Robert Arneson: Bronze Self-Portraits and Drawings
Sculpture Terrace and Sculpture Terrace Galleries
June 19, 1999 – June 4, 2000
"Provocative, confrontational, and witty," are just a few of the words used to describe the artist featured in Robert Arneson: Bronze Self-Portraits and Drawings. The exhibition, which was organized by Director of Curatorial Affairs Rachel Rosenfield Lafo, presents a selection of bronzes and works on paper that capture Arneson's satirical and often ironic approach to art.
Arneson (1930-1992), who is closely identified with the San Francisco Bay art scene, is most widely recognized for his ceramic sculpture. However, during his lifetime, Arneson also created bronzes and drawings characterized by energetic line and expression. DeCordova is pleased to be the first museum in New England to mount an exhibition showcasing Arneson's bronze self-portraits. Robert Arneson features 17 bronze self-portraits, all produced at the Walla Walla Foundry in Washington over a ten-year period, along with eight related works on paper.
Throughout his career, Arneson returned again and again to depictions of his own image, using it at as a springboard for comments on his role as an artist, art history, and politics in general. While his work is often humorous, it can also be confrontational, using humor as a tool for social critique. Towards the end of his life, in response to his ongoing battle with cancer, Arneson turned to issues of aging, suffering, and mortality in his work. He chose to produce these later works in bronze, for both its aesthetic and practical qualities. As a material, bronze not only emphasizes form over color and refers to the Greco-Roman tradition of classical sculpture, but can be produced in multiples and is durable, making it well-suited for outdoor exhibition.
The Museum gratefully acknowledges the cooperation of Sandra Shannonhouse and the Estate of Robert Arneson, and George Adams Gallery, New York City, in the organization of this exhibition.
Select works from Robert Arneson: Bronze Self-Portraits and Drawings
