Generation Paper: Fast Fashion of the 1960s explores the whimsical and experimental trend of paper garments.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
During the 1960s, paper dresses took the world by storm, when Scott Paper Company launched an ingenious marketing campaign—an early forerunner of viral marketing strategies—to promote “Dura-Weve,” the textile featured in their new disposable tableware line. With the idea that paper dresses were the future, other companies like Mars of Ashev

EXHIBITION SPONSORS
Generation Paper: Fast Fashion of the 1960s is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and made possible through the generosity of Arizona Costume Institute, The Ellman Foundation, and Stephen and Gail Rineberg, with additional support from the Museum’s Circles of Support and Museum Members.

Farewell Photography: The Hitachi Collection of Postwar Japanese Photographs, 1961-1989 explores the radical reconsideration of the photographic medium in post-World War II Japan through outstanding works from the Center for Creative Photography.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
In the decades following World War II, as Japan recovered from the devastation wrought by the global conflict, numerous Japanese photographers undertook an aggressive reassessment of the photographic medium. Emerging from the lingering shadow of U.S. military occupation (1945-1952), these new non-conformists broke from photojournalism’s norms of objective description and instead adopted a radically expressive, subjective, and critical approach: are-bure-boke (literally translated to “rough, blurred, and out-of-focus”). The aesthetic responded to the realities of a rapidly changing, modernizing, and Westernizing Japan and questioned traditional associations of photography with truth, patriotism, and complacency.

In 1988 and 1990, through grants from the Hitachi Corporation, the Center for Creative Photography (CCP) acquired 87 works by 19 contemporary Japanese photographers who promoted are-bure-boke and played integral roles in shaping Japanese photography of the postwar period. Farewell Photography: The Hitachi Collection of Postwar Japanese Photographs, 1961-1989 displays all 87 of these prints from CCP’s collection together for the first time since they were acquired.

Featured works include gritty, starkly contrasted, black-and-white photographs from Daido Moriyama’s seminal 1972 photobook, Farewell Photography, which announced photography’s departure from the medium’s previous commitments to propriety, stillness, and objective fact-rendering. Additional artists showcased throughout the exhibition include Masahisa Fukase, Shomei Tomatsu, Miyako Ishiuchi, Eikoh Hosoe, and others.

EXHIBITION SPONSORS
Farewell Photography: The Hitachi Collection of Postwar Japanese Photographs, 1961-1989 is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and the Center for Creative Photography. It is made possible through the generosity of the John R. and Doris Norton Center for Creative Photography Endowment Fund, with additional support from the Museum’s Circles of Support and Museum Members.

Legacy of Ceylon: Art and Photography of Sri Lanka explores 1,000 years of the island nation’s history through rare and never-before-exhibited works of art.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITIOn
Sri Lanka, an island nation located 40 miles off the southeastern coast of India in the Bay of Bengal, has a deep history spanning more than 3,000 years, with a culture that was influenced by nearly every major human civilization and dominant world power, including the Persian Empire, Ancient Greece, Rome, and the European world. Known for more than 100 years by its British colonial name, Ceylon, Sri Lanka gained its independence in 1948.

With more than 50 objects spanning 1,000 years, Legacy of Ceylon: Art and Photography of Sri Lanka provides an unparalleled opportunity for U.S. audiences to experience a selection of rare and outstanding Sri Lankan artworks, many of which have never been publicly exhibited. Viewers will discover the influence of Buddhist and European traditions on the nation’s art history, while gaining particular insight into bronze-casting techniques through small, technically refined sculptures and bronze pieces that weigh more than 50 lbs. Featured works date to as early as the sixth century. The majority, however, span the 16th and 19th centuries, the height of the nation’s colonial period when the island was colonized first by the Portuguese, then by the Dutch, and finally by the British. Collectively, this wide range of works offers deep insight into pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial life on the island.

