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MARCH 2015
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Museum of Art Receives Major Gift of Sol LeWitt Sculpture
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of the tortured artist, pouring his soul into a work fashioned by his own hands, much in the spirit of Jackson Pollock and other abstract expressionist painters). The approach LeWitt and other artists of his generation embraced revolutionized the very nature of sculpture, from object-monument to forms or systems within a space. In his Sentences on Conceptual Art, published in 1969, LeWitt wrote: “When words such as painting and sculpture are used, they connote a whole tradition and imply a consequent acceptance of this tradition, thus placing limitations on the artist who would be reluctant to make art that goes beyond the limitations.”
he Museum of Art proudly announces the gift of Sol LeWitt’s sculpture, Wall Piece #2, Cube Structure Based on Nine Modules, 1976, donated from the Feibes & Schmitt Collection, Schenectady. This is one of the most important gifts of art in the Museum’s history from long-time collectors and friends of the Institute. The Museum’s collection is rich in paintings and very strong in 20th-century art to about 1960, while the major movements of the 1960s and 1970s are less well represented. LeWitt, whose work was not previously in the Museum’s holdings, was highly influential in his minimal, conceptual approach to artmaking. He believed the artist’s concept for a work of art was its creative expression. His instructions or plans for a work’s production could be sent to a fabricator for realization (this is diametrically opposed to the romantic view
Sol LeWitt, American (1928-2007), Wall Piece #2, Cube Structure Based on Nine Modules, 1976, white painted wood, 43 1/4 x 43 1/4 x 43 1/4 in., Gift of the Feibes & Schmitt Collection, 2014.25
The Museum of Art is substantially enriched by this important work of art, and the Institute thanks the Feibes & Schmitt Collection for this remarkably generous gift.
Works by Local Artists Abound in the Museum Shop
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here is a vast abundance of artistic talent in Central New York and the Museum Shop is the premier spot for products by local artists. Local children's writer Mary Ashwood and internationally exhibited artist Richard Saba have added another book to the Shop's collection. A Week at Grandma's is a comical en-
Think Green for St. Patrick's Day and The First Day of Spring! Friday, March 13 through Sunday, March 29 Purchase a minimum of $20 of non-sale merchandise at the Museum Shop and receive a free green MWPAI sand pail with shovel.
counter between color-loving Amani and her bird-loving grandmother. In this delightful early reader picture book, young children enjoy the colorful antics of Amani while learning the days of the week, common city birds, and how color works. Also in the Museum Shop by Ashwood and Saba is September Song, a collaboration of poetry and abstract prints. Of the book, one reviewer said, "I was so stunned by the level of art and beauty that these two combined in their perfectly designed book."
Abandoned Art Sale-Friday Night March 27 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Great pricing on merchandise long-abandoned by artists at the Museum Shop.
Museum Shop Hours Tuesday through Thursday, Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Monet to Matisse The Age of French Impressionism
Opens May 16 Claude Monet (French, 1840-1926), Port of Dieppe, Evening , 1882, oil on canvas, 23 x 28 3/8 inches. Collection of the Dixon Gallery and Gardens;