Artifacts - Spring–Summer 2016 by Dallas Museum of Art

Member Magazine spring–summer 2016

FREEZE FRAME: Allison V. Smith on Discovering Irving Penn

THIRTY-FIVE YEARS OF EMERGING ART RIBBON CUTTING: UNVEILING WARREN PLUS: ANOTHER O’KEEFFE, INDONESIAN TEXTILES, AND THE SCIENCE OF ART

director ’ s note

DMA Members like you help us continue to grow our collection

available only to DMA Members. So far 2016 has been a great

and present acclaimed exhibitions, like Jackson Pollock: Blind

year—we have welcomed twice as many new members as at

Spots, as well as expand our programs, our outreach in North

this time last year. We are honored to have all of you as part of

Texas, and our influence across the nation. The DMA

our Museum family. This spring and summer will offer many

is extremely grateful for your support and for the time you

opportunities for you to find cool ways to experience the DMA.

spend with us at the Museum. We have focused this year on

We look forward to seeing you here.

fresh ways to enhance your membership program, creating more special opportunities, exclusive perks, and new ways

Many thanks—

for you to experience the DMA as a member. One example was the March Artist Talk with DMA senior curator Gavin Delahunty and contemporary artist Brice Marden,

Walter B. Elcock Interim Director

member news

this issue

The Dallas Museum of Art thanks the following Corporate Sponsors and Partners for their generous support of DMA exhibitions, free general admission, and educational programs in 2015.

ONE OF THE REAL GREATS

TREASURE HUNT

Photographer Allison V.

DMA curator

Smith describes her first

Sue Canterbury reveals

encounter with the work

the unexpected

of Irving Penn and the

leads she uncovered

impact of his legacy.

while researching Ida O’Keeffe.

exhibition, k–12 education, and program sponsors

EMERGENCE :

CHOICE Balfour Beatty Construction Celebrating Thirty-Five WORDS Years of Concentrations

Exxon Mobil Corporation

Artifacts introduces the

Macy’s

Key players from the past three decades of the DMA’s

Whole Foods Market

Museum’s newest

curatorial member in her own words.

Concentrations partners series corporate and contributors share their memories of the exhibition program. Accenture

Hibbs-Hallmark & Company

NCH Corporation

ArtBanc

Interceramic, Inc.

Oncor

Barrow, Hanley, Mewhinney & Strauss, Inc.

Jackson Walker L.L.P.

Pricewaterhouse Coopers L.L.P.

JPMorgan Chase

The Rosewood Corporation

Artifacts is published by the Dallas Museum of Art especially for its members and is a benefit of DMA membership.

Ben E. of Keith Company It is a production the Museum’s Collections and Exhibitions, Communications and Public Affairs, Curatorial, Lincoln Property Company

Sally Beauty Supply

Locke Lord LLP

Systemware, Inc.

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Tenet Healthcare Corporation

McGraw Hill Financial

Tom Thumb Food & Pharmacy

The Meadows Foundation

TracyLocke

Michael E. Thomas, Inc.

Vinson & Elkins L.L.P.

Education, Marketing, and Membership and Development departments.

Brinker International

jill bernstein , Editor in Chief Comerica Bank

kimberly daniell, Senior Editor

queta Dean mooreFoods watsonCompany , Managing Editor rebecca wintiO’Donnell , Art Director Edith gregory castillo,

Institute of Art History

Photographer

Fidelity Investments

The Dallas Museum of Art is supported, in part, by the generosity of DMA Members and donors, the citizens of Frost Bank

Millet the Printer, Inc.

Wells Fargo Bank

Morgan Stanley

Westwood Holdings Group

Dallas through the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs, and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

Harold Simmons Foundation, Inc.

for information call 214-922-1200 or visit DMA.org.

