Artifacts - Dallas Museum of Art Member Magazine - Fall 2015

Member Magazine fall 2015

BLACK AND WHITE Pollock’s Breakthrough Paintings WE POP THE QUESTION CHANEL’S SHOWPLACE PLUS: ART OF AFRICA, FROM THE INCA, and ACROSS THE ISLAMIC WORLD

director ’ s note

Two and a half years ago, the Dallas Museum of Art intro-

indispensable to the DMA, and has offset the costs of provid-

duced a new model of public engagement, one attesting to our

ing free access to the public, sustaining our scholarly mandate

mission statement’s embrace of “informed risk.” The model

to provide original research that drives the field of art history,

included three ingredients: free general admission, a free

and caring for the treasures in our care.

entry-level membership program, and a paid membership, which supports the Museum financially. Our membership is like a “freemium” model on the Internet—you can sign up for a service for free, but if you want more bells and whistles, you pay for those.

Free general admission and a robust calendar of exhibitions

I look forward to welcoming you personally to the DMA in the coming months. We hope you will take full advantage of all your membership offers, which may include early and free access to ticketed exhibitions, free parking, discounts in the store and cafe, and priority access to our award-winning lectures, programs, and events.

and programs yielded a 48% increase in attendance—from 485,000 visitors to over 700,000 by the end of this year.

Many thanks—

The backbone of the new model is our paid membership base, which has yielded some $4 million annually. Your support is

Maxwell L. Anderson The Eugene McDermott Director

this issue

BREAKTHROUGH: POLLOCK’S BLACK PAINTINGS

MY DEFINITION OF POP Artifacts asks five

In an Artifacts exclusive,

global Pop artists

Jackson Pollock’s nephew

what Pop is to them.

describes why Blind Spots

By Delia Cancela, Eduardo Costa, Rosalyn Drexler, Ushio Shinohara, and Jana Želibská

is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

By Jason McCoy

SOULFUL IN THEIR BEAUTY

CHANEL TO REVES

Get a first look at the

icon’s connection to the

inspiration for the

DMA in a publication

inaugural exhibition

preview.

of Keir Collection masterworks.

Discover the fashion

By Olivier Meslay with Martha MacLeod

By Sabiha Al Khemir

Artifacts is published by the Dallas Museum of Art especially for its members and is a benefit of membership.

It is a production of the Museum’s Collections and Exhibitions, Communications and Public Affairs, Curatorial, Education, Marketing, and Membership and Development departments.

jill bernstein, Editor in Chief kimberly daniell, Senior Editor queta moore watson, Managing Editor rebecca winti, Art Director gregory castillo,

Photographer

The Dallas Museum of Art is supported, in part, by the generosity of DMA members and donors, the citizens of Dallas through the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs, and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

for information call 214-922-1200 or visit DMA.org.

cover

Jackson Pollock outside his barn studio with Black and White Painting No. 15, 1951. Photograph by Hans Namuth.

this fall SPIRIT AND MATTER Masterpieces from the Keir Collection of Islamic Art

September 18, 2015–July 31, 2016 INTERNATIONAL POP | October 11, 2015–January 17, 2016 JACKSON POLLOCK Blind Spots | November 20, 2015–March 20, 2016 INCA Conquests of the Andes/Los Incas y las conquistas de los Andes

Through November 15, 2015 CONCENTRATIONS 59 Mirror Stage —Visualizing the Self After the Internet

Through December 6, 2015 N S HARSHA Sprouts, reach in to reach out

Through February 21, 2016 mark your calendar VERMEER SUITE Music in 17th-Century Dutch Painting

January 15–August 21, 2016 REBECCA WARREN | February 19–July 15, 2016

Two and a half years ago, the Dallas Museum of Art introduced a new model of public engagement, one attesting to our mission statement’s embrace of “informed risk.” The model included three ingredients: free general admission, a free

CONCENTRATIONS 60 Lucie Stahl | March 13–August 28, 2016 IRVING PENN Beyond Beauty

| April 15–August 14, 2016

entry-level membership program, and a paid membership, which supports the Museum financially. Our membership is

don ’ t forget!

like a “freemium” model on the Internet—you can sign up for a service for free, but if you want more bells and whistles, you pay for those.

Free general admission and a robust calendar of exhibitions and programs yielded a 48% increase in attendance—from 485,000 visitors to over 700,000 by the end of this year.

The backbone of the new model is our paid membership base, which has yielded some $4 million annually. Your support is

MEMBERS GET MORE. More Benefits. More Access. More Fun.

member news

JUST FOR YOU

By Kimberly Camuel Bryan We hope that you enjoy this inaugural issue of Artifacts, created exclusively for DMA members. We are excited to share with you stories that were written only for you and that you cannot find anywhere else. This magazine is also available digitally to members and DMA Friends. Please tell us what you think!

