Philadelphia Museum of Art Exhibits Hans Burkhardt Painting "Burial of Gorky"

Written by Jack Rutberg Sunday, 16 October 2011 22:23

Philadelphia, PA - When the artist, Hans Burkhardt (b. 1904 Basel, Switzerland - d. 1994 Los Angeles) left New York late in 1937, after nearly nine years of sharing Arshile Gorky's studio, he brought to Los Angeles the largest holdings of Gorky works by his friend and mentor, outside Gorky's own holdings. Burkhardt was the first to introduce Gorky's work to other artists and curators in L.A. and his collection was the subject of a number of Gorky museum exhibitions. Hans Burkhardt's "Burial of Gorky" is currently on view as part of the concurrent exhibition, "Arshile Gorky in Context" at the Philadelphia Museum of Art through January 10, 2010.

That back-story to Los Angeles' connection to Arshile Gorky is underscored by the Philadelphia Museum of Art's current inclusion of a poignant painting by Hans Burkhardt entitled "Burial of Gorky" (1950), now on view in a special exhibition  entitled "Arshile Gorky in Context," which runs concurrently with the Museum's present "Arshile Gorky: A Retrospective."  Included with Burkhardt’s painting in "Arshile Gorky in Context" are works by other artists closely associated with Gorky, including Paul Cezanne, Wassily Kandinsky, Fernand Leger, Marcel Duchamp, Alexander Calder, Isamu Noguchi, Reuben Nakian, Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner, Adolph Gottlieb, Roberto Matta, Joan Miro, Pablo Picasso and others. Both exhibitions were organized by the Philadelphia Museum of Art curator, Michael Taylor.

When "Arshile Gorky: A Retrospective" travels to Los Angeles' Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in June of 2010, Burkhardt's "presence" in the exhibition will be evident through the inclusion of Gorky's "Self Portrait" (1928), which Burkhardt donated to the Los Angeles County Museum in 1947, in tribute to his friend and early mentor, the year before Gorky's suicide. "Self Portrait" was the first painting by Gorky in a Los Angeles Museum and probably the first in any West Coast museum collection.  Numerous paintings in the Gorky retrospective exhibition were painted during those years that Burkhardt shared Gorky's studio, between 1928 and 1937. Also included in the exhibition is Gorky’s masterful painting, "Staten Island" (1928), dedicated by Gorky to Burkhardt.  In addition, Burkhardt's voice is among those evoked in the exhibition's audio tour, along with other luminaries such as Willam deKooning, Barnett Newman and Clement Greenberg, offering their reflections and memories about Gorky. 

As an influential artist and teacher in his own right, Hans Burkhardt's lifelong advocacy of Arshile Gorky in Los Angeles helped bring West Coast recognition of Gorky's unique significance to American painting, making the Gorky Retrospective a particularly fitting event in Los Angeles when it opens at MOCA in June of 2010. 

The Gorky retrospective exhibition and its accompanying publication offer new insights into Gorky's early personal history and his emergence in New York as a lightning rod in the development of American modern art. Brought into focus is Gorky’s Armenian heritage and his tragic odyssey that led this young precocious genius to America to become one of the most pivotal artists in American modern art.  Giving special resonance to the exhibition when it travels to Los Angeles, is that L.A. has the largest Armenian community outside of Armenia. And what is made particularly evident is how Gorky's Armenian heritage informs the totality of his work in a deeply personal manner, arguably unrivaled in the art of his time.

Arshile Gorky: A Retrospective is currently on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art through January 10.  The exhibition travels to the Tate Modern in London from February 10 through May 3, 2010.  The exhibition travels to MOCA, Los Angeles opening June 6 and extending through September 20, 2010.

The Estate of Hans Burkhardt is Represented by :

JACK RUTBERG FINE ARTS
357 North La Brea Avenue                 Los Angeles, CA 90036-2517
www.jackrutbergfinearts.com     jrutberg@jackrutbergfinearts.com
Tel. (323) 938-5222                           Fax. (323) 938-0577

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