For more information, please contact Corporate Giving at 214-922-1241 or e-mail corporategiving@DMA.org. cover :

Irving Penn, Mouth (for L’Oréal), New York, 1986, printed 1992, dye transfer print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Irving Penn Foundation, © The Irving Penn Foundation

this season REBECCA WARREN The Main Feeling

Through July 17, 2016 SPIRIT AND MATTER Masterpieces from the Keir Collection of Islamic Art

Through July 31, 2016 IRVING PENN Beyond Beauty

Through August 14, 2016 NICOLAS PARTY | August 16, 2016–February 12, 2017 VERMEER SUITE Music in 17th-Century Dutch Painting

Through August 21, 2016

mark your calendar CONCENTRATIONS 60: Lucie Stahl September 16, 2016–March 12, 2017 CONCENTRATIONS 61: Taro Izumi September 16, 2016–March 12, 2017 BATIK TEXTILE | September 25, 2016–September 10, 2017 DIVINE FELINES Cats of Ancient Egypt

October 9, 2016–January 8, 2017 DMA Members like you help us continue to grow our collection and present acclaimed exhibitions, like Jackson Pollock: Blind Spots, as well as expand our programs, our outreach in North

SHAKEN, STIRRED, STYLED The Art of the Cocktail

November 18, 2016–November 12, 2017

Texas, and our influence across the nation. The DMA is extremely grateful for your support and for the time you spend with us at the Museum. We have focused this year on

don ’ t forget!

fresh ways to enhance your membership program, creating

MEMBERS GET MORE.

more special opportunities, exclusive perks, and new ways

More benefits. More access. More fun.

for you to experience the DMA as a member. One example was the March Artist Talk with DMA senior curator Gavin Delahunty and contemporary artist Brice Marden,

member news

The Dallas Museum of Art thanks the following Corporate Sponsors and Partners for their generous support of DMA exhibitions, free general admission, and educational programs in 2015.

presenting sponsors

major sponsors

exhibition, k–12 education, and program sponsors

Balfour Beatty Construction Ecolab Foundation

Exxon Mobil Corporation Macy’s

Whole Foods Market

corporate partners and contributors Accenture

Hibbs-Hallmark & Company

NCH Corporation

ArtBanc

Interceramic, Inc.

Oncor

Barrow, Hanley, Mewhinney & Strauss, Inc.

Jackson Walker L.L.P.

Pricewaterhouse Coopers L.L.P.

JPMorgan Chase

The Rosewood Corporation

Lincoln Property Company

Sally Beauty Supply

Locke Lord LLP

Systemware, Inc.

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Tenet Healthcare Corporation

McGraw Hill Financial

Tom Thumb Food & Pharmacy

The Meadows Foundation

TracyLocke

Michael E. Thomas, Inc.

Vinson & Elkins L.L.P.

Millet the Printer, Inc.

Wells Fargo Bank

Morgan Stanley

Westwood Holdings Group

Ben E. Keith Company Brinker International Comerica Bank Dean Foods Company Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History Fidelity Investments Frost Bank Harold Simmons Foundation, Inc.

For more information, please contact Corporate Giving at 214-922-1241 or e-mail corporategiving@DMA.org.

exhibitions

ONE OF THE REAL GREATS By Allison V. Smith

Irving Penn: Beyond Beauty April 15–August 14, 2016

Irving Penn’s name is synonymous with beauty in fashion photography. So it’s no surprise that in 1990 my grandfather Stanley Marcus gave me, a young, passionate photographer, a signed copy of Issey Miyake’s catalogue photographed by Irving Penn. An enclosed handwritten Post-it note read: “Dear Allie— Penn, in my opinion, is the greatest of the fashion photographers and perhaps one of the real greats of the 20th century. Are you friends with him?” I wasn’t, but I quickly took the time to educate myself.

lifes of familiar objects, to the simple “corner portraits” of artists that included Salvador Dalí and Truman Capote. These Penn’s prolific photographic career spanned seventy years, and in this time he managed to merge the lines between fashion and fine art. His first cover for Vogue magazine was published in 1943, and he would shoot at least 150 more. Penn’s assignments ranged from shooting striking models in designer dresses on location in Paris, to contemporary still

portraits were made sometime in 1948 in a constructed corner in his studio. The sitter embraced the corner, demonstrating his or her own personality and making the static background Penn chose into a private stage. Dalí fills the frame in a confident pose, with both arms placed firmly on his knees. Capote kneels on a chair, wearing an oversized tweed jacket and looking directly at the photographer. It’s hard to tell whether he’s feeling vulnerable or safe.

