze from an entrenched European art market to this phenomenon of stateside innovation. However, it is clear that the community was much larger than just the ten or so artists that were promoted by the critics of that era. This show explores some of the other artists and the way they helped in the development of the period.
The common thread that ties many of these artists together is the Abstract Expressionists' “coming-out” party. The 9th Street Show featured 61 invited artists from May 21 through June 10th, 1951, as well as other New York Painting and Sculpture Annuals that occurred between 1951 and 1957. Nearly 265 artists participated in this movement, although in the early days, critics promoted merely a handful.
Fifty years later, curators and critics are taking a second look at many of the lesser-known Abstract Expressionist artists. While this exhibition will in no way be able to display all the artists of the New York School, it will, however, accomplish something very unique. By displaying the work of lesser-known artists next to that of more recognized artists, such as Robert Motherwell, a situation is created wherein the quality of the artwork and not the fame of the artists must be examined. This then begs the question, “Why were certain artists exalted while others were excluded?”
This show will raise awareness about Abstract Expressionism and also provide a more complete understanding of the many artists who contributed to it: not only those celebrated Abstract Expressionists who stayed in New York, but also those who moved on to other regions to pursue their art careers.
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