Renoir Headlines New Shows at Philadelphia Museum of Art
By STAN PARCHIN
May 30, 2010
On May 3, 2010, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, soon to complete its historic building's expansion, revealed its schedule of upcoming special exhibitions at a New York press conference and luncheon. From the Renaissance to Renoir and beyond, the PMA's offerings suit a wide variety of visitors' interests. Most of the shows are not traveling, making them must-see destinations for discerning art-lovers. Here's a sample of what's coming up.
Late Renoir
June 17-September 6, 2010
French Impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) and oeuvres produced during his career's last three decades are this landmark presentation's subjects. Previously at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (February 14-May 9, 2010), the international loan exhibition of some 80 late paintings, sculptures and drawings by the artist features a handsome selection of works by contemporaries whom he inspired, among them Henri Matisse (1869-1954), Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) and Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947). Viewers trace the evolution of Renoir's mature style in portraiture and genre scenes, a fertile period when he embraced both the nude and classical mythology.
Plain Beauty: Korean White Porcelain
June 19-September 26, 2010
The elegant design of plain white porcelains produced during Korea's Joseon Dynasty (1312-1910) reflects the rulers' preferred simple and restrained lifestyle. Large-scale photographs of undecorated works by Koo Bohnchang (b. 1953) enhance the appreciation of the monochromatic wares from the PMA and other American collections.
To Love, Honor and Obey? Stories of Italian Renaissance Marriage Chests
Beginning July 3, 2010
Betrothal and marriage in Renaissance Italy were commemorated on the elaborately painted panels of large cassoni or dowry chests, their scenes often symbolizing politically powerful families' alliances. The installation brings together two chests and related works from the PMA to explore their productions' rich historical and societal contexts in 15th-century Tuscany.
An Eakins Masterpiece Restored: Seeing "The Gross Clinic" Anew
July 24, 2010-January 9, 2011
The Gross Clinic (1875) by Philadelphia painter Thomas Eakins (1844-1916) is jointly owned by the PMA and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Insensitively cleaned in the 1920s, this unsettling American masterpiece was the subject of a late 2008 technical analysis. Newly restored, the monumental oil on canvas takes center stage in an exhibition about its conservation. Attention is paid to Eakins' painting process by means of three surviving preparatory studies, a recent X-radiograph, explanatory texts and a short documentary film. Also on view are Eakins' Portrait of Dr. Benjamin H. Rand of 1874 and The Agnew Clinic (1889).
Picturing the West: Yokohama Prints 1859-1870s
September-November 2010
Isolated by the Tokugawa shogunate, Japanese citizens became curious about the West with the arrival of Commodore Matthew Perry in 1853-54. Some 90 color woodcut prints illustrate the islanders' fascination with 19th-century European dress, daily life and technologies.
Michelangelo Pistoletto: From One to Many, 1956-1974
November 2, 2010- January 16, 2011
The survey of more than 100 works by Italy's Michelangelo Pistoletto (b. 1933) explores the interplay between art and the viewer while placing their creator squarely within the context of Pop Art, Minimalism and Conceptual Art. Included are his reflective Quadri specchianti (Mirror Paintings), Plexiglas works from 1964, Oggetti in meno (Minus Objects) from 1965 and 1966, Stracci (Rags) sculptures from the late 1960s and early 1970s and interactive documentation of performance work he produced with his Zoo group from 1968 to 1970.
Virtues and Vices: Moralizing Prints in the Low Countries, 1550-1600
Winter 2010-2011
Sobering and satirical prints from later 16th-century Antwerp and Haarlem were popular among the educated Dutch and Flemish audiences because of their emphasis on moral instruction and visual delight. Their subjects were derived from the Bible, Greek and Roman mythology, contemporary events and scenes of everyday life. Some 70 engravings from the PMA's collection, including important images by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (act. 1550, d. 1569) and Hendrick Goltzius (1558-1617), reflect the period of significant political and religious change in which they were produced.
George Inness in Italy
February-May 2011
American artist George Inness (1825-1894) pioneered Tonalism, a style known for its soft focus and diaphanous layers of paint. The exhibition examines the influence of Inness' two Italian trips (1851-52 and 1870-74) on his work through 10 oil paintings, including the recently conserved Twilight on the Campagna (ca. 1851).
Paris through the Window: Marc Chagall and His Circle
March-July 2011
Some 35 paintings and sculptures by Marc Chagall (1887-1985), Jacques Lipchitz (1891-1973), Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920) and others were executed in a unique atmosphere of mutual encouragement and support in Paris' vibrant Montparnasse area before the Second World War. Chagall's Half Past Three (The Poet) (1911) is a treasured highlight of the installation.
Roberto Capucci
March 16-June 5, 2011
Italian fashion designer and artist Roberto Capucci (b. 1930) is known for his innovative silhouettes and mastery of form, color and materials. Some 90 works, archival publications, film clips and fashion photographers' images document the couturier's fascinating career. Capucci's sculpture-dresses (1978), designs for the 1995 Venice Biennale, Ocean dress-sculptures from the 1998 World's Fair in Lisbon, Portugal and examples of his most recent series (2007) illustrate his technical innovations and singular use of color.
Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus
August-October 2011
The religious, historical and artistic importance of eight bust-length portraits of Jesus Christ by Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) is explored in this exhibition of more than 50 related paintings, prints and drawings. Created by the Dutch Baroque artist and his pupils between 1643 and 1655, these works include an ethnographically correct model, the likeness being a deviation from the standard iconography of Christian art. Issues of attribution resulting from Rembrandt's workshop collaborations are addressed.
Van Gogh Up Close
January-May 2012
Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) studied Japanese woodblock prints for their aesthetic qualities and incorporated their artists' techniques into his landscape compositions. This international loan exhibition of some 45 paintings documents van Gogh's experimentation with depth of field and focus, shifting perspectives and his decorative use of color.
Sources
Ajmar-Wollheim, Marta and Flora Dennis (eds.), et al. At Home in Renaissance Italy (exh. cat.). London: V&A Publications, 2006, 120-121.
Bailey, Colin B., et al. Renoir's Portraits: Impressions of an Age (exh. cat.). New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1997.
Bayer, Andrea (ed.), et al. Art and Love in Renaissance Italy (exh. cat.). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2008, 129-138.
Orenstein, Nadine M. (ed.), et al. Pieter Bruegel the Elder: Drawings and Prints (exh. cat.). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2001.