We look forward to inviting DMA members at the Supporter level and above to join us behind the scenes—in the storerooms, conservation studios, and offices of the Museum—where we dream up and realize projects ranging from the Keir Collection of Islamic Art to the forthcoming major exhibition Jackson Pollock: Blind Spots.

This fall, please save the date for two special evenings celebrating the openings of International Pop on Wednesday, October 7, and Jackson Pollock: Blind Spots on Friday, November 13. These events are going to be like nothing you’ve ever seen before at the DMA. Invitations will be sent to Supporter members and higher so keep an eye on your mailbox for further details.

The next time you visit the Museum, be sure to stop by our new Members Desk on the Concourse. You can renew your membership, rest your feet, and chat with our friendly staff. The Members Desk is your go-to spot in the Museum for information about your membership and the DMA. If you’ve visited recently, you’ve noticed that the Hamon Entrance is undergoing a face-lift. The project will be completed in spring 2016 and the Museum will remain open during the process.

Find out everything that paid membership offers at DMA.org. Contact us at members@DMA.org or 214-922-1247 with questions anytime. And, most importantly, thank you for your generous support!

The membership team is here to make sure you find your home within the DMA. The next time you visit, please stop by and say hello.

Development Staff CYNTHIA CALABRESE

AMANDA HYDE

Director of Development

Assistant Manager of Individual Giving,

ccalabrese@DMA.org

Research, and Stewardship

214-922-1316

KIMBERLY CAMUEL BRYAN

ahyde@DMA.org

214-922-1243

Associate Director of Development

ANNA LANGE

kbryan@DMA.org

Assistant Manager of DMA Membership

214-922-1242

alange@DMA.org

BLAIR CRANE

214-922-1823

Manager of Major Gifts and Special Initiatives

MARY MORGAN RADCLIFF

bcrane@DMA.org

Assistant Manager of Individual Giving

214-922-1272

mradcliff@DMA.org

MAEGAN HOFFMANN

214-922-1235

Manager of DMA Membership

EMMA VERNON

mhoffmann@DMA.org

Manager of DMA Circle

214-922-1208

evernon@DMA.org

214-922-1205

images (details): Left: Jackson Pollock, Number 7, 1951, 1951, enamel paint on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, © The Pollock-Krasner Foundation / ARS, New York and DACS, London, 2015; Right: Martial Raysse, Arbre (Tree), 1959–60, plastic, metal, Collection Fraiberger, Switzerland, © 2015, Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris, Photo: West Images

exhibitions

BREAKTHROUGH: POLLOCK’S BLACK PAINTINGS

By Jason McCoy

Jackson Pollock: Blind Spots November 20, 2015–March 20, 2016 When DMA curator Gavin Delahunty first talked to me about

Blind Spots will enable all of us to reevaluate the breadth and

his dream of organizing an exhibition of Jackson Pollock’s

depth of Pollock’s accomplishments. It will illuminate that

so-called Black and White paintings, I was of course intrigued

there was most often a figurative element in all of Pollock’s

but thought to myself “good luck.” It is notoriously difficult

paintings, as images of man or beast are easy to recognize in

to organize any Pollock show, and I knew the paintings were

Pollock’s first gestures on the plane. We can recall a comment

scattered all over the world. But the good luck seems now to

he made to this effect, that in these paintings the “figure

be ours—Gavin has pulled it all off and we have been given the

is coming through.” Such recognizable forms in fact caused

great good fortune to be able to view the largest assemblage of

consternation with certain modernist critics at the time,

these works together, ever. Jackson Pollock is one of the most

who did not care to acknowledge less than fully abstract

recognizable names in modern art, but we generally associate

painting as being modern.

the name not with a single image of a specific painting but rather with the idea of paintings that consist of masses of fine lines,

Blind Spots will also include examples of Pollock’s interest in

skeined across the picture’s surface in seeming confusion.

scale. In 1951, with the help of his brother, Sanford McCoy,

I appreciate that the Blind Spots exhibition will present an

in a suite of serigraphs, a selection of which is exhibited in

additional view of Pollock’s oeuvre, the paintings that

this exhibition. With a computer today, this type of curiosity

he chose six paintings not at all similar in size to be used

followed the so-called pourings. These paintings were yet

might seem obvious, but this was not the case sixty-five

another breakthrough for Jackson Pollock, because here he

years ago.

was able to convey the certainty and discipline of works that, for the most part, were made in one session. There is a clarity to the paintings, a minimalism and a simplicity that make it all look so easy and pre-ordained. Not so, of course, but what is revealed is a master’s ability to get it right the first time, and so let the paintings stand for themselves. They are a powerful, fascinating lot, crowned with one of my personal favorite paintings of all, Portrait and a Dream, a longtime resident of Dallas.