Irving Penn: Beyond Beauty is organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum with generous support from ART MENTOR FOUNDATION LUCERNE, Sakurako and William Fisher, The William R. Kenan Jr. Endowment Fund, The Lauder Foundation – Leonard and Judy Lauder Fund, Edward Lenkin and Roselin Atzwanger, The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, Margery and Edgar Masinter, The Margery and Edgar Masinter Exhibitions Fund, the James F. Petersen Charitable Fund in honor of Tania and Tom Evans, The Bernie Stadiem Endowment Fund, and the Trellis Fund. The C.F. Foundation in Atlanta supports the museum’s traveling exhibition program, Treasures to Go. The local presentation is made possible by the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Dallas. Air transportation provided by American Airlines.

airline partner

youth education sponsor

Generous support for Irving Penn youth education programs provided by the Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation. images: Irving Penn, Issey Miyake Fashion: White and Black, New York, 1990, printed 1992, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Irving Penn Foundation, © The Irving Penn Foundation; Irving Penn, Young Boy, Pause Pause, American South, 1941, printed 2001, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Irving Penn Foundation, © The Irving Penn Foundation; Irving Penn, Red Rooster, New York, 2003, printed 2007, inkjet print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Irving Penn Foundation, © The Irving Penn Foundation; Irving Penn, Truman Capote, New York, 1979, printed 1983, silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Irving Penn Foundation, © The Irving Penn Foundation

Members-Only Events dma circle opening celebration Wednesday, April 13, 6:00 p.m. Open to Contributor level members and above

member preview days Thursday, April 14, 11:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m. Friday, April 15, 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Penn wrote in Passage: A Work Record about this process: “This confinement, surprisingly, seemed to comfort people,

he shot on countless rolls of film on his Rolleiflex camera between 1949 and 1950, went largely unseen until 1980.

soothing them. The walls were a surface to lean on or push

He closely examined the shapes of models of all sizes.

against. For me the picture possibilities were interesting;

The results were about form and less about nakedness.

limiting the subjects’ movement seemed to relieve me of part of the problem of holding on to them.”

A prolific photographer and a technical master, he made personal work throughout his life, including his early

Working for Vogue, Penn had the dream job of traveling the

photographs of shop window displays, and later cigarette

world photographing portraits of everyday people—artisans

butts, smashed cups, and chewing gum. These simple

and blue-collar workers in Paris and London, a gypsy commu-

photos of litter experimented with different photographic

nity in Spain, and the tribes of New Guinea. Penn approached

processes, such as platinum and palladium, giving them a

all of his portraits with the same respect and elegance as he

rich quality—and also leaving an indelible mark on me.

did in posing a model in Paris or an Issey Miyake design. Penn’s photographs are subtle and sophisticated, often

— Allison V. Smith is an editorial and fine art photographer based in Dallas. In 2008, the DMA presented Reflection of a Man: The Photography of Stanley Marcus, a

finding his subjects against a blank backdrop. His meticulous

retrospective of photographs taken by the department store magnate and produced by

flowers are a study of visual rhythm. His nudes, whom

Smith and her mother, Jerrie Smith.

Related Events

art babies Face Time Monday, May 9 and June 13 10:00–11:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m.–noon, or noon–1:00 p.m.