Legacy of Ceylon: Art and Photography of Sri Lanka will also feature original black-and-white photographs by Quintus Fernando, PhD, who passed away in 2004. These photographs were only discovered within the past decade and were likely taken just prior to the Fernando family’s emigration. This exhibition represents the first time these works will be exhibited to the public. Capturing images of not just Buddhist ruins and other iconic locations, the photographs depict simple, everyday slices of life in mid-20th century Sri Lanka, including scenes of fishermen, village women gathering water, and other moments of rural activity. These photographs, featured alongside works of historical significance, document the transition of a nation and a people exploring the potential of hard-earned independence.

Landscapes of Extraction: The Art of Mining in the American West explores the evolution of the art of mining, with works from the 1910s through today that depict regional landscapes of enterprise and examine how mining has altered the natural environment on a spectacular scale.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Throughout modern history, the mining industry has transformed the American West, competing with the scenic landscape on its own terms. In the first half of the 20th century, large-scale and open pit mines across Arizona, California, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah dramatically altered the natural environment and dictated the lives of those who worked in them, with cyclical booms that provided employment for generations of families and economic crashes that often left ghost towns and mass unemployment in their wake.

In the Copper State, mining has been fundamental to Arizona’s regional identity since the time of statehood in 1912, when an economy built around the five C’s—cattle, cotton, citrus, climate, and copper—began to take shape. In fact, mining, ranching, agriculture, and tourism still significantly define Arizona’s cultural identity, even today.

Over the decades, mining has continued to shape natural landscapes across the western United States, creating striking views in their own right. However, public knowledge on the destructive environmental and health effects of mining, as well as its massive impact on social, economic, and political systems, has increased, revealing the vexed legacy of the industry.

Through more than 80 paintings, prints, and sculptures, Landscapes of Extraction: The Art of Mining in the American West explores the modern evolution of mining imagery from the 1910s to the present. The exhibition begins with works from the early- to mid-20th century, when artists portrayed regional themes and industries in their work, inspired, in part, by New Deal programs during the 1930s and early 1940s. These paintings showcase images of open pit mines and coal tipples, the towns that grew up around mines and were abandoned when they closed, and the miners and their families who lived, worked, and toiled in those environments.

Contemporary works created into the 2010s stand in contrast by demonstrating how artists have, over time, become more attuned to the monumental impact that humans, technology, mining, and other industries have on the natural world, with a number examining the ongoing legacy of pollution specifically.

Altogether, Landscapes of Extraction offers a panoramic view of the art of mining in the American West from the past century, illuminating how artists have long been fascinated with interpreting and conveying mining scenes.

EXHIBITION SPONSORS
Landscapes of Extraction: The Art of Mining in the American West is organized by Phoenix Art Museum. It is made possible through the generosity of National Endowment for the Humanities, Men’s Arts Council, Freeport-McMoRan Foundation, Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Exhibition Endowment Fund, KJZZ, and Ironwood Cancer & Research Centers, with additional support from the Museum’s Circles of Support and Museum Members.

Fearless Fashion: Rudi Gernreich presents more than 80 gender-fluid, body-positive designs by a ’60s-mod legend who revolutionized perceptions of beauty, gender, and identity.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Through more than 80 ensembles and a collection of original sketches, letters, personal papers, photographs, press clippings, and newly filmed oral histories, Fearless Fashion: Rudi Gernreich explores the significant social and cultural impact of the work of Rudolph “Rudi” Gernreich (1922–1985), the acclaimed designer best known for innovative and body-positive creations such as the “monokini” topless swimsuit, the thong, unisex clothing, and pantsuits for women. Organized by the Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles, the major fashion exhibition provides a broader understanding of the late designer’s life and how his work continues to influence fashion trends and current notions of beauty, gender, and identity.

Born in 1922 in Vienna, Austria, Gernreich, who was Jewish, fled Nazi oppression as a teen and immigrated to Los Angeles, where he continued to face discrimination. He eventually found safe haven in the performing arts community and the gay rights movement, which drove him to seek social change and promote a truer expression of self through fashion design. Gerneich was propelled to fame when he launched his “monokini” design. Throughout his career, he continued to create trailblazing designs that illustrated his dedication to inclusivity, non-conformity, and liberation.

Fearless Fashion is organized into seven sections that, together, chronicle Gernreich’s rise to prominence and underscore how his designs revolutionized the understanding of beauty in the fashion industry.