Opening Events opening celebration Friday, November 13 member preview days Saturday, November 14, 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Sunday, November 15, 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Tuesday, November 17, 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Wednesday, November 18, 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Thursday, November 19, 11:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.

Friday, November 20, 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Jackson Pollock: Blind Spots is co-organized by the Dallas Museum of Art and Tate Liverpool.

The exhibition is co-presented

by Bank of America and Texas Instruments.

Additional support is provided

by The Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Inc. The presentation is made possible by TWO X TWO for AIDS and Art, an annual fundraising event that jointly benefits amfAR,

Had Pollock stopped after his “drip paintings” of the late 1940s he would certainly still have his place in history.

Rather, his creative drive was such that it continued to evolve in unexpected ways and cover new ground, as Blind Spots reveals, accentuating that Pollock’s gift was much more than one-dimensional.

—Jason McCoy is the nephew of Jackson Pollock and President of Jason McCoy Gallery in New York.

The Foundation for AIDS Research and the Dallas Museum of Art, and by the Contemporary Art Initiative.

Marketing support is provided by the Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District and the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau. images (clockwise): Jackson Pollock, Portrait and a Dream, 1953, oil and enamel paint on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Algur H. Meadows and the Meadows Foundation, Incorporated, 1967,

1967.8; A 1950 Pollock family reunion photo showing Jackson Pollock (back row, far left) and his nephew Jason McCoy (seated on Stella Pollock’s lap), courtesy of the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution; Untitled, c. 1949–50, painted terracotta, Collection Gail and Tony Ganz, Los Angeles; Jackson Pollock in his studio, with Number 32, 1950 on floor, and papier-mâché sculpture on desk, 1951, Photograph by Hans Namuth; Echo (Number 25, 1951), 1951, enamel paint on canvas, The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Black and White Painting II (detail), c. 1951, oil paint on canvas, private collection All works are © Pollock-Krasner Foundation/ Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York and DACS, London 2015.

marketing support

“They are a powerful, fascinating lot, crowned with one of my personal favorite paintings of all, Portrait and a Dream, a longtime resident of Dallas.”

Related Events For details, registration, and tickets, visit DMA.org.

lecture Pollock’s Black Paintings Wednesday, November 11, 7:00 p.m.

Michael Fried, art critic, and Gavin Delahunty, The Hoffman Family Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, DMA

late night talks

meaningful moments

first tuesday

Jackson Pollock: Blind Spots Friday, November 20, 7:00 p.m.

Tuesday, December 15 10:00–11:30 a.m.

Tuesday, February 2 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.

arturo’s art & me

toddler art

January 6, 7, and 9 10:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

February 12, 16, and 19 10:00 a.m.–noon

Gavin Delahunty

A Conversation About Art Conservation Friday, November 20, 9:00 p.m.

Mark Leonard, Chief Conservator, DMA, and James Coddington, Chief Conservator, MoMA

homeschool class for families Thursday, January 28, and Thursday, February 25 11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

exhibitions

MY DEFINITION OF POP International Pop

October 11, 2015–January 17, 2016 In 1957, artist Richard Hamilton famously defined Pop art as “Popular (designed for a mass audience, Transient (short-term solution), Expendable (easily forgotten); Low cost, Mass produced, Young (aimed at youth), Witty, Sexy, Gimmicky, Glamorous, Big Business.” We reached out to several participating artists to ask for their own personal definition of Pop to celebrate the October opening of International Pop at the DMA.

JANA ŽELIBSKÁ | Slovakia, born Czechoslovakia

EDUARDO COSTA | Argentina

Pop meant for me a way

Pop is a small usual object

to express myself as a

magnified many, many times

woman, to articulate

and presented as a sculpture.

my ideas in the new

Pop is a silkscreen print repre-

contemporary visual

senting the face of a famous

language—language

movie star left to the imagina-

totally different from

tion of a sophisticated artist.

the academic media

Pop is a pretty girl showing

and topics that we were

off her lovely face and body

taught by the professors

from all angles. Pop is a pro-

at the academy—literal-

fessional body builder posing.

ly a new realism. Aside

Pop is an electric chair. Pop is

from that, Pop also

the lonely image of a highway

meant for me the Youth

seen sometimes from a mov-

as such and a way to

ing car. Pop is a flag representing a whole country in the space

communicate with the

of a painting. Pop is a gold prop in the shape of an ear of gold

new harmonious world of future, in which men and women will be equal in both their rights and desires, minds and bodies.

reproduced in millions of copies of fashion magazines. Pop is a philosophy disguised as trivia and presented as art. Pop is basically a wind of life and energy from the popular mind that reaches all over the globe. Pop art seems to require no effort to be understood. Pop is best served with many definitions.

