For Immediate Release
July 12, 2002
Contact: Brent Sverdloff 781/259-3628, bsverdloff@decordova.org
Sarah Smith 781/259-3663, ssmith@decordova.org
Painting in Boston: 1950-2000
Joyce and Edward Linde Gallery, Dewey Family Gallery, Fourth Floor Hallway Gallery, Millipore Foundation Gallery, James and Audrey Foster Galleries,
September 14, 2002 - February 23, 2003
Opening Reception: Friday, September 13, 2002 from 6 - 9 pm
LINCOLN, MA-DeCordova's landmark retrospective, Painting in Boston: 1950-2000, is unprecedented in scope and depth. Although the history of the first half century of the discipline-the period of the so-called "Boston School"-has been well studied and represented, this cannot be said for the latter half. DeCordova addresses this situation of neglect in a timely manner, while many of the significant painters of the period are still living and able to contribute their knowledge and perspective. Major funding for this exhibition comes from Fidelity Investments through the Fidelity Foundation.
Painting in Boston: 1950-2000 identifies and analyzes the work of the 67 most important painters of the period. The exhibition presents the significant thematic and stylistic developments within the medium as practiced in the Boston area, and delineates the art historical relations among local, national, and international schools of painting. This project is also the first scholarly investigation of the totality of the painting community and its necessary support structures in the city of Boston: the artists, galleries, museums, educational institutions, critics, collectors, and patrons. It tells the story of how these interlocked persons and organizations functioned to collectively establish the character and scope of painting.
Drawn from DeCordova's Permanent Collection, other museums, and the collections of both private collectors and the artists themselves, 75 paintings by 67 artists will be mounted in the Museum's main public galleries, which total over 10,000 square feet of exhibition space. The exhibition is structured chronologically around the four major stylistic tendencies that have dominated painting in the Boston area over the last five decades:
Realism, with its rich local legacy stretching from early Colonial portraiture on through nineteenth-century Precisionism and American Impressionism (Allan Rohan Crite, Linda Etcoff, Emily Eveleth, Gregory Gillespie, Michael Mazur, John Moore, Walter Murch, George Nick, Scott Prior, Barnet Rubenstein, Donald Shambroom, Elaine Spatz-Rabinowitz, Sarah Supplee, James Weeks);
Expressionism/Neo-Expressionism, which reveals Boston's institutional and individual ties to the heritage of early twentieth-century German Expressionist painting (Doug Anderson, David Aronson, Gerry Bergstein, Hyman Bloom, Bernard Chaet, Dana C. Chandler (Akin Duro), Robert Ferrandini, Aaron Fink, Alex Grey, Philip Guston, Timothy Harney, Jon Imber, Todd McKie, Flora Natapoff, Arthur Polonsky, Henry Schwartz, Mitchell Siporin, Barbara Swan, Lois Tarlow, John Walker, Candace Walters, Maxine Yalovitz-Blankenship, Karl Zerbe);
Abstraction, demonstrating a direct link to the dominance of international Modernism and especially Abstract Expressionism at the mid-century (Albert Alcalay, Natalie Alper, Gregory Amenoff, Domingo Barreres, Jack Clift, Friedel Dzubas, Kofi Kayiga, Gyorgy Kepes, Roger Kizik, Lawrence Kupferman, John McNamara, Rob Moore, Maud Morgan, David Ortins, Katherine Porter, Paul Shakespear, Bill Thompson, Irene Valincius);
The New Painting, which describes a vital group of artists working since the mid-1980s with Postmodern interests in culture, gender, identity, and politics (Ahmed Abdalla, Laylah Ali, Ambreen Butt, Frank Egloff, Ellen Gallagher, Anne Harris, Colleen Kiely, Annette Lemieux, Catherine McCarthy, Tabitha Vevers, Lucy White, Richard Yarde).
Painting in Boston is a component of the Millennium Exhibition Project, the first major, comprehensive study of how modern American art developed in the Boston area in the late twentieth century. The Project began with Photography in Boston: 1955-1985 (September 16, 2000 - January 21, 2001). Painting in Boston: 1950-2000 follows from September 14, 2002 - February 23, 2003, and Sculpture in Boston in autumn 2005. Each exhibition is organized as a distinct component, yet each is being formatted and presented to constitute a larger whole as a series to foster a more focused, in-depth understanding of the art produced during this period and the multiple interrelations of media, artists, and institutions.
The exhibition's accompanying 264-page hardcover illustrated catalogue, which is distributed by the University of Massachusetts Press ($44.95, The Store @ DeCordova), contains five thematic essays that analyze the different periods and movements of painting in the Boston region and discuss the academic institutions, galleries, and museums that nurtured and promoted the artists. The essayists are Carl Belz, Nicholas Capasso, Rachel Rosenfield Lafo, John Stomberg, and Ann Wilson Lloyd. Brief biographical profiles, an extensive chronology of key events, and a selected bibliography round out the contents.
Painting in Boston: 1950-2000 is organized by Director of Curatorial Affairs Rachel Rosenfield Lafo, Curator Nicholas Capasso, and Curatorial Fellow Jennifer Uhrhane. This exhibition is made possible by Fidelity Investments through the Fidelity Foundation and by a grant from the LEF Foundation. The exclusive broadcast media partner for this exhibition is 102.5 WCRB, Boston's only 24-hour classical music station.