BECOMING RUDI GERNREICH
Becoming Rudi Gernreich follows the designer from his childhood in Vienna through his immigration to the United States in 1938. Visitors learn about Gernreich’s early experiences in Los Angeles, including his participation in the interracial Lester Horton Dance Theatre and his role as the second founding member of gay rights organization the Mattachine Society. This portion of the exhibition also highlights his first jobs in the fashion industry.

DANCE AND THEATER
Dance and Theater illuminates Gernreich’s interest in freedom of movement through the Swan and Duotard costumes he created for the Bella Lewitzky Dance Company performance Inscape. This section also features other theatrically inspired ensembles from throughout the designer’s career.

MINIS, MODS AND PANTSUITS
Minis, Mods and Pantsuits focuses on the 1960s and 1970s, exploring Gernreich’s support for second-wave feminism. Featured garments, such as the mod “micro-mini” skirt and the pantsuit for women—including his “Marlene Dietrich” and “George Sand” ensembles—challenged ideas of how women should dress and present themselves.

SWIMSUITS AND UNDERGARMENTS
Swimsuits and Undergarments showcases Gernreich’s knit bathing suits, the wireless “no-bra” bra, thong underwear, and the topless “monokini.” These garments, many of which remain staples of contemporary fashion, exemplify how Gernreich prioritized functionality and comfort in his designs.

YOUTH CULTURE AND POLITICS
Youth Culture and Politics explores Gernreich’s military-inspired collection created in response to the crises of his time, particularly student protests, growing racial tensions in the United States, and armed conflicts around the world such as the Vietnam War.

UNISEX SOLIDARITY
Unisex Solidarity features the designer’s Unisex Collection of 1970, in which he stripped away gender markers and presented garments such as caftans that could be worn interchangeably by any person.

EXPERIMENTAL FASHION AND LEGACY
Finally, Experimental Fashion and Legacy illustrates how Gernreich’s cutting-edge use of sheer fabrics, leather, vinyl, dog leashes as belts, exposed zippers, and metal springs continues to influence mainstream fashion.

CONCEPT TO RACK
Fearless Fashion also showcases a whimsical environment titled Concept to Rack that examines the relationship between Gernreich, model and muse Peggy Moffitt, and various retailers, including LA’s Jax Boutique, for which he designed activewear. Visitors additionally enjoy newly filmed oral histories of several of Gernreich’s colleagues and friends, such as modern dancer Don Martin, fashion designer Renee Firestone, and models Barbara Flood and Léon Bing, as well as media stations that play historical footage of Gernreich fashion shows and Basic Black, widely regarded as the first fashion video and featuring Gernreich, Moffitt, and hair stylist Vidal Sassoon.

EXHIBITION SPONSORS
Fearless Fashion: Rudi Gernreich is organized by the Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles. Its premiere at Phoenix Art Museum is made possible through the generosity of the Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion Design Endowment, The Virginia M. Ullman Foundation, Lee and Mike Cohn, and The Arizona Republic | azcentral, with additional support from Arizona Costume Institute, and the Museum’s Circles of Support and Museum Members.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
In traditional Japan, palaces and castles were designed with large interior spaces that could be divided as needed with large, movable, folding screens. Made with wooden framework covered with paper, screens were both functional and decorative. Artists from different schools of painting were commissioned to paint subtle landscapes or colorful processional and festive scenes that flowed across both screens in a pair. These images often evoked a particular season or celebration.

Like these traditional screens, modern Japanese ceramics are created to be functional, decorative, or both. Some works such as water vessels and tea bowls are created for use in tea ceremonies, whereas others are purely sculptural. Many works are deliberately rustic or asymmetrical, reflecting an aesthetic preference for the imperfect and organic rather than the refined and precise. Since the end of World War II, both women and men in modern Japan are trained in art schools and studios to create ceramics such as these.