Opening Events opening celebration Wednesday, October 7 member preview days Thursday, October 8, 6:00-9:00 p.m.

Friday, October 9, 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Saturday, October 10, 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

International Pop is organized by the Walker Art Center. This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.

and Angus Wurtele Family Foundation. Additional support is generously provided by Judy Dayton, Lyn De Logi, Marge and Irv Weiser, and Audrey and Zygi Wilf.

Major support for the exhibition is provided by the Henry Luce Foundation, the Prospect Creek Foundation, the Terra Foundation for American Art, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and the Margaret

The DMA’s presentation is made possible with major support provided by Deutsche Bank. Additional support is provided by TWO X TWO for AIDS and Art, an annual fundraising event that jointly benefits amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research and the Dallas Museum of Art, and by the Contemporary Art Initiative. Marketing support is provided by the Dallas Tourism Public Improvement

District and the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau. images (details): Jana Želibská, Toaletta I and Toaletta II (Toilette I and Toilette II), 1966, textile, wood, metal on hardboard, Courtesy Slovenská národná galéria, Bratislava, Courtesy the artist; Eduardo Costa, Fashion Fiction 1: Vogue USA, Feb. 1, 1968, 1968, Photographer: Richard Avedon, Model: Marisa Berenson, media sculpture: printed matter, 24-karat gold ear prop, Courtesy the artist; Ushio Shinohara, Oiran, 1968, plexiglass and acrylic on canvas, Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, © Ushio and Noriko Shinohara; Rosalyn Drexler, Sorry About That, 1966, acrylic, paper on canvas, 72 1/4 x 48 x 1 in., Collection Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Gift of the T. E. Walker Foundation, 1966, © 2015 Rosalyn Drexler / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; Delia Cancela and Pablo Mesejean pictured with Portrait of Girls and Boys; Antoine and Karine (Retrato Muchachas y Muchachos: Antonie y Karine), 1966, industrial acrylic on canvas and wood, Collection Nelly di Tella, Argentina, Photo courtesy of the artist

exhibitions

USHIO SHINOHARA | Japan

ROSALYN DREXLER | United States

For the work Oiran (1968) I chose Japanese

Pop is the sound made when a cork is

Pop was, for me, a label that I accepted.

ukiyoe (pictures of the floating world) as

removed from a bottle. It announces that

Critics said I was Pop; they wrote it.

my creative theme due to the influence of

the “liquid” in the bottle is ready to be

Pop art.

released. It is a reminder that Pop is an

First, I removed the eyes, nose, and mouth

announcement of what is to come.

from the woodblock print of a famous

If you are sleeping, Pop will wake you up.

picture of a courtesan. Second, I simpli-

It is in the same class as an alarm clock.

fied her hair accessory and kimono design.

Third, I used fluorescent paint.

Simply put, the public at large may not have to struggle with MEANING any longer,

As a result, it became a great work of art

but may at last understand the painting.

that is much flashier than the original

It means nothing. It repeats itself. It adver-

woodblock print. In this way, the image

tises what it is, and nothing else.

was reborn as a contemporary painting.

It does reveal the careful hand of the artist and his/her acceptance of nothing done beautifully.

The more things change, the more one’s expectations are short-changed.

DELIA CANCELA | Argentina

Personally, I don’t like categories.

Then, in my life, what counted was pop music, cinema, and fashion, and women’s social situation too. Also, as I intended to introduce fashion into art language, magazines were part of my inspiration.

My partnership with Pablo Mesejean was not only artistic but personal too. Life and art mingled.

Jorge Romero Brest, the art critic who was at the time the director of the Institute Di Tella’s Visual Arts department, said that Pablo Mesejean and I were the most truly Pop artists of our generation.

However . . . ignore the label; press one on yourselves. Wash in cold water.

Do not iron. The wrinkles are permanent.

Pop is not Mom.

Related Events For details, registration, and tickets, visit DMA.org.

art babies Monday, October 12, 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., or noon (one-hour class)

gallery talk

arturo’s art & me

first tuesday

Wednesday, October 14, 12:15 p.m.

Dr. Benjamin Lima, Assistant Professor of Art History at the University of Texas at Arlington

November 11, 12, and 14 10:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

December 4, 8, and 11 10:00 a.m.–noon

meaningful moments

toddler art

late night talk

Tuesday, November 17 10:00–11:30 a.m.

December 4, 8, and 11 10:00 a.m.–noon

Artists of International Pop Friday, October 16, 7:00 p.m.

