Claude Monet @ Detroit Institute of Arts - Monet: Framing Life

Monet: Framing Life
DIA - Detroit Institute of Arts
Through March 4, 2018

Claude Monet

“Rounded Flower Bed (Corbeille de fleurs),” 1876 

Oil on canvas 

Detroit Institute of Arts

“Monet: Framing Life” is an intimate exhibition focusing on an important painting in the DIA collection—Claude Monet’s “Rounded Flower Bed (Corbeille de fleurs)” from 1876, formerly known as “Gladioli” and recently retitled based on new research. Claude Monet created this work while living in the Paris suburb of Argenteuil between late 1871 and early 1878, an especially productive time. It was there that he met and worked beside fellow avant-garde painters that formed the group now known as the Impressionists.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir

“Claude Monet,” 1872 

Oil on canvas 

National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. 

Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1985.64.35

This exhibition brings the DIA’s painting together with 10 other Argenteuil paintings by Monet and fellow impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir—including seven major loans from the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. In doing so, the exhibition presents a more comprehensive story about the creation of “Rounded Flower Bed (Corbeille de fleurs)” and how it fits into Monet’s body of work, as well as the history of Impressionism more broadly.

A catalog accompanies the exhibition.

This exhibition has been organized by the Detroit Institute of Arts and made possible by the Bonnie Ann Larson Modern European Master Series.

DIA - DETROIT INSTITUTE OF ARTS
5200 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, Michigan 48202
www.dia.org

Contemporary African American art, "30 Americans" at DIA, Detroit

30 Americans 
The Detroit Institute of Arts 
October 18, 2015 - January 18, 2016

Barkley L. Hendricks 

Noir, 1978

Oil and acrylic on canvas. 

Courtesy of Rubell Family Collection, Miami

The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), one of the premier art museums in the US, presents “30 Americans,” a dynamic exhibition of contemporary art by African American artists, on view Oct. 18, 2015–Jan. 18, 2016. “30 Americans” includes 55 paintings, sculptures, installations, photographs and videos by many of the most important African American artists who rose to prominence during recent decades by exploring racial, gender, political and historical identity in contemporary culture.

Jean-Michel Basquiat 

Bird On Money, 1981

Acrylic and oil on canvas. 

Courtesy of Rubell Family Collection, Miami 

Among the renowned artists included are Barkley Hendricks, Kerry James Marshall, Carrie Mae Weems, Lorna Simpson and the late Jean-Michel Basquiat and Robert Colescott. Their influence on a younger generation can be seen in the works of artists such as Kehinde Wiley, Nick Cave, Mickalene Thomas and Kara Walker.

Rashid Johnson 

The New Negro Escapist Social and Athletic Club (Thurgood), 2008

Lambda print, Ed. 2/5. 

Courtesy of Rubell Family Collection, Miami 

The exhibition is organized around several artistic approaches used by the artists to explore identity: defying Western art traditions; portraying black subjects as real people as opposed to types; sampling multiple sources of inspiration, from historical material to found objects; freestyling by adopting improvisational and expressionistic styles to demonstrate creative and technical virtuosity; signifying through the use of symbols, materials and images that imply or trigger associations about gender, race, religion, class and sexuality; transforming the body’s appearance to examine the relationship between societal assumptions and identity; and confronting American history regarding race, racism and power in the United States.

This exhibition is drawn from the acclaimed Rubell Family Collection, Miami.

Artists in the exhibition

Nina Chanel Abney (1982)
John Bankston (1963)
Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960 - 1988)
Mark Bradford (1968)
Iona Rozeal Brown (1966)
Nick Cave (1959)
Robert Colescott (1925 - 2009)
Noah Davis (1983)
Leonardo Drew (1961)
Renée Green (1959)
David Hammons (1943)
Barkley L. Hendricks (1945)
Rashid Johnson (1977)
Glenn Ligon (1960)
Kalup Linzy (1977)
Kerry James Marshall (1955)
Rodney McMillian (1969)
Wangechi Mutu (1972)
William Pope.L (1955)
Gary Simmons (1964)
Xaviera Simmons (1974)
Lorna Simpson (1960)
Shinique Smith (1971)
Jeff Sonhouse (1968)
Henry Taylor (1958)
Hank Willis Thomas (1976)
Mickalene Thomas (1971)
Kara Walker (1969)
Carrie Mae Weems (1953)
Kehinde Wiley (1977)
Purvis Young (1943 - 2010)

Detroit Institute of Arts 
5200 Woodward Avenue
Detroit, Michigan 48202
www.dia.org

Punch’s Progress: A Century of American Puppetry Exhibition

Punch's Progress: A Century of American Puppetry

Traveling Detroit Institute of Arts Exhibition

Venues: September 2000 - April 2002

Dancing on nimble fingers or twirling from strings, puppets have taught and entertained generations from America's earliest days. The Detroit Institute of Arts traces this amazing trajectory in Punch's Progress: A Century of American Puppetry. Touring statewide, the exhibition provides an opportunity to enjoy the history, wonder and artistry of puppets. Punch's Progress is one of many traveling exhibitions the museum organizes to help fulfill its mission of extending its reach to various communities.

