Meyerhoff exhibition adds extraordinary depth to National Gallery of Art

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Nestled between Pennsylvania Avenue and Madison Drive is the National Gallery of Art, which preserves, collects and exhibits some of the highest

"Bedroom at Arles" is on exhibit as part of the famed Meyerhoff Collection in the National Gallery of Art's East Building through May 2010.

possible museum and scholarly standards of art in the world.

But through May 2010, the East Building of the museum is hosting an exhibit of one of the most outstanding collections of modern art, with an emphasis on American masters, The Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Collection.

And people from around the world toured the exhibit in silent awe over New Year’s weekend in the nation’s capital, with heavy security standing guard over works by Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly, Roy Lichtenstein, Brice Marden, Robert Rauschenberg, Frank Stella, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock and Jean Dubuffet.

Guards reminded people of the ”no photography“ rule and people had to stand 10 inches away from the works.

Each artist is a heavyweight in the history of abstract expressionism and contemporary figurative art.

Around every corner, the exhibit reveals surprising juxtapositions among the 126 paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints selected from the Meyerhoffs’ famed collection, which was amassed between 1958 and 2004.

If you can’t make it to Washington by the exhibit’s end, rest assured that the works will be waiting for your next visit since the Gallery is in the process of acquiring works from this Meyerhoff collection for its permanent collection.

Csaba Osvath, a local artist in Sarasota, visited the exhibit over New Year's weekend to be inspired and learn from the contemporary art masters included in the Meyerhoff collection.

"The Meyerhoffs built one of the greatest collections ever to focus on American painting of the postwar era, striking not only in its depth and quality, but also in the passion and acumen with which it was assembled," said Earl A. Powell, director of the National Gallery of Art. "This exhibition probes the visual logic behind the choices made by the collectors and by the artists whose work they collected."

While the Gallery continues to be shaped by modern and contemporary art, the Meyerhoff exhibition adds extraordinary depth to their modern collection.

The family generously donated 47 pieces from the exhibition to the gallery, supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.

The most famous works of Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997) were exhibited throughout the collection, with his large-scale paintings proving simple lines and basic elements of design as influential elements to pop and industrial art.

”Well, it’s interesting to see how he takes an old master like Mondrian or Van Gogh, and addresses his own contemporary voice through their vocabulary,“ Csaba Osvath said.

He’s an artist visiting the Gallery from Sarasota, and he spent two hours touring the Meyerhoff exhibit to draw inspiration from artists who set the bar for contemporary art.

"Ritual" by Jackson Pollock lured many people to gaze with great interest at the exhibition.

”His piece ÔBedroom at Arles’ is based on Vincent’s ÔBedroom’ painting,“ Osvath said. ”He interprets Van Gogh’s painting (ÔBedroom’) in his own way. For example, it’s interesting how Lichtenstein invites the viewer to step into that space -- a very lonely image of space.“

But of course the invitation is topped with a modern flair, painting chairs in his work ”Bedroom at Arles“ popularized in the 1990s.

The mixed media works of Frank Stella were also showcased in the collection. Stella is an American painter, printmaker and significant figure in minimalism well-known for his simple geometric works of art.

His felt and canvas painted collage ”Chodorow II“ (1971) is an exploration of space in relationship with material, lines and colors, what Stella does best. The piece is exhibited in proximity to Andy Warhol’s ”Small Campbell Soup Can“ painting and the work of Stella’s major influence, Jackson Pollock.

But it is Pollock’s wild painting ”Ritual“ in the collection that lures an audience.

Painted in 1953, three years his death in a car accident, the piece is feral and people at the exhibit searched to look between the layers to recognize what Pollock painted, to identify the mad ritual covered in earthen browns and toxic greens, if any.

Harry Cooper was the curator of the exhibition and the principal author of ”The Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Collection: Selected Works“ book published by the National Gallery of Art. It features 165 full-color illustrations from the collection for people to take home and relive the experience over and over.

Many people carried the book through the exhibit and studied piece-by-piece or sat on a bench to ponder the images.

The final piece that ends the exhibit is one meant to move, inspire and impress: ”La Ronde des Images“ by Jean Dubuffet (1977).

"La Ronde des Images" by Jean Dubuffet was the final piece in the collection and could be observed on all levels of the East Building at the Gallery.

It stood high on the tower level of the East Building at the top of the stairs leading out of the exhibit, and could be seen from all angles below.

”Dubuffet’s freeplay is evident in this piece. He paints as if he has nothing to gain and nothing to lose and brings out images in a random collision of movement and color,“ Osvath said while spending a final moment with the piece before exiting the Gallery. ”He breaks all the classical rules of painting and does so with success.

”The Meyerhoff Collection truly shows the courage of some talented individuals who took the risk to break away from traditional approaches and communicate their ideas in unconventional artistic expressions.“

Erica Newport is a daily reporter for The Bradenton Times. She covers art, culture and community. If you have a story that might interest Erica, please e-mail her using erica.newport@thebradentontimes.com address.  She also takes your questions related to our weekly theme days and provides advice and opinions for our readers. Please use this e-mail address for Ask Erica: ask.erica@thebradentontimes.com.