For details, registration, and tickets, visit DMA.org.

late nights at the dallas museum of art Friday, April 15 6:00 p.m.–midnight Join us for the opening celebration of Irving Penn: Beyond Beauty.

late night talk Irving Penn: Beyond Beauty Friday, April 15 7:00 p.m. Merry Foresta, guest curator for the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s exhibition Irving Penn: Beyond Beauty

late night talk Irving Penn: Through the Lens Friday, April 15 9:00 p.m. Merry Foresta, guest curator for the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s exhibition Irving Penn: Beyond Beauty; Tracy Achor Hayes, Editorial Director with Neiman Marcus; and Debora Hunter, photographer

gallery talk Wednesday, April 20 12:15 p.m. Sue Canterbury, The Pauline Gill Sullivan Associate Curator of American Art, DMA

exhibition talk The Person Himself: Irving Penn’s Ethnographic Studies Thursday, May 12 7:00 p.m. Natasha Derrickson, Archive Assistant in the Ryerson and Burnham Archives at the Art Institute of Chicago

toddler art Strike a Pose May 13, 17, and 20 11:00 a.m.–noon

family workshop Developing an Eye for Art Saturday, May 14 and June 4 1:00–2:30 p.m. homeschool class for families Developing an Eye for Art Thursday, May 26 and June 23 11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. arturo’s art & me Picture Perfect July 6, 7, and 9 11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

exhibitions

E MERGENCE Celebrating Thirty-Five Years of “Concentrations”

Begun in 1981, the Concentrations series was first conceived as a sequence of small exhibitions focused on a single contemporary artist. Over the past thirty-five years, the series has evolved from a regional exhibition to an internationally recognized platform for emerging and underrepresented artists. For four years, I have been fortunate to oversee this groundbreaking series and realize outstanding projects with Stephen Lapthisophon, Slavs and Tatars, Chosil Kil, and the artists in the ambitious Mirror Stage group show—all of which challenge us to rethink art’s relationship to the contemporary moment. To celebrate the series’ 35th anniversary, we reached out to past curators to hear about what Concentrations meant to them personally and its impact on the DMA over the past three decades. —Gabriel Ritter served as The Nancy and Tim Hanley Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art at the DMA from 2012 to 2016. He organized the upcoming exhibitions Concentrations 60: Lucie Stahl and Concentrations 61: Taro Izumi, both of which are opening in September 2016.

SUE GRAZE DMA curator 1979–1989

The first Concentrations exhibition was presented in 1981, but the series, which began at the then Dallas Museum of Fine Arts in Fair Park, had a progenitor—three Projects in 1975 organized by the curator of contemporary art at the time, Robert Murdock. Although memories of the projects I organized abound, I am especially fond of the site collaborations that pushed the viewer physically forward along the length of what writer-critic Dave Hickey called “Das Ramp” at the new downtown DMA. To present art, it was a particularly challenging spatial situation, and if I was willing to take it on there were few institutional objections. Artists Vernon Fisher, Matt Mullican, Kiki Smith, and Luis Jiménez seized the improbable opportunity and created compelling installations that I am certain would seem fresh today. Bravo to all the artists and curators—and to the DMA itself—who persisted in taking great leaps of faith to create and support new, unpredictable, and often astonishing works of contemporary art.

SUZANNE WEAVER DMA curator 1995–2008

Concentrations was a major part of my life. Organizing over twenty exhibitions was a challenging yet highly rewarding journey—from Maureen Gallace’s small, gorgeous New England landscapes to Phil Collins’ immersive three-room video-sound installation of teenagers in Bogotá, Istanbul, and Jakarta singing their hearts out to a karaoke version of their favorite Smiths songs. What continues to resonate is the sense of collaboration, informed risk-taking, and passion for pushing the envelope. Through Concentrations, many artists such as Gallace, Doug Aitken, Anri Sala, Jim Lambie, and Charline von Heyl had their first US solo exhibitions. Fifty percent featured women artists. Acquisitions made from Concentrations projects laid the foundation for an internationally recognized media collection with works by Sala, Collins, Shirin Neshat, and Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla. Each Concentrations exhibition strengthened my resolve to always put the artists and their work first.