Splendid Visions: Gifts from the Robert and Amy Clague Collections features examples of Chinese cloisonné and bronzes, Chinese textiles, Hindu and Buddhist manuscript covers, and more donated to Phoenix Art Museum by the Clague family.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Throughout its 60-year history, Phoenix Art Museum has developed a distinctive collection of Asian art through gifts from local collectors, whose legacy of generosity benefits visitors of all ages and will do so for generations to come. This spirit of visionary philanthropy characterized Robert and Amy Clague, both of whom passed away in 1995 and 2020, respectively. Although their individual interests varied, the Clagues each assembled collections that earned international acclaim for the Museum. Robert Clague collected Chinese cloisonné and, later, Chinese bronzes, while Amy Clague collected Chinese and Southeast Asian textiles, as well as Hindu and Buddhist manuscript covers. Through their unique interests, the Clagues inspired each other to seek works of art that depict life experiences different from their own, with compositions rich in cultural meaning and religious symbolism. Most importantly, they shared a vision of Phoenix Art Museum as a place in which all people might learn about the peoples and cultures of Asia.

Featuring works by the recipients of the 2019 Arlene and Morton Scult Artist Award and the Phoenix Art Museum Artists’ Grants, Ann Morton: The Violet Protest and the 2019 Phoenix Art Museum Artists’ Grants Recipients exhibition explore political divides in the United States, the power of collaboration, identity, memory and perception, and communication and technology.
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Ann Morton: The Violet Protest
Ann Morton: The Violet Protest showcases the latest collaborative art project by Ann Morton, the recipient of the 2019 Arlene and Morton Scult Artist Award whose work exploits traditional fiber techniques as conceptual tools for aesthetic, social communication to examine a society of which we are all a part—as bystanders, participants, victims, and perpetrators. Entitled The Violet Protest, the large-scale installation seeks to unite makers of varying political ideologies and encourage bipartisan collaboration. Similar to the artist’s previous public interventions, including the award-winning Ground Cover (2013), the work reflects both Morton’s handwork and that of other makers.

In January 2020, Morton announced an open call for textile artists and makers across the United States and Puerto Rico, asking them to participate in The Violet Protest by creating 8” x 8” square textile units that use equal parts of red and blue materials, symbolizing the union of opposing U.S. political ideologies. More than 1,500 makers from across North America, including all 50 U.S. states and British Columbia and Alberta in Canada, responded, providing more than 10,000 squares that Morton has used to create stacks shaped like the letters “U” and “S.” In this configuration, the red and blue of the textile units blend to create the overall impression of the color violet, with additional squares displayed along gallery walls to ensure every maker who participated is represented. Morton will continue to accept squares up to August 1, 2021, and these final submissions will be added to letter stacks and gallery walls over the run of the exhibition, providing viewers with the opportunity to see the work grow.

After Morton’s exhibition at Phoenix Art Museum closes on September 5, 2021, the artist will disassemble The Violet Protest and send squares from the installation to all U.S. Senators and Representatives, accompanied by a photo of the full work and a letter calling for elected officials to come together, prioritize the representation of their diverse constituencies, and reject political divisiveness.

Stories of Abstraction: Contemporary Latin American Art in the Global Context presents rarely seen artworks by some of Latin America’s most innovative contemporary artists to uncover how abstraction can be used to generate new narratives, insightful social commentary, and even political change.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Showcasing more than 40 recently acquired works of contemporary Latin American art alongside 30 works by American and European artists, Stories of Abstraction: Contemporary Latin American Art in the Global Context explores how the visual language of abstraction has generated profound insights into Latin American culture and politics and how Latin American artists have drawn on abstraction’s parallel history in the United States and Europe.

The exhibition includes contemporary Latin American artworks from Venezuela, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, Honduras, and Guatemala by 25 of the most innovative artists working in Latin America in recent years and today, including seven women artists. These works were recently gifted to Phoenix Art Museum by Nicholas Pardon, cofounder of the former SPACE Collection—the largest collection of post-1990s abstract Latin American art in the United States.
IMAGE CREDIT

Miguel Ángel Ríos, Critica Post-colonial #13 (Post-Colonia Criticism #13), 1993. Pleated paper and push pins. Gift of Nicholas Pardon. Image courtesy of Nicholas Pardon.

