In with the new
June 31 is the end of the museum’s official business year, so over the past few weeks staff throughout the museum have been busy going over the happenings and accomplishments of the last twelve months. For registration, part of this has included checking that the year’s new acquisitions are in order.
Every year is a little different when it comes to acquisitions. Factors such as current art trends, the economic environment, and serendipity all interact with curatorial priorities and exhibition plans. But one thing I’ve noticed this year is an increase in the number of gifts of work by living artists. With this in mind, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite such gifts from the past year.
The White Wild Kerria Rose, 2004 from the series "Ceramic Representations From Natural History", By Sugiura Yasuyoshi (Japanese, born 1949), Stoneware with white, dark brown, and gold glazes; cloth texturing and carving, Gift of Paul and Kathleen Bissinger, F2009.15
Ceramic artist Sugiura Yasuyoshi crafts larger-than-life botanical specimens in clay. This sculpture of a wild Japanese rose pairs the weight of clay with the great delicacy of its subject.
Yogini, 2007, by Arpana Caur (Indian, born 1954), oil on canvas, Gift of Arpana Caur, F2008.40
We’ve exhibited a number of works by Arpana Caur, but until now have not had a representative work in our own collection. A study in stillness, Yogini is inspired by a figure depicted in the “Arjuna’s Penance” bas-reliefs of Southern India.
Autumn frost, 2008, By Pan Gongkai (Chinese, born 1948), ink on paper, Gift of Pan Gongkai, 2009.2
The prolific ink painter Pan Gongkai composes lyrical works featuring abstract natural elements. A set of four lotus paintings by the artist was a big hit in our last Chinese painting rotation, so I’m glad that we have another work to add to the mix.
Heart of Grass, 2006 by Kim Sun Wuk (Korean, born 1929), Hanging scroll, ink and colors on paper, Gift of Kim Sun Wuk, F2008.59.3
In this contemporary calligraphy, Kim Sun Wuk mixes calligraphy and print-making techniques to elongate the title characters into near abstraction. Heart of Grass, along with three other recently works by the artist, will feature in this summer’s Korean gallery rotation.
Look for these acquisitions, and more wonderful new works, in future rotations.
5 Responses to “In with the new”
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bittermelon on July 10th, 2009 at 11:19 am
Wow, all handsome acquisitions. I just wanna pin that white rose into someone’s hair. Thanks for the quick breakdown. Looking forward to seeing these in our galleries in the future.
cristina on July 10th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
You could try to wear the rose, but since it’s probably as big as someone’s head, it might be a little uncomfortable in the long run!
tuscanycat on July 10th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
The Yogini painting looks astronomical. Some kind of planetary event happening on the left of the painting. Or, maybe it’s just me.
cristina on July 10th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Could be! According to Arpana: “The formless cannot be painted so I thought of this blue luminous streak. The multiple eyes are for manifold Search. Her stillness of course is the main thing, the stillness of most Indian art.”
mangolassi on July 10th, 2009 at 5:27 pm
I LOVE the lotus paintings by Pan Gongkai and was sorry to see them go to the protective environs of storage. But then I was again in love with the prints there now. That’s the great thing about rotations, there’s always something new to love.