CHARLES WYLIE DMA curator 1996–2011

If you look at the artists who had their early or even first Museum exhibitions via Concentrations, it’s clear that this series has one of the most distinguished track records of any US museum. That history is one of the reasons I came to the DMA—it signaled not just a commitment to recent art but a serious and sustained one. It was terrific to curate focused exhibitions that broke new ground in the DMA’s exhibition and collection initiatives, and that featured work by artists living and working here or that hadn’t been seen yet in Texas. My projects with Matthew McCaslin, Per Kirkeby, Annette Lawrence, Patrick Faulhaber, and Willie Doherty were very gratifying, and I like to think led to many future developments for the DMA and for the artists.

The Concentrations series is organized by the Dallas Museum of Art. The presentation is made possible by TWO X TWO for AIDS and Art, an annual fundraising event that jointly benefits amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research and the Dallas Museum of Art, and by the Contemporary Art Initiative.

exhibitions

SIGNATURE AUTHORITY By Andrea Severin Goins

Discovering that the DMA owned an Eliza van Zuylen batik was an exciting moment for 2014–2015 McDermott Intern Elisabeth Seyerl. Batik refers to the Indonesian wax-resist method of dying textiles, and van Zuylen was one of the most successful Indo-European batik producers. She opened her own batik business in 1890 in Pekalongan in Java. With hand-drawn designs inspired by Dutch horticultural books and imported European flowers, van Zuylen’s workshop quickly became the largest Indo-European batik business in Java. Her luxurious textiles were reserved for colonial Indonesia’s wealthiest women. What made van Zuylen’s textiles so special was her signature and workshop stamp. Once she approved the handdrawn wax design executed by one of her batik makers, she signed her name “E v Zuylen” in pencil, which was then traced over with wax (in batik, elements coated in wax resist the dye and remain the ground color). Because other workshops began to counterfeit her signature, she began stamping her textiles with “Batikkerij/Mevr. E. van Zuylen/ Pekalongan.” Van Zuylen’s signature is visible in the top left corner of the DMA textile, and the beige strip on the left is stamped, guaranteeing its authenticity. Working with senior curator Roslyn A. Walker, Seyerl conducted extensive research on the DMA’s batik collection, studying textiles that had not been examimed previously. All of her work was in preparation for an exhibition highlighting this wonderful collection that will open in September. After leaving the DMA in August 2015, Seyerl began work as the curatorial assistant at the Ethnological Museum in Berlin, one of the world’s largest museums of cultural anthropology. We look forward to this fall, when we will welcome for the 42nd year a new class of McDermott Interns. —Andrea Severin Goins is the Interpretation Manager at the DMA.

image: Woman’s sarong (detail), Indonesia, Pekalongan, Java, 1910, batik on commercial cotton, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Bywaters in memory of Paul and Viola van Katwijk, 1982.283

Related Events For details, registration, and tickets, visit DMA.org.

gallery talk Wednesday, September 28, 12:15 p.m. Dr. Roslyn A. Walker, Senior Curator of the Arts of Africa, the Americas, and the Pacific and The Margaret McDermott Curator of African Art, DMA

