FIVE FAVES ENCORE
Five Faves
Curator names favorite new artworks at the KIA by
REHEMA BARBER
Collecting
art can be a uniquely exhilarating experience. People collect to decorate their homes or offices, for the pleasure of sharing with others and even as investments, hoping their art will accumulate value. Collecting art for a museum is a more complex, strategic and time-consuming venture. Acquiring even one piece of art can take months or even years. In the past, the importance of a museum might be tied to the number of objects in its collection. The Kalamazoo Institute of Arts has acquired more than 5,000 objects during its 95-year history. At the heart of what guides the KIA collecting strategy is the belief that the visual arts are for everyone — that they inspire, fulfill and transform. It is our objective to collect, preserve, study, interpret and exhibit significant works of art that support our mission to promote the appreciation and creation of art. With that in mind, we collect American art of the 18th century to the present, with a focus on paintings and sculpture; works on paper from any period and culture, including prints, drawings and photographs; ceramics and glass from and since the 19th century; works by artists of Southwest Michigan that satisfy the above criteria; and arts of select cultures, including Pre-Columbian, African, Oceanic and East Asian (Chinese, Japanese and Korean). More recently we have acquired even more works by women and artists of color. Although I’ve been at the KIA only since last spring, here are five of my favorite artworks acquired by the KIA since 2017.
12 | ENCORE MARCH 2020
Portrait of Elaine de Kooning, Mary Abbott Mary Abbott was a dedicated
painter who was overlooked during her lifetime, largely due to her gender. She studied with David Hare, Robert Motherwell and Mark Rothko and was close friends with painters Elaine and Willem de Kooning and Perle Fine. Abbott’s canvases are vibrant reflections of her dynamism as a painter and the inner life of her subjects. In this painting, the artist chose to portray her friend in a chair with Mary Abbott, Portrait of Elaine de Kooning, 1948. Oil on canvas. Collection of the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts; Jim Bridenstine Acquisition Fund, 2019 her cat, turning the pages of a book. It is a complex portrait that depicts a mutual respect and the closeness of their friendship. Abbott conveys de Kooning’s mysterious, but clearly warm personality with the barest hint of a smile.
Untitled, Olga Albizu A master example of Lyrical Abstraction
and Abstract Expressionism, this Albizu painting was created during the height of her career. Considered one of the most important painters from Puerto Rico, Albizu was a student of famed abstractionist Esteban Vicente, founder of the New York Studio School. From 1948 to 1951, she studied in New York City with Hans Hoffman, renowned Abstract Expressionist and teacher. Her works graced RCA and Verve Records album covers during the 1960s. This painting is a stellar example of her painting technique and skillfulness with color — and I can’t wait to see this work in conversation with paintings by other masters of abstraction, Franz Kline and Frank Bowling, when we reinstall our permanent collection galleries in April.
Olga Albizu, Untitled, ca. 1965. Oil on canvas. Collection of the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. Purchased in memory of David and Muriel Gregg through the generosity of their estate, 2018
