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22/4/2006

20th Century Works on Paper

Bruce Museum, Greenwich

The new exhibition 20th Century Works on Paper from the Bruce Museum Collection, which runs from April 23 through July 16, 2006, highlights significant artists and art movements of the 20th century, including examples of Social Realism, Modernism, Abstract Expressionism, Photo-Realism, and Pop Art. This exhibition brings to public view the work of renowned artists such as Robert Motherwell, Jasper Johns, Louise Nevelson, and Isabel Bishop. Drawn from over 700 prints and drawings owned by the Bruce Museum, the exhibition reflects the Museum’s focus on collecting quality American works of art that are representative of the values, spirit, and concerns of their age. Works on paper -- a little known yet important facet of the Bruce Museum’s permanent collection -- are a significant part of the Museum’s holdings. The exhibition is underwritten by The Charles M. and Deborah G. Royce Exhibition Fund.

One of the most important works in the exhibition is the large-scale lithograph Between Rounds, 1923, by George Bellows, featuring the boxing subjects for which the artist was most famous. Isabel Bishop’s etching Waiting for the Bus (Two Women) and Raphael Soyer’s Casting Office, 1945, typify urban social realism, while the Matisse-like line of Milton Avery’s 1946 Nude reflects modernist trends.

From later in the century, two works by Robert Motherwell represent the Abstract Expressionist style in which he worked. Motherwell’s lithograph Elegy Black Black belongs to the series of paintings and prints titled Elegies to the Spanish Republic, which are perhaps his best-known work. He began the series in 1948 to pay homage to the Spanish Republic that had fallen to General Franco’s rule and to those who had lost their lives during the civil war. The works combine opposites to create an expansive mood representative of profound emotions rather than to record a response to a specific event. The other piece by Motherwell, a 1984 color lithograph entitled America - La France Variations III, is one of a series of twelve prints on which Robert Motherwell collaborated with Kenneth Tyler, founder of Tyler Graphics, from April 1983 to March 1984.

Another important abstract work in the exhibition is Alfonso Ossorio’s Red Sacrifice of 1950. The painting in wax and watercolor dates from the period the Ossorio Foundation terms the most important in the abstract expressionist’s work, 1950 to 1952. The piece is thought to be one of a group of approximately 300 paintings on paper that Ossorio created on a trip to his native Philippines or shortly thereafter in Paris in 1951. The artist gave Red Sacrifice, which is a major example of his oeuvre, to the Bruce Museum in 1972.

Another abstract work included is Louise Nevelson’s 1965 Totem’s Presents. Though best known for her Cubist-inspired wood assemblages and sculptures, Nevelson worked in collage and prints beginning in 1953 at William Stanley Hayter’s innovative Atelier 17. She felt all her efforts, regardless of media, were “a collection of elements constantly at play, a never-ending dialogue of juxtaposed relationships."
Other more contemporary works in the show include a lithograph by Photo-Realist Robert Cottingham and a print from Alex Katz’s portfolio Pas de Deux, as well as an 8-color untitled lithograph by the important American artist Jasper Johns. The selections on view cover a wide range of media, from drawing in graphite, crayon, ink and tempera to collage and watercolor, as well as print techniques including etching, lithography, silkscreen, and aquatint. The works also vary in size and function, from small and personal to grand and iconic.

Mike Horyczun, Director of Public Relations, 203-869-6786 ext.330

Image: Robert Motherwell (1915-1991) Elegy Black Black, 1983. Lithograph, 54/98, 15 x 37 Y in. Bruce Museum collection, Gift of Mr. And Mrs. Alfred Brittain, III, 1998

The Bruce Museum of Arts and Science is located at 1 Museum Drive in Greenwich, Connecticut. It is situated near Interstate-95, Exit 3, and a short walk from the Greenwich, CT rail station.
Museum hours are: Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and closed Mondays and major holidays.
Admission: $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and students, and free for children under five and members. Free admission to all on Tuesdays. Groups of eight or more require advance reservations. Museum exhibition tours are held Fridays at 12:30 p.m. Free, on-site parking is available. The Bruce Museum is accessible to individuals with disabilities.

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