collection highlights

TOWERING INSTALLATION By Katy Yut

Every year since 1998, the O’Donnell Foundation and the Dallas Museum of Art have presented the Young Masters exhibition. Selected by a panel of arts professionals, the works of art in Young Masters are created by Advanced Placement® Studio Art, Art History, and Music Theory students from Dallas-area high schools participating in the O’Donnell Foundation’s AP Arts Incentive Program. Because the 2016 exhibition coincides with the inauguration of the Eagle Family Plaza, Artifacts invited a 3D Design finalist to respond to the DMA’s selection of British sculptor Rebecca Warren to create a site-specific commission, Pas de Deux (Plaza Monument), to grace the new north entrance. What makes art, art? Who makes that decision? Is it at the discretion of the viewer or the creator? Rebecca Warren contributes her voice to this discussion by creating amorphous, abstract works, encouraging viewers to interpret and challenge their understanding of what art should look like or mean. Her towering installation will greet visitors as they arrive at the DMA, imbuing them with wonder before they even enter the doors. As I pass this work of art, I will be awed with the knowledge that the piece was selected to replace the work of Henry Moore, one of the most prominent, renowned male artists of the 20th century. The visibility of Warren’s piece will engender future artists with similar goals and aspirations. To feature her work at the entrance of a world-renowned museum is to validate female artists everywhere. As an emerging female sculptor, I am motivated and inspired by the presence of other female sculptors. Seeing Warren’s work, which pushes the boundaries of art, empowers me to be more expressive in my own work. In my Young Masters piece, Global Warming, I use my work as a vehicle for social awareness, drawing attention to the global environmental crisis. After viewing Warren’s work, I find goals we both share: provoking a reaction and engaging the viewer, broadening our understanding about what art is, and encouraging viewers to interact with it and question it.

—Katy Yut is a senior at Coppell High School and one of the sixty AP Fine Arts students selected for the 2016 Young Masters exhibition.

The commission was made possible by the DMA/amfAR Benefit Auction Fund and The Kaleta A. Doolin Foundation.

images: Rebecca Warren, Pas de Deux (Plaza Monument) (detail), 2016, hand-painted bronze on artist’s plinth, courtesy of Matthew Marks Gallery, © Rebecca Warren; Katy Yut, Global Warming (detail), ice, plants, and letter tiles digitally documented in time-lapsed photographs

behind the scenes

TREASURE HUNT By Sue Canterbury

In the May 30, 2014, edition of the New York Times, Eve Kahn aimed her spotlight on the Dallas Museum of Art’s plans to make the art of Ida O’Keeffe (1889–1961), one of Georgia’s younger sisters, the focus of an exhibition. Since that day, I have received random calls and letters from across the United States, and numerous works by her have been brought to light. Equally important, many people have shared valuable information that has helped reconstruct a chronology of this artist, who was significantly overshadowed by her famous sister. From Oregon, a gentleman shared the correspondence of his great aunts, who attended a Virginia boarding school with Ida in 1907 and 1908. Those letters provided details about Ida’s interests and activities in her teenage years. A woman in New York revealed that her mother had rented a room to Ida in 1937–38, thereby nailing down Ida’s location for that year. From Chicago, another woman revealed that Ida had been her private nurse in New York in 1940 (Ida’s fallback occupation) during a prolonged childhood illness. Dealers have also provided leads, one of which brought forward two women who had purchased many of Ida’s works at an auction of Claudia O’Keeffe’s effects in 1984. This discovery shed light on the foggy aftermath of Ida’s death in 1961 and the fate of her property. I hit the informational motherlode, however, when a gentleman called to share that, several years before, he had purchased a box with Ida’s exhibition files and scrapbook. Those materials have been pivotal in the reconstruction of the artist’s exhibition history, and, due to the photo documentation of many works therein, the scope of her oeuvre has been greatly expanded. Leads continue to trickle in—each moving Ida O’Keeffe out of the shadows, one by one. —Sue Canterbury is The Pauline Gill Sullivan Associate Curator of American Art at the DMA and the organizing curator of Ida O’Keeffe: Escaping Georgia’s Shadow, an exhibition that will premiere at the DMA in 2017 or 2018 as the first venue of a national tour.

images: Ida O’Keeffe, Variation on a Lighthouse Theme II (detail), by 1933, oil on canvas, Private Collection, Dallas; Mount Sinai Training School for Nurses Class of 1921, Courtesy of Mount Sinai Archives. Ida O’Keeffe is in the second row from the bottom, third from the left.

