exhibition brochure - the Heckscher Museum of Art

The Heckscher Museum of Art
December 7, 2013 - March 16, 2014
Over the past several years, The Heckscher Museum has embarked upon a
series of exhibitions that feature the Museum’s Permanent Collection. While
often incorporated into thematic exhibitions, Off the Wall represents the
Museum’s first focused presentation of its sculptural holdings. At the time
that August Heckscher, the Museum’s founder, amassed his collection in the
early years of the 20th century, sculpture commanded a growing presence in
American art, a result of exhibitions held by the National Sculpture Society
beginning in 1895, the sculptural decoration of public buildings and parks
during the City Beautiful Movement, and the creation of small bronzes for the
home by growing numbers of American foundries. Mr. Heckscher’s collection
included several significant American sculptures, as well as François Girardon’s
17th-century masterpiece The Rape of Proserpine.
The sculpture in the Museum’s collection is predominantly American, providing
an overview of sculptural practice in America. With the exception of native wood
carvers and isolated public monuments, the history of American sculpture began
in the first half of the 19th century in Italy, where Americans such as Hiram
Powers established studios, producing marble portrait busts and ideal figures
in the prevailing neoclassical style. Following the Civil War, the desire
for public monuments to honor war heroes, combined with the increasing
numbers of American artists studying in Paris, prompted a shift to bronze as
the preferred medium. In Paris, bronze production was then reinvigorated by
the lost-wax casting process, enabling artists like Daniel Chester French and
Frederick MacMonnies to produce complex groups of heightened realism and
subtle expression. Nationalistic themes, anecdotal figures from daily life, and
light-hearted, ornamental work expanded the range of subject matter beyond
didactic public figures and allegorical themes of the past.
With the advent of modernism in the 20th century, new styles and techniques
emerged, often using untraditional materials and methods. Artists like Paul
Manship integrated diverse historical influences to create a simplified style
focused on representation, while others like Walt Kuhn and Robert Laurent
achieved a reductive style through direct carving. In Europe, artists like Mary
Callery were inspired by the welded sculpture of Pablo Picasso and Julio
González, while post-World War II artists, including Ibram Lassaw, Seymour
Lipton, and others, experimented with new industrial processes and materials in
America. Later, artists like Keith Sonnier used light to explore space in a new
way, challenging our preconceptions about sculpture altogether.
LACHAISE, Gaston
Small Draped Torso (Venus), n.d.
Bronze, 6-3/4 in. high
Gift of the Baker/Pisano Collection
ROTHBORT, Samuel
The Prophet’s Ear, n.d.
Stone, 6-1/2 x 8-1/2 x 3-1/2 in.
Gift of the Baker/Pisano Collection
BELL, Enid
Untitled sculptural frieze, c. 1930-40
Plaster, mounted on board, 7 x 10 x 3-1/2 in.
Gift of the Baker/Pisano Collection
LASSAW, Ibram
Space Loom XXIII, 1971
Bronze, welded, 21 x 15-1/2 x 14-1/2 in.
Museum Purchase: Heckscher Trust Fund
SHANLEY, Dick
Untitled, 2000
Laminated birch from Finland, 78 in. high
Gift of the Artist
BERTOS, Francesco
Rape of Proserpine, n.d.
Marble, 26-1/2 x 15-3/4 x 20-3/4 in.
August Heckscher Collection
LAURENT, Robert
Woman with Flowing Hair, n.d.
Mahogany, 11 x 5-1/2 x 4-1/2 in.
Gift of the Baker/Pisano Collection
SHERBELL, Rhoda
Aaron Copland, 1976
Bonded bronze, 20-3/4 x 10 x 11 in. (including base)
Gift of Dr. Mark Weinstein and Susan Honig Weinstein
CALLERY, Mary
Gate, 1963-64
Brass, 10-3/4 x 36 x 8-5/8 in.
Gift of the Estate of Mary Callery
LIPTON, Seymour
Untitled, 1955
Crayon on paper, 11 x 8-1/2 in.
Gift of the Artist
SLOBODKINA, Esphyr
The Typewriter Bird, 1960-61
Mixed media construction, 17-1/2 x 15-1/2 x 17-1/2 in.
Gift of the Artist
CALLERY, Mary
Tree, n.d.
Brass, 37-1/4 x 19 x 22-7/8 in.
