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International Art Treasures Web Magazine April 2004 |
San Diego Museum of Art
Museum HistoryLocated in historic Balboa Park, SDMA is the region's largest art museum. Included in it's collection are works by El Greco, Winslow Homer, William-Adolphe Bouguereau not to mention an exquisite collection of Spanish old master paintings. SDMA includes at least one work by Murillo, Zurbarán, Ribera, and Cotán in it's important Spanish Collection thanks to donations during the 1930-1940 period from Anne R. Putnam and Amy Putnam. The Museum includes within it's permanent collection works by American artists such as Durand, Cassatt, Inness, Eakins and O'Keeffe. Established in 1922 thanks to the auspices of Appleton S. Bridges (1849-1929) who agreed to fund a permanent structure for the municipal art collection. Architect William Templeton Johnson (1877-1950) was hired to both design and build the art gallery. The Museum was located on the site of the 1915 Panama-California International Exposition in Balboa Park. From this the Spanish Colonial-style heavily influenced the design. The exterior used themes from the Cathedral of Valladolid and the University of Salamanca. Chris Mueller the supervisor of the 1915 exposition buildings added life-sized sculptures of Velazquez, Murillo and Zurbarán to the outside alongside the Spanish, American, California and San Diego coats-of-arms. The façade's central motif is a seashell which was used in the museum's logo. Current Exhibition ScheduleJosé Guadalupe Posada: My Mexico until April 11, 2004. 110 Prints selected from the Jean Charlot Collection in the Hamilton Library at the University of Hawaii, Manoa demonstrate the resume of the prolific printmaker. Posada documented life in Mexico using his wit and satire to make his artistic point. The Art of George Inness: A Visionary Perspective until April 18, 2004. The landscape painter of the 19th Century America is documented with this display of 40 works. It is a walk through the artist's interests such as philosophy, theology, science and psychology.
The National Academy of Design in New York organized this retrospective of the artist's career. "Visitors to this exhibition will discover that the word 'visionary' works on multiple levels in connection with the paintings of George Inness. For not only did Inness strive to develop a form of landscape painting that articulated his own vision of metaphysical realities as manifested in the earthly sphere, but the styles and techniques he innovated in the process were in themselves visionary," states D. Scott Atkinson, Chief Curator, San Diego Museum of Art.
George Inness was a self-taught American landscape painter who was influenced by the Hudson River School. He was a deeply spiritual man and this was evident in his later works.
Art Alive 2004
Celebrating it's 23rd Anniversary, Art Alive 2004 will be held from April 1 through April 4, 2004. The festival of arts and flowers is an anticipated event in the yearly schedule of SDMA. The opening Champagne Reception and Gala kick off the festivities on Thursday April 1st. Over 100 designers will fill the galleries with floral interpretations of artwork from the museum's own collection. The funds raised support the exhibition, education and outreach programs offered by the Museum to continue their stated mission "transforming lives through art". Future Exhibition ScheduleSaint Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes May 15th until September 6th, 2004. American Beauty: Painting and Sculpture from the Detroit Institute of Arts 1770-1970 beginning June 19, 2004 through October 3, 2004. Benjamin West, John Singleton Copley, John Singer Sargent, Winslow Homer, Thomas Eakins, Frederic Church, and George Bellows are a brief listing of the many artists featured in this collection of 91 of the greatest American masterpieces. This exhibition currently in Europe has only a few US locations in it's current schedule before returning to its home in Michigan. The Past in Reverse: Contemporary Art of East Asia scheduled for Autumn 2004. Cutting edge Chinese, Japanese and Korean Artists are included in this exhibition that was organized by SDMA. Maxfield Parrish: Master of Make Believe beginning July 14, 2005 until September 11, 2004. The rarely seen 18 1/2 foot North Wall mural that was commissioned by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney for her New York Mansion is an integral piece in this impressive collection that celebrates the artist and illustrator Maxfield Parrish. |
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