behind the scenes

CHOICE WOR DS By Nicole Myers

Dr. Nicole Myers joined the DMA in late February as its newest curator. Artifacts asked her to introduce herself to you in case you have not yet had an occasion to meet her. I’m thrilled to have joined the Dallas Museum of Art as The Lillian and James H. Clark Curator of Painting and Sculpture. In this role, I oversee the Museum’s modern European paintings and sculpture, a superb collection that is world-renowned. One of the things I love most about being a curator is uncovering fresh information about familiar works, whether through art historical, archival, or conservation research. I can’t wait to dig into the European collection, particularly the 19th-century French paintings, to see what new and exciting stories we can share with you online, in print, and in our galleries. As a specialist of the work of Gustave Courbet, I’m especially eager to dive into Fox in the Snow, one of the artist’s great masterpieces of animal painting from 1860. I can marvel for hours over Courbet’s astounding depiction of fur, so there’s a good chance you’ll find me standing awestruck in front of the painting on one of your next visits! I’m also excited to collaborate with the DMA’s incredible staff to bring you stunning and thought-provoking exhibitions, engaging programs, and new gallery experiences in the months and years ahead. One thing I didn’t anticipate was falling in love with Dallas so hard and so fast. I’m really pleased to be living in such a large and dynamic metropolis that boasts an extraordinary menu of cultural institutions. It’s an honor to join the impressive community of art historians and museum professionals in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, which is like no other. And lastly, I look forward to meeting you, the DMA’s loyal circle of members, art lovers, collectors, and patrons. We couldn’t do what we do without your passion and support, and I look forward to seeing you in the galleries, event spaces, and auditorium in the near future. —Nicole Myers is The Lillian and James H. Clark Curator of Painting and Sculpture at the DMA.

conservation

ARTS AND SCIENCES By Mark Leonard

Conservation is more than fixing broken art objects. In my

analyses of artists’ materials found in museum collections, as

work at the Dallas Museum of Art, I am also focused on the

well as on research projects designed to explore new territory

care of the collections so that they continue to inspire our

in the development of techniques for treating and preserving

visitors far into the future. An important aspect of that

those works of art.

work is to weave conservation into the daily fabric of the

Initial projects at the Museum range from an in-depth look

institution. This does not happen in isolation, but depends

at the dyes used in Andean textiles (one of the strengths of

upon developing and encouraging close collaborations

the DMA’s collection) to technical studies of the work of the

between the Conservation and Curatorial departments as well as with colleagues throughout the Museum.

contemporary sculptor Anne Truitt (the DMA has three works

Until recently, a missing link in this collaborative approach

of Dallas artist John Wilcox in an effort to better understand

was in the field of conservation science. Fortunately, the

his working methods and to devise appropriate treatments for

University of Texas at Dallas and the Edith O’Donnell

some of his paintings that require care. Similar collaborative

Institute of Art History have enabled a promising partnership

projects have been developed with the Amon Carter Museum

with the DMA through creation of a Conservation Science

of American Art, including study of a historical pigment

program headed by Professor David McPhail. McPhail worked

collection in their materials archives and a study of the

at Imperial College London for twenty-five years developing

surface chemistry of a large collection of printing blocks

research collaborations with conservators and conservation

used by the Mexican printmaker José Posada.

scientists at many of the major museums in the London area.

by this artist). Research will also be carried out on the work

Here, he will work with art historians, scientists, curators,

—Mark Leonard is the Chief Conservator at the DMA.

and conservators throughout North Texas on the technical

image: David McPhail, Mark Leonard, and Olivier Meslay examining works by John Wilcox in the Paintings Conservation Studio at the DMA

behind the scenes

STARTING YOUNG By Sarah Coffey

The Museum is preparing to unveil an exciting new space for

open-ended, allowing children to use familiar materials like

our most active visitors. The Young Learners Gallery, an area

blocks and peg boards in new ways. Rotating themes will be

for children ages 5–8 in the Museum’s Center for Creative

based on the Sensory Alphabet—Line, Color, Shape, Space,

Connections (C3), had been so well loved since its installation

Texture, Movement, Light, Rhythm, and Sound—a natural

in 2010 that it was high time for an update. The space is now

framework around which to explore art and foster creativity

undergoing a complete renovation process that is set to debut

of all kinds.

this summer.