By providing an overview of post-1990s abstraction from various geographies in Latin America, Stories of Abstraction illuminates how contemporary Latin American artists use abstract art to convey specific emotions, stories, and ideas related to key social issues. Featured works also address the ways in which artwork lacking figuration or recognizable characters can generate new narratives, insightful commentary, and even political change.

To historically contextualize these contemporary Latin American works, Stories of Abstraction incorporates those by artists of an earlier generation from the United States, the Americas, and Europe, such as Alexander Calder, Pedro Friedeberg, Agnes Martin, Carlos Mérida, Hélio Oiticica, Frank Stella, Bridget Riley, and Jesús Rafael Soto, to highlight their influence on post-1990 Latin American abstractionists and to underscore that abstraction in Latin America didn’t develop independently; rather its genesis is inextricably tied to the region’s history of colonialism. The exhibition’s artworks by contemporary U.S. artists working in abstraction, including those based in Phoenix, further address how abstraction continues to develop and unfold in a global context.

You Are in Cowboy Country sheds light on the stories of those whose influence is often excluded from the history of the American West, including Mexican vaqueros, all-Black U.S. military regiments, Navajo cowboys, and cowgirls.
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The white cowboy is a celebrated icon in American popular culture and art. In reality, cowboys and cowgirls of different races and nationalities have contributed significantly to the history of the West. Their stories are not often represented.

As white settlers expanded west, they met Mexican vaqueros tending to ranches and adopted their dress, terminology, and techniques for handling horses. Among these new settlers were also formerly enslaved people in search of opportunity. Some came as Buffalo Soldiers, members of all-Black U.S. military regiments who also built roads, captured cattle thieves, and were among the first park rangers.

African Americans not in the military made their own name on the frontier. Bill Pickett invented bulldogging, now known as steer wrestling, and Bass Reeves, deputy U.S. Marshal, may have been the inspiration for the Lone Ranger.

Among Indigenous peoples living in the West, Navajo cowboy heritage is rooted in 19th-century competitive horse racing and wild cow riding from which rodeos developed. Today, the Navajo Nation Rodeo Association is one of several modern organizations established to handle the steady expansion of this competitive sport among Native Americans.

Less recognized than their male contemporaries, cowgirls were among America’s first female professional athletes. They played integral parts in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show. As skilled horsewomen and rodeo competitors, they often performed dangerous stunts and were accomplished ropers, trick riders, and steer wrestlers.

You Are in Cowboy Country sheds light on the influences of these underrepresented communities through works drawn exclusively from the American art collection of Phoenix Art Museum.

Seeking Immortality: Ancient Artifacts features ceramics and other objects from China, Japan, and Korea meant to accompany the dead into the afterlife.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Across the world, the question of how to bury the deceased is an important issue. Concerns with an afterlife and immortality have resulted in troves of artifacts that verify some of these beliefs in other times and places.

In Asia, deliberate mummification did not occur. The deceased were interred in tombs that reflected their status in this life and provided them with all that they might need in the next life, including protection from malevolent spirits. Some objects were used every day, whereas others were created specifically for burial. Often, pottery figures were substitutes for the burial of living servants and animals.

EXHIBITION SPONSORS
Seeking Immortality: Ancient Artifacts is organized by Phoenix Art Museum. It is made possible, in part, through the generosity of the Museum’s Circles of Support and Museum Members and features objects donated to the Phoenix Art Museum collection by Gail and Stephen Rineberg, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew B. and Wankyun R. Kim, Richard J. Faletti, and Drs. Thomas and Martha Carter, and purchased with funds provided by Asian Arts Council.

