By Karen Bloom
Its newest offerings draw from the outside holdings of several Long Island art collectors.
Hidden from public view no more, some extraordinary artworks from these private collections are on exhibition at Nassau County Museum of Art’s new exhibit, “Long Island Collects.” Many of the works have never before been seen by the museum-going public.
The artworks are arranged in thematic clusters based on important art movements, among them Impressionism (exemplified by Cezanne, Renoir and Pissarro), Modernism (exemplified by Picasso, Léger and de Chirico) and post-war American Art (exemplified by Larry Rivers, Jim Dine and Cindy Sherman). Beckmann, Degas, Chagall, Matisse, Lichtenstein and Pollock are among the many other artists represented in Long Island Collects. The exhibit is curated by NCMA Executive Director Constance Schwartz and Chief Curator Franklin Hill Perrell.
European artists dominate in the Impressionism and Modernism sections of the exhibition. Highlights include a previously unseen work by Turner and a Cezanne still life. Three oils by Renoir, a painting and a pastel by Pissarro, and two charcoals by Degas are among the other works representing Impressionism. The moderns include Matisse, Vlaminck, Braque, Robert Delaunay, and a substantial body of work by Picasso, all but one of which have never before been at NCMA Also shown are a Chagall fantasy landscape, a vividly colored Léger, and several strong German Expressionist oils by Beckmann, Pechstein, and Münter.
The section on American postwar art begins with one of Hans Hofmann’s classic abstract paintings, demonstrating his vibrant palette and formal concept of “push and pull” color relationship. The dynamics and scope of the Abstract Expressionist movement are further reflected in a charismatic work by Franz Kline, a small but distinctive Jackson Pollock, a drip and splatter painting by Sam Francis, and a serene color field painting by Helen Frankenthaler. Subsequent figuration includes work by Larry Rivers, David Hockney and Wayne Thiebaud. Large scale photo works by Cindy Sherman and Candida Hofer conclude this eclectic section of the exhibition.
Also drawn from Long Island collections are works comprising the two companion exhibitions in adjacent galleries: “Poetic Journey: Hudson River School Paintings from the Collection of Laura and David Grey” and “Andy Warhol Silkscreens.”
On the anniversary of the 400th year since Henry Hudson’s exploration of what came to be called the Hudson River, NCMA presents an exhibit based the holdings of Long Island collectors David and Laura Grey. Included in this exhibition are works by masters of the genre such as Thomas Moran, Albert Bierstadt, George Inness and John Frederick Kensett, among others.
These Hudson River School paintings present a deeply moving and historic theme, one that has been relatively untouched in recent exhibitions at this museum. The artists of period, ca. 1840-1880, evolved through the Romantic spirit inspired by the majesty of the nation’s vast and powerful landscape and came to comprise the first authentic American art movement, one which defined itself in predominantly American terms with regard to both subject and style. In depicting the awe-inspiring landscapes of America, they were inspired by the ideas of the writers Thoreau and Emerson. Their work reflected a widespread belief that scenes of untouched America had a purity lacking in historic European landscapes. This fascination with pristine American scenes combined with the evolving political concept of manifest destiny to sweep the visual arts of the mid- and late-19th century.
In Andy Warhol Silkscreens, the museum presents a select exhibition of work by an audacious pioneer who, by using images of popular American culture and commerce, altered perceptions about what constitutes art. The exhibit showcases some of Warhol’s classic pop subjects among them Marilyn Monroe, Mao Tse-Tung, Superman, Campbell Soup Cans, Dollar Signs and Martha Graham/The Kick.
In these and other prints, Warhol incorporates many of the same techniques that he used in his paintings, As a result, Warhol prints have soared in both esteem and value to the point that they’re presently selling for what Warhol paintings might have fetched just a decade ago.
No other artist is as much identified with Pop Art as Andy Warhol, dubbed the Prince of Pop by the media of his time. Warhol grew up in a Pittsburgh working class family and studied commercial art at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Institute of Technology. Upon his graduation in 1949 he went to New York where he worked in commercial advertising and as an illustrator for magazines such as Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. In the ‘60s, Warhol began painting objects that were part of daily life, such as soup cans and Coke bottles. Soon Warhol became a famous figure in the New York art scene.
From 1962 on he started making silkscreen prints of famous personalities like Marilyn Monroe or Elizabeth Taylor. Warhol challenged and even removed the line between fine art and commercial art used for magazines, comic books and
advertising.
These exhibits remain on view through March 15. As always, NCMA sponsors several public programs to illuminate and enhance the experience of viewing the exhibition. Among the events are talks by Franklin Hill Perrell, Charles A. Riley II, PhD and art collector David Grey and private tours of the exhibition followed by elegant teas. For details on these events or to register, call (516) 484-9338, ext 12 or log onto nassaumuseum.com.
Nassau County Museum of Art
Where: One Museum Drive (just off Northern Boulevard, Route 25A, two traffic lights west of Glen Cove Rd.) in Roslyn Harbor.
When: Through Sunday, Mar. 15, Hours are 11 am to 4:45 pm Tuesday through Sunday. Docent-led tours of the main gallery exhibitions are offered each day at 2 pm. On Sunday afternoons the museum offers supervised art activities for children and their families and family tours of the exhibitions. Exhibition tours and Family Sundays at the Museum are free with museum admission.
Fee: $10, $8 seniors (62+), $4 for children; it includes admission to the Ridder Mini ArtsMuseum for Children.
