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13/11/2003

Drawings by European and American Masters

UCLA Hammer Museum, Los Angeles

THE EUNICE AND HAL DAVID COLLECTION OF 19TH- AND 20TH-CENTURY WORKS ON PAPER
FEATURING DRAWINGS BY EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN MASTERS
TO DEBUT AT THE UCLA HAMMER MUSEUM NOVEMBER 14, 2003 - FEBRUARY 8, 2004

Los Angeles, CA - The UCLA Hammer Museum will present publicly for the first time an exhibition of drawings from the collection of Oscar-winning lyricist Hal David and his wife Eunice. A promised gift to the Museum's Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts, The Eunice and Hal David Collection of 19th- and 20th- Century Works on Paper will be on view from November 14, 2003 through February 8, 2004. The collection features approximately 60 drawings by 48 celebrated artists who have shaped the course of art history. Artists represented span a period of 200 years, and include Eugène Delacroix, Edouard Manet, Mary Cassatt, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Gustave Caillebotte, Winslow Homer, Gustav Klimt, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Fernand Léger, Georgia O'Keeffe, Alexander Calder, Robert Motherwell, Richard Diebenkorn, Isamu Noguchi, Andy Warhol, Sam Francis, David Hockney, and others.

After its debut at the UCLA Hammer Museum, The Eunice and Hal David Collection of 19th- and 20th- Century Works on Paper will travel to the Portland Art Museum, Oregon, in July 2004.

'The Eunice and Hal David Collection of 19th- and 20th- Century Works on Paper is distinctly personal, a great reflection on Hal and Eunice's interests and passion. At the same time, the collection is remarkable for its breadth-comprising works by almost 50 prominent European and American artists,' said Ann Philbin, director of the UCLA Hammer Museum. 'The Hammer Museum's exhibition, presenting the entire collection publicly for the first time, will offer visitors a marvelous opportunity to discover numerous approaches to drawing by some of the most influential artists of the past two hundred years.'

THE EXHIBITION
The works in the exhibition reflect various approaches to drawings including exploratory sketches, preliminary drawings for paintings, and large-scale or highly finished presentation drawings. The works employ the techniques of graphite, pen and ink, chalk, watercolor, and gouache. Most of the drawings depict figurative subject matter, though there is also a selection of abstract, non-figurative compositions.

The Davids' interest in representations of the human figure was already present in their first purchase, Pierre Bonnard's Standing Nude Looking in Mirror, c. 1920-25, and deepened as the collection grew to include works such as Edgar Degas' Dancer, Arm Too Far behind the Head, c.1880-85; Gustav Klimt's Study for a Satyr Carrying Drum, c. 1886-88; and David Hockney's Celia Smoking, 1974. The diminutive scale of Bonnard's graphite drawing of a female figure seen from the back as she quietly observes herself in a mirror is countered by the more dramatic diagonal pose of Degas' ballerina, sketched in charcoal as she practices her movements. Klimt's 19th-century drawing of a naked satyr-a preparatory drawing and rare example of a figurative study by the artist-is an interesting contrast to Hockney's 20th-century pencil drawing of Celia-one the most important subjects among his numerous portraits.

In addition to figurative drawings, examples of abstract art can also be seen in the exhibition. Sam Francis' Study for Chase Mural, 1959 and Robert Motherwell's Untitled (Elegy), 1980, both demonstrate a modernist aesthetic through abstraction of form.

Although many people think of drawings as monochromatic, color is strongly present throughout the exhibition, contributing to an overall effect of ebullience in the galleries. The key roles of color and richness of media in these drawings are exemplified by works such as Paul Signac's Rochefort, 1930, and Fernand Léger's Starfish, 1937. The vibrancy of Signac's neo-impressionist watercolor suggests the shimmering effect of sunlight upon the surface of water, exhibiting the artist's research on color theory and the placement of pure colors next to one another; in contrast, the floating form of Léger's starfish is created by vivid solid colors, encapsulated by thick black contour outlines.

