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Reverberations: Modern and Contemporary Art from the Bank of America Collection
Samuel M. V. Hamilton Building
June 28 – September 21, 2008
Preview Party Sponsored by Bank of America: June 26, 2008, 6 - 8 p.m.
Reverberations: Modern and Contemporary Art from the Bank of America Collection
represents an unusual opportunity to see a large portion of a corporate
collection in one place. Organized by the Pennsylvania Academy of the
Fine Arts in a fruitful collaboration with Bank of America’s Art
Exhibition Program, this exhibition presents over 80 highlights from
one of the finest corporate collections in the world.
Installed in two large galleries of the Academy’s Samuel M. V.
Hamilton Building, the exhibition features major works by artists such
as Milton Avery, Jennifer Bartlett, Roger Brown, John Chamberlain,
Janet Fish, Sam Francis, Helen Frankenthaler, Sam Gilliam, Donald Judd,
John Marin, Elizabeth Murray, Louise Nevelson, Jules Olitski, Faith
Ringgold, Ed Ruscha, Miriam Shapiro, Lorna Simpson, and Frank Stella.
Organized around a theme that underscores Bank of America’s
community outreach philosophy as well as strengths of its postwar
collection, the exhibition takes “reverberations” as a
departure point. Among historically significant works in the collection
are objects that focus on intense color and geometry as an organizing
principle. This structural approach was rampant during the 1960s,
uniting artists of disparate styles and approaches. Often associated
with Minimalism or the colloquial “color field” painting,
the practice of refining and reducing, peeling away and purifying the
formal elements of artwork also affected realist painting and Pop art.
A broad selection of artists representing a wide range of philosophical
viewpoints and chronology enlivens and links the first and second floor
galleries. The enormous Fisher Brooks Gallery will be the site of
monumental works such as Frank Stella’s Damascus Gate II (1968) and Jennifer Bartlett’s multi-panel installation Swimmers
(1978). Upstairs, in the Annenberg Gallery, viewers will be treated to
more intimate works on paper, including a large selection of black,
gray and white drawings as well as vintage black and white photographs
(by Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind) to contrast with the explosive
color in the first floor installation. Here the exhibition extends back
into the early part of the twentieth-century to show antecedents and
models for sharp color. Works on paper by Stanton MacDonald-Wright and
John Marin establish this trajectory
Bank of America’s trust and generosity has allowed this
exhibition to grow from a straightforward collaboration to an
extraordinary opportunity to bring together major works by some of the
strongest and most resonant artists of the last forty years in a
dynamic dialogue that will surprise and delight viewers.
Reverberations is accompanied by a series of public programs including evening events featuring three prominent American artists:
July 9
Faith Ringgold will speak about her work
Annenberg Gallery, Hamilton Building
August 14
Sam Gilliam will speak about his work
Annenberg Gallery, Hamilton Building
September 18
An informal evening with Frank Stella
Fisher Brooks Gallery, Hamilton Building
All events begin at 6 p.m., include receptions, and feature
opportunities to view the exhibition and meet the artists. Ticket
prices for these events are: $15 non-members, $10 members, and $7 PAFA
students with ID. For more information or to RSVP call 215-972-0522 or e-mail rsvp@pafa.org.
Left: Frank Stella (born 1936), Damascus Gate II (detail), 1968, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 180 in.
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