Although the overall palette is neutral, splashes of color will

One important consideration for the new design was visitor feedback. C3 staff conducted observations and gave brief one-question surveys to visitors to gain a better understanding of why families bring their children to the Museum in the first place. The top three answers told us that families want to broaden their worldview through other cultures, have fun, and explore their creativity.

highlight the interactive activity zones, making them pop. The windows looking out onto Fleischner Courtyard will feature a major design element: large tubing that will serve as storage and seating, while still filtering in natural light. The goal is a more open, comfortable space, with room to play as well as room to relax. We invite you to bring your most discerning youngsters to explore our new Young Learners Gallery this summer.

Taking these responses into account, our team of educators and designers set to work planning the new space. The new approach will offer more opportunity for self-directed play, fostering hands-on learning that encourages connections between looking and making. Activities are more flexible and

—Sarah Coffey is the Education Coordinator at the DMA. image: An innovative new design element in the Young Learners Gallery will provide seating and storage.

art here, there, and everywhere

Ancient Time Travel There is something so undeniably intriguing about ancient Greece and Rome that even time cannot diminish our curiosity. To satisfy our interest, we assembled Visions of Antiquity in the 18th Century, a collection of works on paper now on view in the European Galleries on Level 2. The exhibition hearkens back to an equally inquisitive Europe after the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum were discovered in 1738. Aristocrats of the time became so infatuated with the archaeological wonders that illustrations of the findings, reproductions of frescoes, picturesque landscapes, and images of antique statuary circulated throughout Europe at an unprecedented rate. Among the treasures on view are prints by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, which were widely collected by gentlemen on their Grand Tour of the Italian ruins. To date, only nine of the eighteen works have ever been on view at the Dallas Museum of Art, and, of those, some have not been seen in over two decades. This captivating glimpse of art that paved the way for a re-awakening in classical-era Europe and fueled a phenomenon will be on view until October 23, 2016.

Bon Voyage

image: Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Tempio di Clitumno tra Fulgino e Spoletti, 1748, etching, Dallas Museum of Art, bequest of Rozwell Sam Adams in memory of Herndon Kimball Adams and Loither Iler Adams, 2001.42.3

Suspended Power will temporarily leave the DMA this month, but we are exceptionally proud to say farewell. The painting by Charles Sheeler is part of a series commissioned by Fortune magazine in 1938 to display the industrial prowess of the United States. The first stop on the work’s grand journey is the Art Institute of Chicago, where it will be featured in the exhibition America after the Fall: Painting in the 1930s. Following its stint in Illinois, it will travel to the Musée d’Orsay in Paris and then conclude its adventure in 2017 at the Royal Academy of Arts in London before returning home to Dallas.

image: Charles Sheeler, Suspended Power, 1939, oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Edmund J. Kahn, 1985.143

Sunday Best In January, a crew from CBS News Sunday Morning traveled from New York to film a segment on Jackson Pollock: Blind Spots at the DMA. In a segment that aired nationally in March, correspondent Rita Braver sat down with DMA senior curator Gavin Delahunty to discuss the process of compiling a groundbreaking exhibition on a relatively untold chapter of Pollock’s career and Pollock’s impact on the history of art. “There was painting before Jackson Pollock, and there’s painting after Jackson Pollock,” noted Delahunty. “Had Jackson lived, I think we would have seen some of the great bodies and periods of work that you get with Matisse and Picasso, singular periods that they did in mid-career, late career. And it just fills me with pain to know that we never got to see that from Jackson Pollock.”

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image: Charles Sheeler, Suspended Power, 1939, oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Edmund J. Kahn, 1985.143

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