EUNICE AND HAL DAVID
Hal David has been honored with every major award bestowed by the music industry, including more than 20 gold records, a Grammy, several Academy Award nominations and an Oscar for 'Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head.' Often created in collaboration with Burt Bacharach, many of David's songs have become cherished popular favorites, including 'Do You Know the Way to San Jose,' 'Walk on By,' 'I Say a Little Prayer,' and 'What the World Needs Now is Love.' His Broadway show "Promises, Promises" received a Grammy and was nominated for a Tony Award when it first appeared on Broadway.

Passionate about art, Hal and his wife Eunice have collected European and American drawings for over ten years. 'Our appreciation of drawings stems from the fact that they are often the first steps in the creative process towards something larger and greater-much like the way a songwriter starts with nothing and ends with a completed song,' said Hal David. The Davids donated their collection to the UCLA Hammer Museum's Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts in order to present it to a larger audience and to provide a resource to UCLA students and the community at large.

ORGANIZATION AND CATALOGUE
The exhibition is organized by the UCLA Hammer Museum, Los Angeles. The curator is Cynthia Burlingham, senior curator of the Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts and deputy director of collections at the Hammer Museum. Accompanying the exhibition is a fully-illustrated catalogue with an essay by Lee Hendrix, curator of drawings at the J. Paul Getty Museum, and extended entries on each work by Hammer curatorial staff members Cynthia Burlingham, Claudine Dixon, Claudine Isé, and Carolyn Peter, as well as Judith Brodie, Carol S. Eliel, Noriko Gamblin, Robert Hobbs, Amy Schichtel, and Marilyn Symmes. The catalogue is available for $35, paperback, at the Hammer bookstore. To order by phone, call 310.443.7063.

THE UCLA HAMMER MUSEUM
Through its permanent collections, exhibitions, and programs, the UCLA Hammer Museum endeavors to illuminate the depth and diversity of artistic expression through the centuries up to the present moment. Founded by Dr. Armand Hammer in 1990, the Museum houses several collections of art: The Armand Hammer Collection of Old Master, Impressionist, and Post-Impressionist paintings, including important examples of work by Rembrandt van Rijn, John Singer Sargent, Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, and Mary Cassatt; The Armand Hammer Daumier and Contemporaries Collection, featuring the painting, sculpture, and lithography of 19th-century French satirist Honoré Daumier and his contemporaries; and The Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts, containing over 45,000 works on paper, including prints, drawings, photographs, and artists' books dating from the Renaissance to the present. The Grunwald Center is a primary resource for teaching and research, serving UCLA students, faculty, and the public.
In addition to selections from its permanent collections, Hammer exhibitions present historical and contemporary work in all media of the visual arts, including architecture and design. Hammer Projects, a series of exhibitions focusing on the work of emerging artists, reflect the Museum's commitment to serving artists by providing a responsive, flexible arena for presenting their work to the Los Angeles community.

For more information about the Hammer Museum:
VOICE: 310-443-7000; TTY: 310-443-7094

Museum Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, 11am-7pm; Thursday, 11am-9pm; Sunday, 11am-5pm; closed Mondays, July 4, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.

Admission: $5 for adults; $3 for seniors (65+) and UCLA Alumni Association members; free for Museum members, students with identification, UCLA faculty/staff, and visitors 17 and under. Admission is free for everyone on Thursdays. Access for people with disabilities is provided.

Location/Parking: The Museum is located at 10899 Wilshire Boulevard. Parking is available under the Museum. Rates are $2.75 for the first two hours with Museum validation, $1.50 for each additional 20 minutes. There is a $3 flat rate after 6 p.m. on Thursdays. Parking for people with disabilities is provided on levels P1 and P3.

In the image: Pablo Picasso, 'The Dance (La danse)', 1933.

Museum Tours: For reservations and information, call 310-443-7041

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