A Conversation with Dr. DeMell Jacobsen

American Made: Paintings and Sculpture from the DeMell Jacobsen Collection opens at The Columbus Museum on March 8. Dr. DeMell Jacobsen shared her insights with us on this remarkable exhibition and her passion for preserving American art. Don’t miss this behind-the-scenes look at a truly inspiring collection!

In 2011, you founded the Thomas H. and Diane DeMell Jacobsen Ph.D. Foundation to fulfill a promise to your late husband to create a transformative collection of American art. How do you define ‘transformative,’ and how does the foundation’s mission shape its impact on American art today?

My foundation has a broad focus—building a representative collection of American art. That means being inclusive of all artistic styles, movements, genres, and media, while also representing overlooked and underrepresented artists. In many cases, these artists have been missing from the canon of art history, and my goal is for American artists to get their due credit. By sharing these works with museums, I can help educate the public about our nation’s artistic history. A “transformative” collection, in this case, elevates a museum’s public offerings with incredible works of American art that they otherwise might not have access to. When museum visitors are able to learn about artists they have never heard of, their understanding of American art history is transformed.

How do you see the works in this exhibition reflecting the larger story of America’s cultural heritage and development as a nation?

The works in the exhibition run from the pre-Revolutionary colonial era to the current time, and through this progression, we see changes in culture. First, we’ll notice the popularity of portraiture (from a time before cameras existed); next, the awe-inspiring landscapes of our unique and varied environments. We also see still life paintings come into favor and genre scenes depicting everyday life as well as moral lessons. We see the influence of Europe and the Near East as artists traveled and explored abroad. American artists formed their own brand of impressionism, of course inspired by their European peers, but this soon gave way to more inventive and radical modernism. Works Progress Administration (WPA) artwork that came out of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal showcases the dignity of the American worker during the Great Depression. American artists then ventured into fully non-representational compositions and abstract expressionism, or “action painting.” Visitors can see how these works parallel the development of the nation and changes in our culture, tastes, and ideas.

You’ve made it a point to share the Foundation’s collection with museums across the country. Why is it important to you to make these works accessible to the public?

Our nation has such a rich cultural heritage; however, most people are not familiar with American artists specifically. Everyone knows Monet, Van Gogh, and Picasso, but many equally talented American artists are not household names. That is why I have made it the mission of my Foundation to share these works with museums around the country. I want the American public to learn about these artists—their stories, their styles, and their unique contributions to art history.

Some works have fascinating stories, from how they were discovered to how they’ve been restored. Can you share one that stands out to you?

Edwin Lord Week’s painting titled Market Square in Front of the Sacristy and Doorway of the Royal Chapel, Granada has an interesting story. First, the painting was originally mislabeled as Cordoba instead of Granada. I love to see the places depicted in the paintings, and I had a dear friend who happened to live in Spain. I asked her to find this site in Cordoba, and she looked and looked but was never able to identify it—that is, until she visited Granada and recognized the scene immediately! That is how we were able to correctly identify the location in the painting’s title. The frame surrounding the painting at the time I purchased it was not right at all, so I had a new one made. While it was an improvement, I always wanted to find a period frame that could really make this painting sing! It took me 14 years, and

I finally found just the right frame—the one you see around the painting today. It’s an American frame crafted around the same time the painting was completed. You’ll notice the striking calligraphic ornament on the frame perfectly complements the Moorish architecture in the scene.

The DeMell Jacobsen Collection has, from the start, included diverse voices and perspectives. Can you tell us more about how you approach the artists and works that are in the collection?

When women and people of color were excluded from attending art school for much of history, you can see why museum walls are filled mostly with the artwork of a very narrow demographic. However, there were other incredibly talented artists who deserve their due credit. Some were remarkably able to break through barriers earlier on, and their accomplishments should be recognized. An example you can find in the collection is Mary Cassatt and her charming 1900 portrait, Baby Charles Looking over His Mother’s Shoulder Cassatt was the only American artist (male or female) to exhibit works with the French impressionists. Another example is Charles Ethan Porter’s c. 1880s still life, Sunflowers . Porter was one of the first African Americans to study and exhibit at the National Academy. His talents were so well respected that he was able to further his artistic studies in Europe in part with the help of author Samuel L. Clemens (better known as Mark Twain). Artists like these, as well as those from more recent times, absolutely must be represented in the collection.

Do you have a personal favorite among the works in this exhibition? What makes it meaningful to you?

It’s impossible to have a favorite—they are like my children. This collection is special in a lot of ways. Many collectors focus on a specific era, genre, or artist, but my goal has been to create a representative collection of American art. Therefore, there is so much variety of style and subject matter. That said, I’m proud that this collection has something for everyone, no matter what your personal taste in art may be. I often tell people that my definition of a “masterpiece” is a work that keeps giving me more the longer I look at it. That’s not to say the work contains more detail, but that it evokes new feelings and emotions the longer I look. That’s how I feel about each of the works in this exhibition. These works are masterpieces of American art.

What do you hope visitors will take away from this exhibition, both in terms of art appreciation and understanding of our history?

For one, I hope visitors gain an appreciation for the depth of our nation’s artistic heritage. Further, I want visitors to learn about artists they weren’t familiar with before and then leave inspired to come back to the museum’s American galleries again and again. One of my personal passions is frames, so I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the importance of having the right period frame on a painting. Visitors can see the progression of American art history as they look through the works in the exhibition, but they also get a sense of the changes in tastes in home interior design, architecture, and furnishings as they look at the frames. We take great care to ensure that paintings are paired with an appropriate period frame—sometimes we are lucky enough to purchase a painting in its original frame; sometimes, the frame has been replaced by a previous owner, and it doesn’t do the painting justice; other times the frame has been damaged and needs to be restored to its original splendor. I encourage visitors to look closely at the frames in the exhibition and think about how they complement the painting (but do not distract from or take away from the masterpieces they protect and hold).

What excites you most about the future of the Demell Jacobsen Foundation’s collection and your work with it? Are there any new directions you’re exploring?

We continue to grow the collection—and that is always exciting. In doing so, we remain focused on underappreciated artists to ensure the collection truly represents American art history. We also continue to focus on frames and the important marriage between frame and painting. As we have acquired new works, we are planning a follow-up book to American Made: Paintings and Sculpture from the DeMell Jacobsen Collection. Our new volume will have a strong focus on frames as we hope the exhibition will give visitors a new-found appreciation for this often overlooked art form.