The Detroit Institute of Arts is home to one of the most historically important puppet collections in North America. Drawn from the critically acclaimed Paul McPharlin Collection, this exhibition includes fanciful marionettes, rod, hand and shadow puppets that delight audiences and reveal the importance of American puppetry and puppeteers. Included are diverse works, ranging from American wooden puppets to elegant marionettes of popular icons, such as entertainer Josephine Baker, skater Sonja Henie and former President Franklin D. Roosevelt as Punch's baby.

Puppet shows were popular in frontier America, and by the turn of the century elaborately detailed figures performed to live audiences in music halls. Professional puppet troupes toured the vaudeville theater circuit, often accompanied by full orchestras. During the 1920s, puppetry became recognized and appreciated by educational and arts organizations, and classic literature was often performed. During the late 1930s to early 1940s, cabaret puppetry for adults was popular, and the first puppets for a growing new medium, television, were created. Puppetry quickly became popular mass entertainment, often directed at children. Punch's Progress explores the wonder and evolution of this popular art.

Punch's Progress: A Century of American Puppetry will appear in the following venues:

Muskegon Museum of Art, September 7 - October 22, 2000

Detroit Institute of Arts, November 19 - December 31, 2000

Meadow Brook Art Gallery, January 12 - February 25, 2001

Port Huron Museum, May 5 - June 24, 2001

Ella Sharp Museum, November 17, 2001 - January 13, 2002

Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, February 1 - April 28, 2002

This exhibition was organized by the Detroit Institute of Arts and is supported by a generous grant from the Consumers Energy Foundation. Additional support provided by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the City of Detroit.

DIA’s News: Creation of the GM Center for African American Art at Detroit Institute of Arts

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Creation of a Center for African American Art in Detroit, Michigan

Museum News > Michigan > Detroit > Detroit Institute of Arts

The creation of the General Motors Center for African American Art was announced by the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) as a new curatorial department and resource center at the museum. The Center is named in recognition of a $5 million donation from the General Motors Foundation to the DIA's capital campaign.

The Center will act as an independent department within the museum's existing structure, and will be staffed by a curator, assistant curator and administrative assistant. A national search for staff is currently underway.

"The development of the General Motors Center for African American Art is a natural extension of the DIA's commitment to African American art, and will provide a stimulating new dimension to our collections," said Graham W.J. Beal, director of the DIA. "We intend to create a center of excellence in this area, which will prove to be an invaluable resource for scholars and collectors, as it will house a specialized library related to works by African American artists."

The Center is a testament to the DIA's and GM's commitment to serving the community. "General Motors is dedicated to recognizing the achievements and influence of African Americans," said General Motors vice president and chief financial officer, Michael Losh. "GM is proud to support this extraordinary Center that will enrich and expand the breadth of the museum in both culture and importance."

Early emphasis will be on research that will lead to special exhibitions, lectures and symposia. Additionally, the Center will provide a place where talented African American students can gain valuable experience in a stimulating environment to prepare them for an art museum career.

"I've spoken with Christy Matthews, director of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, and we agreed that there could be interesting opportunities for collaboration," Beal said. "While it is difficult to be specific at this early stage, these might include loans of art to parallel exhibitions, joint educational initiatives, and mutual programming around exhibitions."

With a solid core of artistic expertise, intellectual acumen, a powerfully growing collection and a vitally interested local community, the DIA expects the Center will quickly gain national prominence and become a leading contributor to the field of study in African American art. The Center's work will be disseminated through publications such as exhibition catalogues and seminar proceedings.

The DIA is located at 5200 Woodward Avenue in the University Cultural Center in Detroit, Michigan.

DIA’s upcoming exhibition: Punch's Progress: A Century of American Puppetry

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Michael Kenna, Detroit Institute of Arts - Industrial Revelations: Photographs by Michael Kenna of the Rouge and Other Sites

Industrial Revelations: Photographs by Michael Kenna of the Rouge and Other Sites

Detroit Institute of Arts

Through February 11, 1996

Photographs by Michael Kenna are featured in the exhibition Industrial Revelations: Photographs by Michael Kenna of the Rouge and Other Sites at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Included are approximately 60 of Michael Kenna's photographs of the Rouge Steel plant in Dearborn and 20 views of industrial sites in England.

This new series of photographs was inspired by Charles Sheeler's legendary photographs of the Rouge plant commissioned in 1927 by the Ford Motor Company. However, while Sheeler concentrated on the interior of the steel-making complex, Michael Kenna's work focuses on the exterior seen in views made at dawn, at dusk and during the night. His photographs are distinguished by their dynamic design, unusual viewpoints, and dramatic contrasts of light and shade.

Industrial smoke also plays a major role in Michael Kenna's work. In the exhibition catalog he comments, "I favor the power of suggestion over descriptive documentation and often use smoke, steam or mist in my work. These elements obscure details, simplify forms, strengthen foreground graphic shapes, and simultaneously tone down background distractions."

Born in a small industrial town in Lancashire, England, Michael Kenna, now based in San Francisco, has always felt at home in industrial environments. His striking and strangely beautiful views of the Rouge plant are contrasted with the photographs he made in the 1980s of nuclear plants in his native England.

THE DETROIT INSTITUTE OF ARTS

5200 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, Michigan 48202

www.dia.org