Additionally, extensive educational programming has been developed for Painting in Boston: 1950-2000 and is listed below.
Symposium
The Persistence of Painting in Boston
Dewey Family Gallery
Saturday, November 2, 1 - 5 pm
Reception and book signing 5 - 6 pm
For an art form declared dead well over a century ago, painting in the Boston area is looking remarkably fresh. Join some of the region's most renowned artists, curators, collectors, and critics as they explore why painting in Boston remains alive and kicking, and how, over the last 50 years, the region has contributed to the American art scene. Director of Curatorial Affairs Rachel Rosenfield Lafo will moderate the panel Boston Art Schools: The Legacy of Instruction, discussing the impact of important teachers, stylistic influences, and trends in teaching. Curator Nick Capasso will moderate The Appeal of Painting: Why Does it Last? This session will address challenges and opportunities for painting in the 21st century, particularly in a culture increasingly mediated by computer technology.
Symposium panelists include artists Gerry Bergstein, Annette Lemieux, George Nick, Arthur Polonsky, Scott Prior, Elaine Spatz-Rabinowitz, as well as Boston University Art History Professor Patricia Hills and the Beal Curator of Contemporary Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Cheryl Brutvan.
Admission is $35 for Members, $45 for Non-Members. A student rate of $25 will be available to those who present their own current valid student ID at the door. For more information or reservations, call 781/259-3622.
Painting in Lincoln
Located in the Sculpture Park, Museum School Studios 1 & 5, and the outdoor Pavilion
Saturday, September 14 and Sunday, September 15
1 - 4 pm both days
In conjunction with the opening of Painting in Boston: 1950-2000, try your hand at a variety of painting media, including acrylic, watercolor, and tempera. Paint on your own, or let one of our DeCordova faculty members guide you in your creation. Bill Kowaleski of Holbein products will also be on-site if you would like to try water-soluble oil sticks.
To help inspire creativity, the Avalon String Trio will perform live on Saturday, September 14 from 1 - 3 pm, courtesy of 102.5 WCRB, Boston's only 24-hour classical music radio station, and the exclusive broadcast media partner for the Painting in Boston exhibition and events.
Admission is free for Members; $5 for Non-Members. Everyone is encouraged to bring a donation of new, unopened, unused, nontoxic art supplies appropriate for distribution in underserved schools. RSVP to membership@decordova.org or 781/259-3629 by Wednesday, September 11. This program is organized by DeCordova's Education and Membership Departments.
First Sundays: Free Family Programs at DeCordova
Drop-In Sundays 2 - 4 pm
Free with Museum Admission
Have fun with looking and hands-on activities as you share insights and discover what you value and enjoy about art-as a family. Designed for families seeking to introduce their children to museum going and the art of seeing. Join us on the first Sunday of the month as we celebrate artists' creativity through interpreting artworks. This drop-in program is perfect for families with children ages 5-12.
October 6, So Many Stories
Many paintings tell a story. Look carefully to discover artists' ideas and use your imagination to create your own story. Tell a tale and find a fantasy in the Painting in Boston exhibition. Explore paintings done in a realistic style as you and your family find characters, develop plot lines, and design the details.
November 3, Counting on Color
Warm, cool, bright, dark, shades and hues…all about color! Artists depend on color to set a mood, create a space, describe a place, and so much more. Discover all the things that color can do as we dive into abstract paintings in the Painting in Boston exhibition.
Please note: no First Sundays program in December
Meet the Artists
Third Floor Lobby
Saturdays at 3 pm
Have you ever wondered how an artwork is made? Do you ever wonder, "What inspired the artist?" Or why the curators selected a particular artwork for the collection? Here is your chance to meet some of New England's most interesting and vital contemporary artists as they discuss artwork in the current exhibitions. Drop by and get your questions answered. Free with Museum admission.
Painting in Boston: 1950-2000
September 21
Michael Mazur
September 28
Candace Walters
October 5
Catherine McCarthy
October 19
Gregory Amenoff
October 26
Ahmed Abdalla
November 16
Jon Imber
Bill Thompson
December 7
Tabitha Vevers
General Information
DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park is a museum of modern and contemporary American art with a particular emphasis on the work of New England artists. It features the only public sculpture park of its kind in New England and the largest non-degree granting studio art program in the state. DeCordova opened in 1950 on the former estate of Julian de Cordova, a Boston entrepreneur and supporter of the arts.
DeCordova Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm and on selected Monday holidays. Admission is $6 per person, $4 for senior citizens, students, and youth ages 6-12. Children age 5 and under, Lincoln residents, and Active Duty Military Personnel and their dependents are admitted free. The Sculpture Park is open year round during daylight hours and is free. The Store @ DeCordova and the School Gallery are open Monday through Thursday, 9:30 am to 7:30 pm, Friday through Saturday, 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, and Sunday 11:30 am to 5:30 pm. The Café @ DeCordova is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 am to 3 pm. Free guided public tours of the Museum's main galleries take place every Wednesday and Sunday at 2 pm. Free tours of the Sculpture Park are given on Saturday and Sunday at 1 pm from May to October. Visit www.decordova.org or call 781/259-8355 for further information.