Emily Eden: Portraits of the Princes and Peoples of India offers a view of 19th-century India through the eyes of British novelist and artist Emily Eden.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Through more than 20 hand-painted lithographs on loan to the Museum from The Khanuja Family Collection, Emily Eden: Portraits of the Princes and Peoples of India offers a view of 19th-century India through the eyes of British novelist and artist Emily Eden. Eden traveled to India in 1836 with her brother, Lord Auckland, who served as Governor-General of India from 1836–42 and whose status provided Eden with unusual access to Indian royalty and the country’s remote regions. She documented her travels through both extensive letters, which she later published as a travel book, and detailed sketches, which she had privately printed as a set of lithographs upon her return to England in 1842. These works depict a range of subjects, from maharajas and servants, to camel drivers and the Sikh rulers of the Punjab, in exquisite detail through the eyes of an outsider.
IMAGE CREDIT

Sweet Land of Funk explores the individualism and self-expression of the Funk art style and how Funk artists visually responded to contemporary upheavals in politics, society, and art.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Beginning in the mid-1950s, a social movement evolved from the bohemian underground cultures of San Francisco and New York. Known as the Beat Generation, these young poets, writers, musicians, and artists rejected the conservative conventions of postwar America. They often met in coffee shops and bars to exchange ideas about Zen philosophy, existentialism, and life’s deeper mysteries.
IMAGE CREDIT

By the 1960s, the Beat Generation of San Francisco merged a range of musical, literary, and performative elements together that evolved into an early period of Funk art. Drawn exclusively from the collection of Phoenix Art Museum, the works on view in Sweet Land of Funk capture the individualism and self-expression of the Funk art style and highlight a range of movements from the Bay Area between 1945 and 1980, including Abstract Expressionism, Bay Area Figuration, and Dude Ranch Dada.
IMAGE CREDIT

In a 1967 article from Art in America, Harold Paris used the phrase “Sweet Land of Funk” to describe the distinction between the “funky” art of the Beat Generation and the Funk art style that emerged in the 1960s. With an emphasis on personal expression, humor, and wit, funk artists used a myriad of strategies to visually respond to the contemporary upheavals in politics, society, and art. Artists such as Jay DeFeo, Wallace Berman, Wally Hedrick, and Deborah Remington broke down traditional barriers of accepted art forms and used unconventional materials to explore the Bay Area’s underground aesthetic. Artists such as Manuel Neri, Joan Brown, William T. Wiley, and Robert Arneson focused on process to emphasize the absurdity and the unrefined aspects of life.

Spanning from the mid-1940s to the late 1990s, Color Vibrations presents an overview of abstract painting and printmaking that takes into account the artist’s various perspectives—personal, political, and philosophical.

Artist Arshile Gorky described abstraction as a way for individuals to see with their mind rather than their eyes. The process of translating the world into geometric shapes and gestural markings is different for every artist. Spanning from the mid-1940s to the late 1990s, Color Vibrations presents an overview of abstract painting that takes into account the artist’s various perspectives—personal, political, and philosophical.

Mirroring the way we flow through different emotional states, the installation reflects a range of human experiences. From the chaos of Karel Appel’s stormy lithograph, Dans le Tempete, to the serene structure of Agnes Martin’s Untitled grids, each work of art represents a transformative moment conveyed through the artist’s distinctive visual language.

This exhibition is the product of a collaboration between nearly 20 distinct perspectives and imaginations. Curated over a six-month period, teens from the Phoenix Art Museum’s Teen Art Council (TAC) worked with Marissa Del Toro, Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative (DAMLI) Curatorial Fellow for the Contemporary Art Department, and Linda Alvarez, Teen Program Coordinator, with curatorial assistance by Melovee Easley, DAMLI Curatorial Fall 2019 Intern.

Teen Art Council:

Laiba Ali
Yareli Barragan
Marin Benjamin
Amrita Chakladar
Zoe Danielson
Faith Doyle
Jasmine Thalia Garcia
Jacob Koster
Frances LaBianca
Morgan Laszlo
Eva Pruitt
Asha Ramaswamy
Dion Romero
Susan Wong
Brian Xi

Teen programs are made possible through the generosity of the Carstens Family Funds. They are made possible, in part, through The Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative, funded by the Walton Family Foundation and the Ford Foundation, and supported by Thunderbirds Charities.