With artists Eduardo Costa, Jann Haworth, and Ushio Shinohara and moderator Gabriel Ritter

homeschool class for families Tuesday, November 17 10:00–11:30 a.m.

exhibitions

SOULFUL IN THEIR BEAUTY

By Dr. Sabiha Al Khemir

Spirit and Matter: Masterpieces from the Keir Collection of Islamic Art September 18, 2015–July 31, 2016

This month we debut the first North American exhibition of

objects have a dimension that transcends their physicality.

works in the Keir Collection of Islamic Art, one of the most

Whether it is knowledge transcribed onto the page or a

important private holdings of Islamic art in the

proverb calligraphed on a bowl, whether it is a

world, since announcing the fifteen-year loan

palmette design that gives a ewer wings or

to the DMA in February 2014. The

an overall outline that gives an object

pieces on view in Spirit and Matter:

an ethereal silhouette, the pieces

Masterpieces from the Keir Collection

embody an essence that connects to

of Islamic Art serve as a window onto

the spirituality of the culture that

both the Keir Collection and the

produced them.

entire Islamic world. When organiz-

Matter is the substance from which

ing this exhibition, it was my hope

the objects are made, and through

that it illustrates the fact that this

metamorphosis of those raw ma-

art has something to offer human-

terials art is created. Through this

ity at large, that visitors not only

artistic transformation, itself

enjoy these magnificent artworks

imbued with spirituality, the

but that they begin their engage-

rules of the aesthetic are regulat-

ment with the Keir Collection,

ed by a mentality where religion

and experience the culture of the

is deeply integrated in the fabric of

Islamic world with its refinement,

the culture.

sophistication, and contribution to humanity’s heritage.

The Spirit and Matter exhibition is a journey organized around the various media of the objects on view.

The exhibition concept “Spirit and Matter” is meant to serve as a framework to inspire us to look at the various dynamics within Islamic art. With the exception of the Quran manuscripts, the objects on view are not religious; however, they are filled with the spirituality of the culture and are soulful in their beauty. This also applies to most Islamic art. These

Each medium is like coming into a new valley on this aesthetic journey of the Islamic world and reveals that spiritual mentality as a connecting thread that transcends matter.

—Dr. Sabiha Al Khemir is the Senior Advisor for Islamic Art at the DMA and Professor of Arts and Humanities at the University of Texas at Dallas.

Members-Only Events

Related Event

Spirit and Matter: Masterpieces from the Keir Collection of Islamic Art is organized by the Dallas Museum of Art.

member preview days

late night talk

The exhibition is presented by Kosmos Energy.

Thursday, September 17, 6:00–9:00 p.m.

Spirit and Matter

Friday, September 18, 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Friday, September 18, 7:00 p.m.a Dr. Sabiha Al Khemir

image: Pendant, Egypt, 11th century, metal, the Keir Collection of Islamic Art on loan to the Dallas Museum of Art, K.1.2014.90

renovations

SHINING NEW LIGHT ON AFRICAN ART

By Reagan Duplisea

When the DMA opens its reinstalled Arts of Africa Galleries

brate African aesthetics. Our new thematic installation

this September, the Museum will shine new light on the collec-

addresses both concerns.” Walker said. “African people—like

tion—both literally and figuratively. The once-brown walls

anyone else—have the same fears, the same aspirations, the

will now be a custom DMA “blossom white” with ocher accent

same desires to live a good life.”

colors, and the ceilings are awash with natural light from skylights that previous visitors—and even longtime staff—did not know existed.

The reinstallation had been a dream of The Margaret McDermott

Walker’s aspirations for the installation were brought to fruition

by Exhibition Designer Skye Malish-Olson—her second project after starting at the DMA in February. The gallery is now installed thematically in five main sections, rather than the

Senior Curator of African Art Roslyn Adele Walker since she

previous geographical display. These new groupings will show-

began her tenure at the DMA in 2003. Her research intensified

case both old favorites, such as Olowe of Ise’s kneeling female

in 2011 with a grant received from the Texas Fund for Curatorial

figure with bowl (Walker’s first acquisition for the DMA), and

Research. It provided both travel funds and a research assistant,

new acquisitions, including a Songye four-horned power figure,

Edleeca Thompson, a doctoral student at the University of Texas

along with works that have rarely—if ever—been displayed to

at Dallas and teacher at Brookhaven College.

the public.