Gift of the Estate of Mary Callery
LIPTON, Seymour
Untitled drawing, 1961
Charcoal on paper, 8-1/2 x 11 in.
Gift of Michael and Bernadette Lipton
SLOBODKINA, Esphyr
East River, 1985
Mixed media construction, 18-1/2 x 17-1/2 x 6 in.
Gift of the Artist
CARO, Anthony
Table Piece CCLXXXIV, 1974-76
Steel, rusted and varnished
17-3/4 x 60 x 17-1/8 in.
Gift of Mr. Seymoure Samuels
LIPTON, Seymour
Untitled drawing, 1975
Charcoal on paper, 11 x 8-1/2 in.
Gift of Michael and Bernadette Lipton
SONNIER, Keith
Scraper I, 1989
Aluminium, neon tubing and ballast, 32-1/2 x 40 x 8 in.
Gift of Mrs. Deborah Davidson in memory of Al Davidson
LIPTON, Seymour
Study for Bell Tower, 1976
Crayon on paper, 11 x 8-1/2 in.
Gift of the Artist
STEBBINS, Emma
Commerce, 1860
Marble, 23-7/8 x 10-1/2 x 10-1/4 in.
Gift of Phillip M. Lydig III
MacMONNIES, Frederick William
Pan of Rohallion, 1890
Bronze, 14-7/8 x 6 x 4-5/8 in.
Gift of the Baker/Pisano Collection
STEBBINS, Emma
Industry, 1860
Marble, 28 x 10-5/8 x 11 in.
Gift of Phillip M. Lydig III
MAN RAY
La Fortune III, 1946/1973
Assemblage of wood, two springs, roulette wheel
and toilet paper, 18-3/4 x 7-3/4 x 5-3/4 in.
Gift of Linda Hyman Fine Arts, New York
STRONG-CUEVAS, Elizabeth
“Jazz,” Lightning I, 1992
Bronze with antique black patina, high-polish
stainless steel, and hand-blown glass marble eye
26-1/2 x 11 x 10 in.
Estate of Arthur Byron Phillips
CONNELLY, Pierce Francis
Kate Annette Smith Wetherill, 1881
Marble, 21-7/8 x 20-3/4 x 13-3/4 in.
Gift of Miss Kate C. Lefferts and
Isabella Lefferts Edwards
CONSTANTINO, Joe
Guggenheim with Calder, 2009
(from 1993 negative)
Black and white negative scanned and printed
digitally using Photoshop. Archival pigment
inks on Ilford Gallerie paper, 12-15/16 x 19 in.
Gift of the Artist
CRONBACH, Robert
Industry, 1938
Carved plaster, 18-1/4 x 11 x 9 in.
Gift of the artist
DALLIN, Cyrus Edwin
Signal of Peace, 1890
Bronze, cast, 48-1/2 x 28-1/4 x 8-3/4 in.
August Heckscher Collection
DEHNER, Dorothy
Landscape, 1976
Bronze, 11-3/4 x 22 x 9-5/8 in.
Gift of the Dorothy Dehner Foundation
for the Visual Arts, Inc.
DE LUE, Donald Harcourt
Leda and the Swan, n.d.
Bronze, 8 x 11-1/2 x 5-1/4 in.
Gift of David Findlay Jr. Fine Art, New York
DIEDERICH, (Wilhelm) Hunt
Table with Hounds, n.d.
Metal, glass, 29 x 22 x 22 in.
Gift of the Baker/Pisano Collection
EVANS, Rudolph
Portrait of Maude Adams, c. 1906
Bronze, cast, 6 x 5-1/8 x 5-1/4 in.
Gift of the Baker/Pisano Collection
FRENCH, Daniel Chester
Seated Lincoln, 1916 (cast 1924-25)
Bronze, cast, 32-1/8 x 25 x 27-1/4 in.
August Heckscher Collection
GIRARDON, François
The Rape of Proserpine, 1693
Bronze, cast, 42-5/8 x 21-1/4 x 20 in.
August Heckscher Collection
GROOMS, Red
Picasso, 1997
Three-dimensional color lithograph on Rives BFK paper
21 x 22 x 12-1/4 in.
Museum Purchase
JAFFEE, N. Jay
Chariot of Victory, 1953 (printed 1979)
Silver gelatin print, 9-5/8 x 8-7/8 in.
