There is something special at the Carnegie Museum of Art, that makes it one of the most interesting museums in what I call the 1.5-hours-NYC-fly-zone. I am pointing this out because I do believe that the quality of the CMOA equalizes the one of the most popular museums in the Big Apple.
Coming from Europe and from Italy, I was pretty satisfied with my experience of art and museums (even if barely bearing the fact that France "stole" a lot of pieces from us, but that's History).
Indeed, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the CMOA in Pittsburgh guests some great pieces from each artistic style or era. For sure the most popular pieces are elsewhere in Europe or in the US, but I can assure you'll learn more about any art style and tendency in Pittsburgh than in Paris.
An example above all: the great collection of Impressionists, in Pittsburgh, is absolutely amazing, a true treasure.
But apart from the high level of the CMOA collections, the thing that makes it special is the great ability to always include contemporary art that learns from the past. Because that is the proper use of any artistic or historic heritage: learning from that.
Pittsburgh has a long tradition in innovation. The artists that were selected for the 102nd exhibition (yes, that is 102!) of Associated Artists of Pittsburgh show that they studied the past and carefully watched around themselves. Then they applied their skills to create something absolutely contemporary, meaningful, interesting.
image from the CMOA website. Original caption says:
Erika Osborne, Homage to Converse Basin, charcoal on grape stakes, Courtesy of the artist
Interesting, in this exhibition, is the way each artist interpreted a theme, in my opinion, and an era. From room to room, you can see pieces that dialogue with the past, but talking about today. There could be a reminiscence of the past in the aesthetic or technique, but then the matter is "our".
During my visit, I loved in particular some sculptures that were displayed. They were really "making a space" in the space of the museum.
But I also loved a video, about Andy Warhol, that to me seems so in the right place, in the right moment, in the right format. It's all about Andy and our daily "pop art", that is coming directly from Mr Warhol. It really looks like a gorgeous cultural loop, in which all the pieces are getting together, from Andy, to Andy.
Among the displayed paintings, most of them kind of abstract, I choose one, in particular that was very meaningful to me. A Chinese grand fest, with the same dignity of the most famous nature morte from the Renaissance. But it speaks Chinese, of course.
The pieces I selected are just a "brush stroke" on the big canvas of the AAP. So please, go in person to verify my assumptions.
(I added a link to each original website for each image. See descriptions)
- MADELYN ROEHRIG - FIGMENTS: ANDY'S TOMBSTONE
EDITION II April 2011 - December 2012
screenshot of the NPR website, where you can hear the story of Madelyn project:
listen to the 4 minutes interview with the author!
- WADE KRAMM - COLLAPSIBLE CHAIR
image above from the artist's website:
- PENNY MATEER - You Better Think THINK Think about...
#9 Protest Series, 2012, Fiber, 56" x 72"
image above from the artist website:
- DIANE WHITE - GRAND FEST
above: screenshot from the website
- ATTICUS ADAMS
above screenshot from the artist website http://www.atticusadams.com/portfolio/waccamaw-neck/ is not about the piece displayed at the AAP, but it is created with a similar technique: aluminum net and gesso. Original description says:
Dimensions: 62”x38”x29”
Materials: Aluminum mesh, gesso, spray enamel, grommets
Weight: 5lbs
Year: 2012
Materials: Aluminum mesh, gesso, spray enamel, grommets
Weight: 5lbs
Year: 2012
This sculpture was created from flat sheets of aluminum mesh that were molded by hand with a simple wooden tool. The individual sections were then joined together by hand twisting the fringed edges. The coat of gesso was sealed with spray enamel. This work can be hung from the ceiling or from the wall
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