They visited more than a dozen museums’ collections, from

During planning, Walker said she was reminded of a phrase

the High Museum stateside to the Quai Branly in Paris and the

Sylvia Williams, former director of the Smithsonian Institu-

Africa Museum in Berg-en-Dal, Netherlands. Their observations

tion’s National Museum of African Art, frequently used: “She

helped Walker compare and analyze approaches to installations,

would say that we are ‘giving birth to brightness.’ I am looking

wall colors, furniture, and audio-visual components. “The best

forward to our giving birth to brightness in this gallery.”

installations acknowledge the humanity of Africans and cele-

­—Reagan Duplisea is the Associate Registrar at the DMA.

images: Above: Just before the galleries closed for reinstallation in May, the DMA invited the public to a Late Night African Art Sketching Party. Over one hundred sketches of visitors’ favorite African artworks were collected and displayed on the temporary wall on Level 3.

Left: Concept design by Skye Malish-Olson for the African Galleries reinstallation

publications

FROM CHANEL TO REVES This fall, the DMA will publish From Chanel to Reves: La Pausa and Its Collections at the Dallas Museum of Art, exploring the history of Villa La Pausa, the French Riviera home of Wendy and Emery Reves, and revealing how the Museum became one of the most important repositories in the world of Coco Chanel’s memorabilia. Here are exclusive pre-publication excerpts from the book, authored

by Olivier Meslay, Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs, with Martha MacLeod, Curatorial Administrative Assistant in the European and American Art Department, and dedicated to the docents of the DMA: Before Emery Reves bought La Pausa in 1953, it belonged for almost a quarter of a century to an extraordinary person who is now recognized as one of the twentieth century’s most important women, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel. She not only built the house but was responsible for most of the decoration and ornamental details, and also chose most of the furniture. Thus, by an extraordinary coincidence, only recently discovered and publicized, the Dallas Museum of Art became the major repository of objects that had once belonged to Chanel.

In 1928, Chanel acquired several adjacent parcels of land, making the construction of La Pausa possible. . . . On a five-hectare plot on the heights of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, she commissioned the architect Robert Streitz to build her a house, specifying not only the overall design but also the smallest details.

The exterior resembles a large neo-Provençal house, yet upon entering, the visitor is immediately surprised by the conventlike atmosphere created by its large iron grills, cloister, and Romanesque-style staircase.

Although Chanel was by this time at the height of her career and fortune, the villa is full of architectural quotations reminding her of the darkest, or at least the most impoverished, days of her life, growing up in the Aubazine convent in the Corrèze region of central France.

Her biographers have frequently referred to her secrecy regarding this time; she was clearly haunted by the possibility that her years of poverty in the convent orphanage might be revealed to the public. It is therefore striking to see how many of the architectural details found at La Pausa are drawn from the Aubazine convent.

image: Chanel on the staircase in the great hall at Villa La Pausa, c. 1937.

Photo de Roger Schall, © Collection Schall.

acquisitions

FASHIONABLE TO FANTASTIC Studio Jewelry from the Rose-Asenbaum Collection

By Kevin W. Tucker

This spring, the DMA received an incredibly generous gift of over

Studio jewelry often ignores or subverts the precious materials

seven hundred works of modern studio jewelry from Museum

and conventional decoration of manufactured jewelry in favor

supporters Edward W. and Deedie Potter Rose. The Rose-Asen-

of an experimental, if still masterfully realized, approach. At

baum Collection, so named for these benefactors and the origi-

Ms. Asenbaum’s Austrian gallery, the jewelry on display often

nal owner of the holdings, Inge Asenbaum of Vienna, is one of

surprised people, recalled her son Paul Asenbaum, an art his-

the world’s foremost collections of studio jewelry, with works

torian, in an interview with the New York Times announcing the

dating from the 1960s through the 1990s.

DMA’s acquisition of the collection. He described the works as

Represented in the Rose-Asenbaum Collection are over one hundred and fifty artists from around the world, with each work

“sculptural pieces; it’s conceptual art; it’s kind of flying saucers; it has its own world.”

reflective of their individual and highly individualistic efforts to

Explore a sampling of the immense creativity of a half-

conceive, design, and fabricate works that challenge tradition-

century of jewelry design with the first selections from the

al notions of jewelry and its historic roles. Among these, Fritz

Rose-Asenbaum Collection newly on view in Form/Unformed.

Maierhofer, Hermann Jünger, Ulrike Zehetbauer, Daniel Kruger, Claus Bury, Francesco Pavan, Gert Mosettig, Anton Cepka, and Wendy Ramshaw represent the diverse styles, techniques, and materials that defined the studio jewelry movement in the latter

—Kevin W. Tucker is the former Margot B. Perot Senior Curator of Decorative Arts and Design at the DMA and is now the founding director of the Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement in St. Petersburg, Florida.

half of the 20th century.