Gift of Ms. Paula W. Hackeling
KING, William
Adam and Eve, 1996
Brushed stainless steel, 39-1/4 x 10-1/4 x 7-3/4 in.
Gift of Mr. Marcel Bally
KUHN, Walt
Dancing Figure, n.d.
Painted wood, 7 x 3 x 1-1/4 in.
Gift of the Baker/Pisano Collection
MANSHIP, Paul
Candelabrum (Boy with pipes and Pekinese dogs), 1931
Gilded bronze with marble bun feet
80 x 19 x 18 in.
Gift of the Baker/Pisano Collection
MANSHIP, Paul
Candelabrum (Seated nymph with Persian cats), 1931
Gilded bronze with marble bun feet
80 x 19 x 18 in.
Gift of the Baker/Pisano Collection
MARKOV-GRINBERG, Mark
Statue of a woman with oar in the moonlight,
Park of Culture and Recreation, Moscow, 1930
Ferrotyped silver gelatin print, 22-1/16 x 15 in.
Gift of Doug and Joan Hansen
from the
Permanent
Collection
Studio of THOMIRE, Pierre-Philippe
Birdnesters: Girl, c. 1823
Bronze, cast, 33 x 14 x 12 in.
Gift of Satinover Galleries
TROUBETZKOY, Paul
Two Women, 1915
Bronze, 10-5/8 in. high
Gift of the Baker/Pisano Collection
VAN LOEN, Alfred
Anguish, 1968-76
Lignum vitae with green serpentine marble base
54 x 8 x 9 in., 20 in. base
Museum Purchase with a gift from the
Daniel and Joanna S. Rose Fund, Inc.
MYERS, Ethel
Upper Corridor, c. 1913
Glazed ceramic, 10-3/8 in. high
Museum Purchase
VEDDER, Elihu
Portrait Bas Relief, 1892
Silvered bronze, 6-1/4 x 5-3/4 in.
Gift of the Baker/Pisano Collection
NADELMAN, Elie
Standing Female Nude, n.d.
Papier mache, 11-1/2 in. high
Gift of the Baker/Pisano Collection
WHITE, Robert Winthrop
Fairfield Porter, 1970
Bronze, cast, 12-1/2 x 7-5/8 x 9-1/4 in.
Museum Purchase
PARSONS, Betty
Tugboat, n.d.
Wood and acrylic paint, 8 x 20-1/2 x 2-3/4 in.
Gift of Evelyn N. DeMyer
WHITNEY, Gertrude Vanderbilt
Titanic Head, 1914
Bronze, 4-3/8 in. high
Gift of the Baker/Pisano Collection
POWERS, Hiram
George Washington, 1849
Marble, 31-3/8 x 23-7/8 x 14-3/4 in.
August Heckscher Collection
WRIGHT, Alice Morgan
Dryad (Wood Nymph), 1912
Bronze, 8-1/2 x 2-1/2 x 1-1/2 in.
Gift of the Baker/Pisano Collection
ROGERS, John
The Favored Scholar, 1873
Painted plaster, 21 x 16 x 11-1/2 in.
Gift of Hersh and Fern Cohen
ZORACH, William
Cat Standing with Long Tail, c. 1927
Bronze, 13-3/4 x 6-1/4 x 8-1/2 in.
Gift of the Baker/Pisano Collection
Cover: François Girardon, The Rape of Proserpine, 1693.
ROSENTHAL, Tony
Tidelune, 1973
Bronze, sheet construction, 18 x 6-1/2 x 6-1/2 in.
Museum Purchase: Heckscher Trust Fund
This brochure is underwritten by the Lachlan P. Braden Memorial Fund.
Sculpture
Studio of THOMIRE, Pierre-Philippe
Birdnesters: Boy, c. 1823
Bronze, cast, 32-1/8 x 12-1/4 x 13-1/2 in.
Gift of Satinover Galleries
MOORE, Henry
Elephant Skull Portfolio Pl. XXVII, 1970
Etching on paper, 13-1/2 x 9-3/4 in.
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Sol Orlinsky
ROGERS, John
Checkers up at the Farm, 1875
Painted plaster, 20-1/2 x 17-1/2 x 13 in.
