The Chrysler Museum of Art Brings Self-Taught Artists into the Mainstream

Written by Peter Trainer Tuesday, 09 August 2011 00:33

Norfolk, VA.– The Chrysler Museum of Art and Old Dominion University partner to present "Into the Mainstream: Self-Taught Artists from The Garbisch and Gordon Collections". The exhibition opens August 13th in the Chrysler Museum and will be on view through December 31st. This collaborative exhibition pairs ODU’s Barron and Ellin Gordon collection of self-taught artists with the Chrysler’s 19th-century work in the same tradition. The Chrysler’s contribution includes works collected by Walter Chrysler, Jr.’s, sister and her husband, Bernice and Edgar Garbisch. The Garbisch collection is extensive, with more than 2,600 pieces. Upon their deaths, most of their art was donated to major museums such as the Chrysler and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

The Gordons’ collection includes selected pieces from the 375 works of art donated to Old Dominion University, which are now housed in the Barron and Ellin Gordon Gallery on Monarch Way in Norfolk. The exhibition aims to critically reassess self-taught and folk art as a marginal aspect of fine art by exploring the work of crossover artists, or those who have received academic or art world recognition. Important pieces from both collections will be on view. Students from ODU worked with Amy Brandt, the Chrysler’s McKinnon curator of modern and contemporary art, and Robert Wojtowicz, Ph.D., ODU professor of art history and associate dean for research and graduate studies, to curate the show. Each student is responsible for the selection, display, research, and written labels for the walls within the exhibition. The students will also present the works on the audio tour available on iPods at the Museum. Self-taught art is at times referred to as folk art or outsider art, but mainly it serves as the umbrella term for art that is created outside of the mainstream of art history. Selected works include Purvis Young’s "Faces Over The City", one of many murals he made on salvaged wood found in the Overtown section of Miami, where he lived. He nailed his expressive art to abandoned buildings around his inner-city home town. Visitors can see more examples of Young’s work at the Chrysler Museum next spring in the 30 Americans exhibition. Another example is from Howard Finster, who also created Paradise Gardens Park & Museum in Chattooga County, Georgia, which showcases his folk art and is now a tourist attraction.

The history of the Chrysler Museum starts with more than a century of hard work and dedication by many, many residents of Hampton Roads who believed in the civic virtue of art and art education. Those rewarding efforts moved to an entirely different level 40 years ago, with what is now considered one of strongest and most varied gifts ever made in American history to a single museum by a single person. Walter Chrysler, Jr., scion of the automotive company founder, donated nearly 10,000 objects as part of an arrangement where the Norfolk Academy of Arts and Sciences became the Chrysler Museum of Art. The story of his gift goes far beyond the sheer numbers. It’s what his collection contained that remains breathtaking to this day. A late, legendary New York Times art critic called Chrysler the most underrated American collector of his time, and it’s easy to see why. As a young man he met the top avant-garde artists of Paris (including Pablo Picasso) and was soon purchasing works by them all. He spent his summers in American artist colonies (such as Provincetown, Mass.), and bought works from many future art stars well before they way famous. He was known for buying against fashion, as he had confidence that the special qualities he saw in various pieces would gain acceptance later.  Perhaps what’s most remarkable is the almost impossible-to-define sense of knowing which one to buy; that is, if you can have only one example of a certain style, if you can have only one item from a certain artist, which one would you pick and why? Such judgments are completely subjective, of course, but a lot of art experts believe Walter Chrysler had the knack for getting the right one. By 1976, the city of Norfolk had added 20 galleries to hold the works. There were further building additions in the 80s, including the George and Linda Kaufman Theatre. Walter Chrysler chaired the Museum Board of Trustees until 1984, and he died in 1988 after a long battle with cancer. In the history of the Museum, donations from collectors such as Edgar and Bernice Chrysler Garbish, Emile Wolf, Goldsborough Serpell, Erwin and Adrianne Joseph and the family of Joel  Cooper have dramatically enriched the Museum’s collection. Members of the Mowbray Arch Society have contributed great works to the Chrysler, and the Norfolk Society of Arts remains active to this day. Visit the museum's website at ... http://www.chrysler.org

---

Click on logo below to add this article to your favorite Social Website ~