image: Brooch, Ulrike Zehetbauer, designer, 1979, gold and coral, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Edward W. and Deedie Potter Rose, formerly Inge Asenbaum collection, gallery Am Graben in Vienna, 2014.33.347

education

ART DETECTIVES

By Andrea Severin Goins

As part of the five-year project funded by the O’Donnell Foun-

cultural descriptions, definitions of processes and techniques,

dation in support of free general admission and online access

and supplementary audio and video material. At the end of the

to our collection, the DMA welcomed four new education staff

project, we envision Museum visitors exploring the galleries

members. The Digital Collections Content Coordinators (D3Cs),

and using their smartphones for on-demand access to extend-

along with the Interpretation Manager, are responsible for the

ed information about the works of art in front of them. The

research, aggregation, and digitization of rich contextual infor-

project also aims to provide our virtual visitors from across the

mation about currently or recently on view works of art—roughly

world with access not only to beautiful high-resolution images

five thousand objects. They search the Mayer Library, the object

of our collection but also to “deep dives” into who made the

files in the basement, and websites of other museums and uni-

work, when or how they made it, and why.

versities for artist biographies, catalogue essays, historical and

—Andrea Severin Goins is the Interpretation Manager at the DMA.

jeelan bilal-gore

elaine higgins

samantha robinson

emily schiller

(MPrac, Newcastle University;

(PhD candidate, University of New

(MA, Southern Methodist University;

(PhD candidate, Penn State;

MA, School of Oriental and African

Mexico; MA, University of Texas at

BA, Macalester College) is concen-

MA, American University;

Studies, University of London;

Austin; BA, Texas Christian University)

trating on our decorative arts and

BA, Hollins University)

BA, Amherst College)

is focusing on our pre-Columbian,

design collection.

is researching our American

is working with our Asian,

American Indian, and Latin

African, Pacific, and contempo-

American collections.

rary collections.

In my research on the Roycrofters’ Ali Baba Bench, I

and European collections, in addition to working with our ancient Mediterranean and

According to Museum legend,

discovered that the design’s

While researching the works of

each time the head of the rain

namesake was longtime Roycroft

Bruce Connor, who translated his

god (Tlaloc) has been moved—the

Shops employee Anson Alonzo

I keep finding fantastic letters

collage and assemblage practices

first time from Fair Park to the

Blackman, who was nicknamed

from artists to the Museum

into experimental filmmaking,

downtown building, and the

“Ali Baba.” The content I devel-

when their work joined the

I discovered he was one of the

second time to Level 4 in 1993—

oped on the bench will include a

collection. So far, I have discov-

first to use pop music for a film

thunderstorms soon followed.

link to a PBS video on Blackman.

ered handwritten “thank you”

soundtrack, inspiring music

Preparator Russell Sublette, who

notes from Andrew Wyeth,

video production; and his movies

has been involved in each of the

Gerald Murphy, F. Luis Mora,

influenced the editing of Dennis

relocations, has said in an inter-

Alice Kent Stoddard, and George

Hopper’s iconic film Easy Rider.

view, “The most we’ve had to

Bellows’ widow.

His cinematic vision significantly

wait for a downpour after we

affected visual culture in

touch Tlaloc is forty-eight hours.

ways that are now often taken

And it’s never a light shower.”

for granted.

contemporary collections.

behind the scenes

CONSERVATION CSI

By Fran Baas

A great privilege of being a conservator is the joy of looking closely at objects of historic and artistic value. We do this not only to assess their preservation needs but also to glean technical information about the object itself. What is it made of, what is its function, and how may it have been manufactured or created? The information we gather during our investigation—performed in close collaboration with curators—becomes an integral part of any future conservation and is used for scholarly consideration.

A few months before the opening of Inca: Conquests of the Andes, the Objects Conservation Lab analyzed, at the request of exhibition curator Kimberly Jones, two bronze Andean knives (or tumi in Quechuan). She was interested in the chemical composition of the metal alloys, suspecting that the results would inform her decision of how to present them within the exhibition. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) revealed that two knives

“The Museum is responsible both for the preservation and care of cultural heritage and for the display and exploration of these visual arts—roles that might appear to conflict regarding fragile artifacts. It is through collaboration between curators and conservators that we may achieve both.”

—DR. KIMBERLY L. JONES

were tin bronze. By the Late Horizon (1400–1532), the Inca used tin bronze—a combination of tin and copper—to create their objects. It was readily available in their geographic region of Bolivia and northwest Argentina.

Now that Dr. Jones knew the chemical composition of these artifacts, she could confirm their historical context and the possible location of their manufacture. For example, the XRF analysis revealed chloride, suggesting that the knives were in saline-rich soils, perhaps those of coastal sands.