Gift of Hersh and Fern Cohen
OF F TH E
WA LL
N. Jay Jaffee, Chariot of Victory, 1953 (printed 1979) © N. Jay Jaffee.
Sculpture from the Permanent Collection
E X HI BI TI O N C H EC K LI ST
2 Prime Avenue
Huntington, NY 11743
www.heckscher.org
Enid Bell, Untitled sculptural frieze, c. 1930-40.
OF F TH E WA LL
BARTLETT, Paul Wayland
Bohemian Bear Tamer, 1887
Bronze, cast, 27-1/2 x 13-1/4 x 16-1/2 in.
August Heckscher Collection
C AST I N G
Sculptures that are cast are produced in a material that is melted down—such as
bronze, brass, silver, or gold—and then poured into a mold. Initially, the artist
creates a full-size model of the sculpture in wax, plaster or clay. The model is then
encased in plaster or another substance, resulting in the creation of a mold. From this
mold, a core mold may also be produced. The core and exterior molds are held in
place by pins and through a system of sprues, the molten metal is poured into the
mold. Once cooled, the molds are broken away, revealing a metal version of the
original model. Because the artist creates, or models, the original composition from
the inside out, casting is an additive process. Like other industrial processes, it
allows the creation of multiple casts of a single work. Many artists also produce
reductions of their most popular works.
A S SE M B L A GE
Assemblage is the combination of found objects, often of a non-art nature, to
construct a unique three-dimensional composition. In direct opposition to the
traditional techniques of carving and casting, the process of assemblage often results
in a raw, unrefined art object. Although there are earlier examples of mixed-media
artworks, particularly in the decorative arts, assemblage—and its two-dimensional
manifestation, collage—are art forms that developed in the early 20th century.
Rooted in the experimental work of artists like Pablo Picasso and Dadaists such as
Marcel Duchamp and Man Ray, assemblage and collage challenge “high” art ideals
by using lowbrow, non-art, and industrial materials. The term assemblage gained
popularity with The Art of Assemblage exhibition held at the Museum of Modern Art,
NY, in 1961. Ready-mades by Marcel Duchamp, boxed constructions by Joseph
Cornell, and compressed automobile
bodies by César were shown along
with sculptures and collages by a
wide range of artists that indicated
the prevalence of these techniques
in 20th century art. Assemblage is
an additive process.
Assemblage challenges
“high” art ideals by using
lowbrow, non-art, and
industrial materials.
C ARV ING
Carving is the process of cutting a form in stone, wood, or another hard medium
using a chisel or other carving tool. To begin, the artist removes large portions
of the material to create a rough form and then smaller pieces to reveal a
defined shape and intricate details. Carving is a subtractive process whereby
material is systematically eliminated from the outside in. Two methods of
carving are practiced by artists—indirect and direct. In the indirect carving
process, the artist first creates a clay model, from which a plaster cast is made.
The sculpture is transferred into its final medium by a technique called “pointing,”
which maps out the proportions of the work using reference “points” on the
plaster cast. With direct carving, the artist carves without the use of preliminary
sketches or models. Many of Michelangelo’s works were directly carved, although
later artists relied on studio assistants and marble carvers to execute their work.
In the early years of the 20th century, direct carving experienced a resurgence
in response to non-Western sources of inspiration, particularly carved African
figures and masks.
Emma Stebbins, Commerce, 1860 (left); Robert Cronbach, Industry, 1938 (top right); Walt Kuhn, Dancing Figure, n.d. (bottom right).
W E LD I N G
Welding is a process in which an object is created using various techniques
involving heat to join materials, usually metal. Picasso and Julio González first
experimented with welding in the late-1920s, adapting industrial processes to
create assemblages of sheet iron and other metals. Their modern methods
inspired many artists, including the American sculptor David Smith, whose
welded open-form works exerted significant influence on post-World War II
sculptural practice in Europe and America. Welding processes lend themselves
to the creation of large, site-specific installations.
John Rogers, Checkers up at the Farm, 1875 (top left); Gaston Lachaise, Small Draped Torso (Venus), n.d. (bottom left);
Frederick William MacMonnies, Pan of Rohallion, 1890 (right).
Esphyr Slobodkina, The Typewriter Bird, 1960-61 (top); Betty Parsons, Tugboat, n.d. (bottom).
Ibram Lassaw, Space Loom XXIII, 1971 (top left); Mary Callery, Tree, n.d. (top right); Dorothy Dehner, Landscape, 1976 (bottom).