Miami Art Museum. From Jul 16th through Oct 11th, 2009.
As it prepares to begin construction of its new home on Biscayne Bay, Miami Art Museum is highlighting its growing collection of international contemporary art with a reinstallation of Recent Acquisitions. This second rotation opened to the public on July 16, in conjunction with JAM@MAM, the Museum’s monthly happy hour with an artful twist. Recent Acquisitions will remain on view through October 11th, 2009.
The exciting new additions, most of which are on view in Miami for the first time, underscore the increasing energy and cohesion of MAM’s permanent collection, and in particular, the institution’s dedication to representing local artists in depth.
Highlights from the reinstallation of Recent Acquisitions include:
Pablo Cano, Chinese Princess and Warrior, 1999: Pablo Cano combines playfulness with a Surrealist/Dadaist approach, working with found objects–almost always debris that he finds on the streets of his Little Havana neighborhood. He has become especially well-known for his marionettes, which are used as characters in elaborately staged, original performances. These works are from the performance piece Once Upon an Island. They were both part of a marionette orchestra: the Warrior was the French horn while the Chinese Princess was an opera singer. Both the Chinese Princess and the Warrior are gifts from Anthony J Japour.
Emilio Perez, in the middle of something, 2007: A New York based alumnus of Miami’s New World School of the Arts, Emilio Perez creates vibrant, dynamic paintings that hover between abstraction and representation. He cuts and peels layers of latex and paint to produce sharp lines that lend his paintings the graphic strength most often associated with comic books or graffiti, without providing specific references to recognizable objects. in the middle of something is a Museum purchase with funds from MAM’s Collectors Council.
Marucha, En el Liceo, 1980: En el Liceo depicts a group of people – generally older individuals, many of African descent–clearly having a grand time in the historic Centro Gallego Social Club in Havana, Cuba. The ordinary subjects make an ironic contrast against the palace-like setting. En el Liceo is a gift of Peter Menendez, in honor of former MAM Chief Registrar Guillermo Alonso’s commitment and dedication to the Museum, and in celebration of his joy for dancing.
Cristina Lei Rodriguez, Endless Autumn, 2006: Miami-based Cristina Lei Rodriguez’s sculpture and installation work involves a veritable mash-up of organic and inorganic elements – from living plants to dimestore fashion accessories – which she coats with paint, resin, and epoxy. Endless Autumn, her most ambitious work to date, is at once disturbing and serene, suggesting a natural world thrown out of whack – a runaway fertility that is paradoxically underscored by a sense of toxicity and decay.
Garry Winogrand, Untitled portfolio, 1974: Garry Winogrand is among the best-known American photographers of the 20th century. Winogrand’s primary subjects were the surreal moments that interpenetrate everyday life amid the American urban landscape. He spent countless hours and thousands of rolls of film capturing evocative glimpses at zoos, airports, rodeos, and other locations. The portfolio on view is a gift of Richard Levine.
Among the other artists represented in the reinstallation of Recent Acquisitions are Ingrid Calame, Julie Davidow and Carol Prusa, Fernanda Gomes, James Siena and Mette Tommerup.
Miami Art Museum
101 West Flagler Street
Miami, FL 33130
305.375.3000
www.miamiartmuseum.org
Be the first to comment