Daily Archives: December 16, 2015

Frank Stella: A Retrospective

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Frank Stella: A Retrospective is on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City until  February 7, 2016.

Frank Stella (b. 1936) is one of the most important living American artists. This retrospective is the most comprehensive presentation of Stella’s career to date, frank-stella-w-slideshowcasing his prolific output from the mid-1950s to the present through approximately 100 works, including paintings, reliefs, maquettes, sculptures, and drawings. Co-organized by the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and the Whitney, this exhibition features Stella’s best-known works alongside rarely seen examples drawn from collections around the world. Accompanied by a scholarly publication, the exhibition fills the Whitney’s entire fifth floor, an 18,000-square-foot gallery that is the Museum’s largest space for temporary exhibitions.

Frank Stella: A Retrospective is organized by Michael Auping, chief curator, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, in association with Adam D. Weinberg, Alice Pratt Brown Director, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, and with the assistance of Carrie Springer, assistant curator, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.

“Vatican Splendors” at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia

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The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia is hosting the exhibit Vatican Splendor, until February 15, 2016 The exhibition, opened during the historic Papal Visit (September 26-27) and the 2015 World Meeting of Families Congress in Philadelphia (September 22-25).  The exhibition  explores the historical and cultural impact of the Vatican over the span of 2,000 years through significantly relevant objects straight from the Vatican in Rome, Italy.  Every object in the exhibition tells its own story, together forming a great historical mosaic of the Vatican—and many of the artifacts have never before been on public view at the Vatican in Rome.

Highlights of the nearly 10,000 square-foot exhibition include documents signed by Michelangelo, tools used in work on the Sistine Chapel and Basilica of Saint Peter’s, works by masters including Bernini and Guercino, artwork dating back to the first century, venerated remains (bone fragments) of Saints Peter and Paul, relics discovered at the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul, and historical objects from the modern and ancient basilicas of Saint Peter’s in Rome.

VaticanSplendors_MadonnaOfTheChairThe exhibition is organized into 11 galleries that illustrate the evolution of the Church, with thematic areas highlighting important developments, people and events tied to the history of the Vatican, reflected in both important historical objects and artistic expression from different eras. The objects are presented in galleries and recreated environments designed to enhance the understanding of their historical and artistic significance. Visitors will feel transported to the Vatican, from the underground catacombs where the remains of Saint Peter were discovered to the magnificent papal chambers found above ground. From the sights and sounds of the grand Basilica to a touchable cast of Saint John Paul II’s hand, the exhibition is a multi-sensory experience.
“There could not be a more fitting exhibition to bring to Philadelphia this fall than Vatican Splendors,” explains Larry Dubinski, President and CEO of The Franklin Institute. “Hosting an exhibit of this caliber during such a momentous time for Philadelphia and the world is truly remarkable and for anyone participating in the World Meeting of Families or the Papal Visit and mass, Vatican Splendors will unquestionably add an unforgettable layer to that once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

The Franklin Institute is the only East Coast stop for the exhibition, the first of a two-city North American tour, after

Two Angels

Two Angels

which the items will return to the Vatican, from which they cannot be absent for more than a year. The collection of priceless artifacts will be housed in the climate-controlled exhibit gallery in the Nicholas and Athena Karabots Pavilion at The Franklin Institute.

Vatican Splendors is organized and circulated in conjunction with the Congregazione per l’Evangelizzazione dei Popoli of the Vatican City State. Items in the collection—which include mosaics, frescoes, paintings by Renaissance masters, works by well-known sculptors, intricately embroidered silk vestments, precious
objects from the Papal Mass, uniforms of the Papal Swiss Guard, historical maps and documents and relics are on loan from The Reverenda Fabbrica of Saint Peter, the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside-the-Walls, the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, the Vatican Library, the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, the Apostolic Floreria, the Papal Swiss Guard, the Vatican Museums, and private collections.

Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World at the National Gallery of Art

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An unprecedented exhibition of some 50 rare bronze sculptures and related works from the Hellenistic period is on view in Washington, D.C. at the National Gallery of Art from December 13, 2015, through March 20, 2016.  Previously at the Palazzo Strozzi, Florence, and the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World showcases bronze sculptures that are remarkably lifelike, often enhanced by copper eyelashes and lips and colored glass or stone eyes. Of the many thousands of bronze statues created in the Hellenistic period, only a small fraction is preserved. This exhibition is the first to gather together so many of the finest surviving bronzes from museums in Europe, North Africa, and the United States.

Athena-and-Medusa

Medallion with Athena and Medusa, 200 – 150 BC

“We are delighted to present visitors with this rare opportunity to see these dazzling works up close,” said Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art, Washington. “We are grateful to the lenders—museums in Austria, Denmark, France, Georgia, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, Spain, Tunisia, the United States, and the Vatican—as well as Bank of America for their generous support.”

“Circa un terzo delle opere, diciotto per l’esattezza, per questa magnifica mostra provengono da musei italiani, e’ una testimonianza dell’altissimo livello di cooperazione che continua a consolidarsi anno dopo anno tra la ‘National Gallery of art’ e le principali istituzioni culturali italiane”, ha osservato l’ambasciatore d’Italia a Washington, Claudio Bisogniero.  “Sono molto lieto in particolare che anche grazie al sostegno della nostra Ambasciata, opere come il Corridore ed il Fauno Danzante dal Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, siano per la prima volta visibili al pubblico americano”.

During the Hellenistic period—generally from the late fourth century BC to the first century AD—the art and culture of Greece spread throughout the Mediterranean and lands once conquered by Alexander the Great. Through the medium of bronze, artists were able to capture the dynamic realism, expression, and detail that characterize the new artistic goals of the era.

Power and Pathos brings together the most significant examples of Hellenistic bronze sculpture to highlight their varying styles, techniques, contexts, functions, and histories. The conquests of Alexander the Great (ruled 336–323 BC) created one of the largest empires in history and ushered in the Hellenistic period, which ended with the rise of the Roman Empire. For some 300 years after Alexander’s death, the medium of bronze drove artistic experimentation and innovation. Bronze—surpassing marble with its tensile strength, reflective surface, and ability to hold the finest detail—was used for dynamic poses, dazzling displays of the nude body, and vivid expressions of age and character.

“Realistic portraiture as we know it today, with an emphasis on individuality and expression, originated in the Hellenistic period,” said exhibition curator Kenneth Lapatin.  Jens M. Daehner, co-curator, added, “Along with images of gods, heroes, and athletes, sculptors introduced new subjects and portrayed people at all stages of life, from infancy to old age.” Both Daehner and Lapatin are associate curators in the department of antiquities at the J. Paul Getty Museum.

A widespread ancient phenomenon, Hellenistic art is found not only throughout the Mediterranean, but also in regions far away, such as Thrace in the Balkans, ancient Colchis (in the Republic of Georgia), and the southern Arabian Peninsula. Through several thematic sections, the exhibition emphasizes the unique role of bronze both as a medium of prestige and artistic innovation and as a material exceptionally suited for reproduction.

“The works from the Power and Pathos exhibition represent a turning point in artistic innovation during one of the most culturally vibrant periods in world history,” said Rena De Sisto, global arts and culture executive, Bank of America. “We’re thrilled to be the National Tour Sponsor and to help bring this important collection to D.C. in hopes to inspire curiosity and wonder.”