Art Market Update

An inside look at events and happenings in the historic American art world.

Two of eight of Calder’s long-lost banners. Photo by Jessica Griffin.

Lost Alexander Calder Banners Found

The eight lost banners of abstract and surrealist artist Alexander Calder have been through an extensive journey. The 1970s banners, featuring Calder’s distinct bright and bold designs, were found ten years ago, originally thought to have been destroyed. They were displayed for six weeks, only to be lost again from memory and the public eye. Now, the banners have been rediscovered once again and are on permanent exhibit at Parkway Central Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia. Depicting grand shapes of leaves and suns in reds, yellows and blues, the banners make for one of the greatest displays of public art in Philadelphia’s history. The banners were donated to the library anonymously.

++++++++++

Joan E. Biren (JEB) (b. 1944), Gloria and Charmaine, 1979/2016. Digital silver halide C-type print. 8¾ x 12 in. Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art, Museum purchase 2016.32.1. © JEB.

Art After Stonewall

In remembrance of the Stonewall Uprising 50 years ago, the Columbus Museum of Art in Ohio hosts an exhibition consisting of more than 200 works of art exploring the impact of the LGBTQ movement on the art world. The exhibition is the first national museum show of its kind to survey the impact of LGBTQ liberation on the visual arts and is the largest touring art exhibition in North America recognizing the uprising. The works of openly LGBTQ artists like David Hockney, Harmony Hammond, Andy Warhol and Keith Haring will be on view, as well as many straight-identified artists who sought to engage with the LGBTQ community. The show is on view March 6 to May 31.

++++++++++

Reginald Marsh (1898-1954), Times Square Subway Station, 1938. Watercolor, charcoal and gouache on paper.

Celebrating NYC’s Subway

Track Work: One Hundred Years of New York City’s Subway at ACA Galleries captures the evolution of the subway over the last century as depicted in art. Symbolizing the diversity and community found in New York, the exhibition focuses on the subway as a focal point in art over the years as well as its iconic aesthetic. The line work and differing light sources offer a source of inspiration for non-narrative art, yet also can be used to represent the big city. An assortment of works will be on view through March 14.

++++++++++

Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902), Mount St. Helens, Columbia River, Oregon, ca. 1889. Oil on canvas. Courtesy of The L.D. “Brink” Brinkman Collection, LDB Corporation, Kerrville, Texas.

Volcano!

An exhibition commemorating the 40th anniversary of the great eruption of Mount St. Helens is being held at the Portland Art Museum. The show, running through May 17, explores artists’ responses to the awe-inspiring beauty of the volcano through photography, landscape art and paintings from artists like Albert Bierstadt who visited from the East Coast. The Portland Art Museum has partnered with the Mount St. Helens Institute to put on a series of programs, tours and in-gallery experiences throughout the run of the exhibition.

++++++++++

Georgia O’Keeffe on the roof of Ghost Ranch House, 1944, in Abiquiu, New Mexico. Courtesy Georgia O’Keeffe Museum.

One Thousand Places Connected to Women

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, The National Trust For Historic Preservation is leading a campaign to discover 1,000 places connected to women’s history and art in an effort to share their stories. The goal of this major campaign is to reveal and uplift the many women who, across the centuries, have shaped our country through their passion, determination, creativity and intelligence. So far, 193 places have been identified, including Georgia O’Keeffe’s Ghost Ranch House and the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington D.C.

++++++++++

Alma W. Thomas (1891-1978), Air View of a Spring Nursery, 1966. Acrylic on canvas. The Columbus Museum purchase and gift of the National Association of Negro Business Women, and the artist. G.1979.53.

Chrysler Museum awarded $200,000 grant

The Chrysler Museum of Art was recently awarded a $200,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation and has been approved for a $65,000 Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support the 2021 exhibition Alma W. Thomas: A Creative Life. Co-organized by the Chrysler Museum and the Columbus Museum, the show provides a comprehensive overview of groundbreaking artist Alma Thomas’ long life and career, including nearly 100 works showing rare theatrical designs and abstract paintings. The exhibition is set to open July of next year.—