High Museum of Art Acquires More than 350 Artworks
By STAN PARCHIN
October 22, 2009
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| Pierre-Auguste Renoir (French, 1841-1919). Woman Arranging Her Hat (ca. 1890.) Oil on canvas. 27 x 22.9 cm (10 5/8 x 9 in.). High Museum of Art. |
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| Pierre-Auguste Renoir (French, 1841-1919). Still-Life with Apples (ca. 1890). Oil on canvas. 19.1 x 52.7 cm (7 1/2 x 20 3/4 in.). High Museum of Art. |
Atlanta, Georgia's High Museum of Art announced today the recent acquisition of more than 350 works of art through gift and purchase for its seven collections. David Brenneman, Director of Collections and Exhibitions, said, "We are thankful for the continued support and funding for new acquisitions, allowing the museum to build significant holdings of great art across all departments. We look forward to introducing our public to these new works soon.”
African Art
Funding from Fred and Rita Richman allowed the High to purchase an African staff finial (late 19th Century) from the Akan region of the Ivory Coast that belonged to the estate of Chaim Gross. In addition to a gift of 16 Paleolithic and Neolithic stone sculptures from the Sahara Desert's southern edge, the museum also received a butterfly mask made by Yacouba Bondé of Burkina Faso.
American Art
Fifteen paintings and works on paper from the estate of Barney “Bim” Franklin entered the museum's collection of American art. The High also purchased Edward Bannister’s Apple Tree in a Meadow (ca. 1890) from the Cafritz Collection.
Decorative Arts and Design
In addition to an important American Bottle Case (ca. 1800-30) attributed to North Carolina cabinetmaker Joseph Freeman, the museum acquired the hand-woven Insect Icon Tapestry (2005-06) by Atlanta-based textile artist Jon Eric Riis and Dutch designer Joris Laarman’s prototype Bone Armchair (2008).
Folk Art
New York gallery owners Frank Maresca and Roger Ricco made the High a partial gift of William Hawkins' late assemblage/painting All About Eve (ca. 1989). Descendents of artist Saleta Henry Stansell donated a whitework coverlet (ca. 1815) spun, woven, and embroidered from local cotton in Newton County, Georgia; it features the popular Tree of Life motif. The North Carolina artist William Fields donated Lapis Philosphorum (ca. 2003), a pastel and prismacolor drawing from his “Illuminations” series.
European Art
Long-time Atlanta residents Michelene and Bob Gerson donated the paintings Woman Arranging Her Hat (ca. 1890) and Still-Life with Apples (ca. 1890) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, the first two works by the French Impressionist to enter the High's collection. The museum received a bronze sculpture by Auguste Rodin from the Cantor Foundation. It also purchased a terracotta portrait of the French painter Jacques-Louis David by François Rude, a rare complete portfolio of etchings by Eugène Delacroix and prints by Honoré Daumier and Pierre Bonnard. The Samuel H. Kress Foundation contributed a selection of Italian works from the 14th through 18th Centuries.
Modern and Contemporary Art
New York collectors Herbert and Dorothy Vogel gave the High an important group of works by such artists as Richard Tuttle, William Anastasi and Stephen Antonakos. American painter and photographer Chuck Close gave the museum a color woodcut titled Self Portrait (2007). The High purchased several prints by Martin Puryear and David Driskell.
Photography
The High acquired more than 100 works by French photographer Eugène Atget (1857-1927) from anonymous collectors through Peter MacGill of Pace/MacGill Gallery in New York. The museum also purchased 53 works by Peter Sekaer (American, born Denmark, 1901-1950), making the High Museum's holdings of works by this artist the nation’s most comprehensive collection.