Poet Mark Doty observed that "in a still life, there is no end to our looking, we look in and in…. as long as we can stand to look, as long as we take pleasure in looking." One of the most fundamental of artistic genres, the still life remains a staple of beginning art classes. When Elaine Fried arrived at Willem De Kooning's studio in 1938 for her first private lesson, he set up a grouping of ordinary objects including a coffee pot, a large shell, a yellow cup, a blue cotton shirt, and an army blanket. She painted these compositions for months and found the experience to be transformative. "I really felt as though I could spend my entire life painting still lifes and express everything I wanted to express through them," declared Fried. For artists, still life "models" are both handy and free ways to explore spatial relationships. For viewers, the intimate scale of a tableau of inanimate objects reward the process of looking and observing.

Still Life: Ordinary Pleasures is organized by Phoenix Art Museum. It is made possible through the support of the Henry Luce Foundation.

Naturaleza Muerta: Placeres Ordinarios
El poeta Mark Doty expresó que "en la naturaleza muerta, no hay un fin a nuestra observación, observamos adentro y más adentro… mientras podamos tolerar el observar, mientras que nos deleitemos en observar.” Uno de los géneros artísticos más fundamentales, la naturaleza muerta continúa siendo una base de las clases de arte para principiantes. Cuando Elaine Fried llegó al estudio de Willem De Kooning en 1938 para su primera clase privada, El organizó una serie de objetos ordinarios que incluían una cafetera, una concha grande, una taza amarilla, una camisa azul de algodón, y una cobija militar. Ella pintó estas composiciones por meses y descubrió que la experiencia fue transformadora. “Realmente me sentí como si pudiese pasarme toda la vida pintando naturaleza muerta y expresando todo lo que quería expresar a través de ellas,” declaró Fried. Para los artistas, “modelos” de naturaleza muerta son maneras prácticas y gratuitas de explorar las relaciones espaciales. Para los espectadores, la escala intima de un cuadro de objetos inanimados premia el proceso de ver y observar.

Between 2009 and 2019, the permanent collection of Phoenix Art Museum has experienced incredible growth. This exhibition showcases select works of art acquired ten years after the Museum’s 50th anniversary. The Past Decade demonstrates the Museum’s firm commitment to diversity and artistic excellence through a careful selection of works from the departments of modern and contemporary art, Latin American art, American art, Asian art, and fashion design.

Of particular note is the Museum’s recent decision to acquire historic photographic works that complement our permanent collections. In this installation, we celebrate the artistic genius of Aaron Siskind, Harry Callahan, and Bruce Davidson, photographic masters whose work remains relevant to this day. Furthermore, the arrangement of art works in The Past Decade opens up the possibility for interdepartmental conversations to emerge as a way of engaging a contemporary, globalized view of visual culture.


PhxArt60: La década pasada
Entre 2009 y 2019, la colección permanente de Phoenix Art Museum (el Museo de Arte de Phoenix) ha experimentado un increíble crecimiento. Esta exposición muestra obras de arte adquiridas después del 50 aniversario del Museo. La década pasada demuestra el firme compromiso del Museo con la diversidad y la excelencia artística a través de una cuidadosa selección de obras de los departamentos de arte moderno y contemporáneo, arte latinoamericano, arte norteamericano, arte asiático y el diseño de moda.

De particular interés es la reciente decisión del Museo de adquirir obras fotográficas históricas que complementan nuestras colecciones permanentes. En esta instalación, celebramos el genio artístico de Aaron Siskind, Harry Callahan y Bruce Davidson, maestros de fotografía cuyos trabajos siguen siendo relevante hoy en día. La disposición de las obras de arte en La década pasada además abre a la posibilidad para conversaciones interdepartamentales como una forma de involucrar una visión contemporánea y globalizada hacia la cultura visual.Legends of Speed will feature more than 20 iconic cars driven by Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Stirling Moss, and others, and will include winners of 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Indianapolis 500

In traditional China, the literati, or educated class, set the standards for aesthetic taste and leisurely pursuits, many of which are still practiced today. Through a diverse selection of objects, this exhibition introduces viewers to a number of these preferences and interests.

Crickets were the ideal pet for members of the Chinese upper classes and imperial court because of their soothing sound and their ability to be transported in elegant, portable cages. Viewers will have the opportunity to examine various gourd cricket cages donated to the Museum by Amy S. Clague.

