The art of Modernism Is Alive and Well and the Yellowstone Art Museum

The Yellowstone Art Museum announces the opening of its newest exhibition Modernist Intersections: The Tia Collection,

The exhibition will remain on view through October 15^th. The YAM’s annual members’ meeting will precede the exhibition in the Murdock Gallery at 4:30 p.m.

The exhibition was originally conceived of as collaboration between a private collector and the University of Arizona Museum of Art as curated by UAMA Curator of Collections and Exhibitions, Olivia Miller. The collector chooses to remain anonymous, allowing the works to “speak” for themselves. And they will indeed at the YAM where the presentation, which has been slightly altered from its original form, reveals intersections that can be formed between Modernist artworks created in vastly differing parts of the globe. The collection and therefore this exhibition reflect a vision that straddles geographical boundaries, recognizing the paths that merge in art and life.

A reception for the exhibition is from 5:30-7:30 p.m. July 27, 2017. The reception is free to members and open to other visitors for a modest admission. Visit the museum’s website for more information artmuseum.org.  

Modernist Intersections grows from the enthusiasm of one collector’s desire to share exceptional art with many audiences.  The exhibition invites dialog and personal connection.  The included works stem from the early twentieth century to the present, relying on a broad definition of Modernism that includes work disruptive and comforting, shocking and inspiring, historic and contemporary, and abstract and representational. 

It includes both American and international art, always selected with an overriding emphasis on aesthetic impact and quality. Represented artists include Andy Warhol, Robert Mapplethorpe, Henry Moore, Kiki Smith, Erin Currier, among dozens of other notable artists.

Modernist Intersections is organized along social, historic, and real-life thematic lines, including such ideas as “archetypes,” “assemblage,” “disruption,” or “landscape.”  The selection circles back to some of the most resonant ideas to occupy artists throughout history:  life, home, communication, purpose.

Modernism and all of its related sub-“isms” are defined by a multitude of factors that impacted artmaking in the late part of the nineteenth century, continuing primarily through the mid- to late twentieth century. The art of today is largely impacted by if not completely inspired by this formative period that recognized that “art for the sake of art” was as valid as was creating art to reveal a historical representation perspective or to satisfy the patronage system. In this exhibition, the “isms” range from Impressionism to Minimalism.

To enhance the public’s understanding of this oft misunderstood art movement, the Tia Collection’s Curator Laura Finlay Smith and the YAM’s Senior Curator Bob Durden will participate in a public conversation 6:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, September 7.

The exhibition is family friendly though some works contain mature themes surrounding current political events, so bring a friend, family member, or fly solo to discover the intersections that reveal artistic intent while building stronger notions about what is meant by Modernism.

© Erin Currier, Friendly Skies, 2010, photo courtesy of the Tia Collection