The textiles in this exhibition are primarily from the Andean west coast of South America, and have survived for up to a millennium in part because they were buried in an arid climate,

The Ellen and Harry S. Parker III Assistant

with many retaining their vibrant colors. Conservation treat-

Curator of the Arts of the Americas

ment of these objects was kept minimal, but was necessary for their long-term preservation. Stabilization was performed as opposed to a full aesthetic treatment, as evidence of use was crucial to the historic interest of the objects. The loose or unraveling fibers were placed back into position and secured with hairlike silk threads onto a backing support fabric—a labor-intensive process.

It is important to note that only when necessary do conservators interact with an object—performing treatments or technical studies as just described—and only with the goal of ensuring the artifact’s survival for future generations to enjoy.

—Fran Baas is the Associate Conservator at the DMA.

art here, there, and everywhere

North Entrance Renovation

Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History

In July, Henry Moore’s Two

DMA staff began their first semester with the Edith

Piece Reclining Figure, No. 3 was

O’Donnell Institute of Art History, University of Texas

moved to the Museum’s

at Dallas. Dr. Sabiha Al Khemir, the DMA’s Senior Advisor

Sculpture Garden from its

for Islamic Art, serves as a professor and senior researcher

home greeting visitors at the

at the O’Donnell Institute. A seminar on Inca art will

north entrance, marking

be taught by DMA curator

the first step in the DMA’s

Dr. Kimberly L. Jones in the

renovation plans to improve the overall visitor experience.

Museum’s collection

Construction on Eagle Family Plaza, funded by a generous gift from

and special exhibition

the Eagle family of $3 million, along with $1.3 million from the

galleries. Renovations to

Hamon Charitable Foundation, is underway. Unveiling in spring

the institute’s downtown

2016, the Museum’s new entrance will include a lawn, a food kiosk,

campus, located on Level

and outdoor dining, as well as renovations to the DMA Cafe and

M2 of the Museum, are in

DMA Store.

full swing this fall.

The Bonnie Pitman Education Endowment to Do Something New Fund Beverly and Donald S. Freeman, longtime members and supporters of the DMA, including Beverly’s more than three decades as a DMA docent, honored former DMA Director Bonnie Pitman with the establishment of The Bonnie Pitman Education Endowment to Do Something New Fund, which was announced at a surprise party for Pitman in May. The $1.5 million gift will benefit the DMA’s Education Department.

“I am especially touched that the Freemans will support my practice of doing something new each day to help renew and restore my spirt, mind, and body. The Museum’s collection remains a vital part of this practice and inspires me.”

On the Road Again This fall, Gerald Murphy’s Watch will hit the road; mark your calendars to bid this work bon voyage. The painting leaves in October to be part of the Inventing American Still Life, 1800–1950 exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where DMA members can see it for free or at a discount as part of the reciprocal museums program. Watch is one of only seven remaining paintings in Murphy’s fourteen-work oeuvre, and was a gift from the artist to the Museum in gratitude for its having presented the first and only exhibition of Murphy’s paintings during his lifetime.

Donald S. Freeman, Bonnie Pitman, and Beverly Freeman

Gerald Murphy, Watch, 1925, oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, gift of the artist, 1963.75.FA, © Estate of Honoria Murphy Donnelly

capturing you

This fall we’re all about totes!

Pre-order at shopDMA.org

North Entrance Renovation In July, Henry Moore’s Two Piece Reclining Figure, No. 3 was moved to the Museum’s Sculpture Garden from its home greeting visitors at the north entrance, marking the first step in the DMA’s renovation plans to improve the overall visitor experience.

Construction on Eagle Family Plaza, funded by a generous gift from the Eagle family of $3 million, along with $1.3 million from the Hamon Charitable Foundation, is underway. Unveiling in spring 2016, the Museum’s new entrance will include a lawn, a food kiosk, and outdoor dining, as well as renovations to the DMA Cafe and DMA Store.

The Bonnie Pitman Education Endowment to Do Something New Fund Beverly and Donald S. Freeman, longtime members and supporters of the DMA, including Beverly’s more than three decades as a DMA docent, honored former DMA Director Bonnie Pitman with the establishment of The Bonnie Pitman Education Endowment to Do Something New Fund, which was announced at a surprise party for Pitman in May. The $1.5 million gift will benefit the DMA’s Education Department.

“I am especially touched that the Freemans will support my practice of doing something new each day to help renew and restore my spirt, mind, and body. The Museum’s collection remains a vital part of this practice and inspires me.”

Donald S. Freeman, Bonnie Pitman, and Beverly Freeman

store

This fall we’re all about totes!

Pre-order at shopDMA.org

Exclusive to the DMA Arriving in-store mid-October

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PLAN YOUR MUSEUM VISIT member information 214-922-1247 members@DMA.org DMA.org/members 1717 North Harwood St Dallas TX 75201

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DMA members receive free parking during Museum hours (based on availability).

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