The beverage of connoisseurs in China and still widely consumed today, tea is considered beneficial, stimulating the mind, cleansing the blood, and aiding in digestion. As a result, tea vessels hold a special significance. For centuries, the town of Yixing was known as the central producer of unglazed teawares, and a collection of Yixing teawares, donated to the Museum by James T. Bialac, is showcased in the exhibition.

The practice of inhaling snuff, or aromatic tobacco ground into a fine powder, for a jolt of nicotine originated in the Americas but took hold in China during the 17th century. Made of stone, porcelain, lacquer, and other materials, snuff bottles were symbols of status, wealth, and taste in China. The exhibition features a selection of Chinese snuff bottles, donated to the Museum by Deborah G. Carstens.

Crickets, Tea, and Snuff: Chinese Intellectual Pursuits is organized by Phoenix Art Museum. It is made possible through the generosity of Amy S. Clague, James T. Bialac, Deborah G. Carstens, and donors to the Museum’s annual fund.“We are very excited to bring this remarkable collection of racing cars to Phoenix Art Museum,” said Gilbert Vicario, the Museum’s Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs and the Selig Family Chief Curator. “Legends of Speed will enable our community to explore the artistry and design of these iconic cars, while learning about some of the greatest races and race car drivers in history. This exhibition is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience many of the world’s most famous and successful race cars all in one place.”

Landscape remains one of the most popular subjects for artists visiting and residing in Arizona. Philip C. Curtis, while not known as a landscape painter, draws extensively on that subject. Curtis came to the state in 1937 to establish the Phoenix Federal Art Center under the Federal Art Project, a New Deal program. He left two years later to head a similar facility in Des Moines, Iowa, but returned to Arizona in 1947. Settling in Scottsdale, he painted surreal compositions, with figures in Victorian costumes set in the desert. Arizona’s landscapes were a rich source of inspiration for him, and while his canvases do not portray any recognizable geological features, his work may be contextualized within the work of a broad spectrum of artists who came to the state. Curtis saw the desert through a lens of magic realism. This differed from Maxfield Parrish, Eugene Berman, and other artists who preferred more representational modes.

Spurred by the artists from the North East who comprised the Hudson River School, landscape painting was one of the most popular subjects in nineteenth-century America. Pushed ever westward by expansionist notions of Manifest Destiny, a belief that such territorial expansion was inevitable and pre-ordained. Painters were also part of government initiatives to survey the vast region, particularly in regards to potential railroad routes and to learn about the indigenous populations they encountered.

Adventurous artists sought landscape subjects beyond the continental United States, some traveling to the Arctic, where they found immense icebergs and the Aurora Borealis (these were dangerous journeys). Artists visited equatorial South America where they thrilled to the sublime vistas and smoldering volcanos they discovered. The Amazon and the Andes were rich sources for exotic paintings. Many regarded South America as “a land of scientific wonders, golden riches, and edenic innocence.” J.P. Reichardt’s Latin American Scene of 1866 captures the attraction of humid locales very different from North America.

Western Art Associates, established in 1968 as a support group of Phoenix Art Museum, has generously made possible the acquisition of fifty-three works for the Museum’s collection, all on display in Celebrating 50 Years. Its impetus was the purchase of Pink Abstraction (1929) by Georgia O’Keeffe, which prompted several influential Phoenicians to observe that if the museum had wanted a painting by this artist, it should have been one of her Western paintings.

The focus of the group has been the historical and contemporary art of the Western United States portraying cowboys, American Indians, and landscape. Their first purchase was Maynard Dixon’s Watchers from the Housetops in 1973. Thereafter, the group made possible the acquisition of significant works for the Museum’s collection nearly every year. Most recent is the 50th Anniversary purchase of Emil Bisttram’s stunning Ranchos de Taos Church (in partnership with Men’s Arts Council). Members of Western Art Associates had a strong interest in contemporary Western art, and for 37 years, between 1973 and 2010 were involved with the annual exhibition and sale of the Cowboy Artists of America, founded in Sedona in 1965.