Max Klinger, John Massey and Joseph Calleja

Max Klinger (German, 1857-1920) Handlung / The Act, from Ein Handschuh Opus VI / A Glove, Cycle VI, Levy Bequest Purchase, 1992. Collection of McMaster Museum of Art

McMaster Museum of Art presents

Max Klinger, John Massey and Joseph Calleja
the glove, the car and the mirror
May 9 – August 17, 2013

Reception: Saturday, July 20 from 2 – 4 pm

Two suites of works from the collection of the McMaster Museum of Art—Max Klinger’s (German 1857-1920) Ein Handschuh Opus VI (1881) and John Massey’s (Canadian b. 1950) This Land (the photographs)—provide an instructive comparison that bridges more than 125 years of the modern period.

John Massey, Windy Day, 2005, from This Land series of 7 digital prints, edition of 5, © John Massey. Gift of the Artist, 2012. Collection of McMaster Museum of Art

Klinger’s almost film-like sequence, observing the observer at the outset, morphs into an erotic dream through different settings. Produced during the highpoint of the Symbolist period, Klinger’s work also “anticipates” Freud’s psychoanalysis.

Massey’s manipulated photographs continue his inquiry into the idealized spaces of modernity, “The perfect space invoking the perfect viewer.”

Echoing Klinger’s assertion that the graphic artist moulds the given facts of nature according to his own expressive capacity, Massey stated, “The digital marriage of the car interior and the landscape, creates a hyper-image.  Both shots are from the world, but when knit together, they become imagined or commercial.”

Joseph Calleja’s (Canadian b. Malta 1924) Revolving Concave Mirror is being shown for the first time since it was initially exhibited in 1968.  The content of the mirror is a reflection of the environment—the gallery space, the Klinger and Massey works, and the viewer—knitted and moulded together.

Joseph Calleja, Revolving Concave Mirror, 1968.
mirror, motor, wood, formica.
Courtesy of the artist

Works in the exhibition

John Massey (Canadian b. 1950)
This Land (The Photographs) 2005,
with the exception of Daybreak, 2008
digital prints on Epson ultra smooth fine art paper
AP from an edition of 5
Gift of the artist, 2012

Dark Morning
Daybreak
Pink Dawn
Silver Sunset
Storm Clouds
Windy Day
Midday Clouds, Study

Max Klinger (German 1857 – 1920)
Opus VI, Ein Handschuh / A Glove, 1881
fourth edition published 1898
etching and aquatint
Levy Bequest Purchase, 1992

Ort / Place
Handlung / The Act
Wünsche / Desires
Rettung / The Rescue
Triumph
Huldigung / Homage
Ängste / Fears
Ruhe / Tranquility
Entführung / The Abduction
Amor / Cupid

Joseph Calleja (Canadian b. Malta 1924)
Rotating Concave Mirror, 1968
motor, mirror, mixed media
Promised gift of the artist

Flowers and Photography Exhibition Opens

Image details: Barbara Astman, Lori Newdick, Sasha Yungju Lee,
Suzy Lake, Dyan Marie, and Sara Angelucci

McMaster Museum of Art presents

FLOWERS and PHOTOGRAPHY

Sara Angelucci
Barbara Astman
Suzy Lake
Sasha Yungju Lee
Dyan Marie
Lori Newdick

May 9 – August 17, 2013

Curated by Carla Garnet
Organized in collaboration with the Art Gallery of Peterborough

Reception and Catalogue Launch: Saturday, July 20 from 2 – 4 pm

Flowers and Photography invites viewers to consider why flowers continue to be a favourite subject of women artists. Enlisting the garden subject as one that is reflective of contemporary theories about art, nature and the ordering of knowledge, the show features the art of Sara Angelucci, Barbara Astman, Suzy Lake, Sasha Yungju Lee, Dyan Marie and Lori Newdick.

In Regular 8, photo and video artist Sara Angelucci meticulously constructs a fictional archive of events that take place in park-like gardens using digital means to simulate the look of analog documents – or what we recognize as a snap shot. Senior artist Barbara Astman engages photography with new media to sequentially stage her allegorical black and white photomurals, nearsofar, which show the figure in the garden as emblematic of systems of gender perspectives and representation. Sasha Yungju Lee’s work reflects her experience of displacement and self. Her piece, In the Bosom, is essentially a blown up snap shot of her child, Zoe. This photo shows her daughter with arms opened to embrace the leaves and flowers, not unlike a contemporary vision of the mythological goddess Flora.

A pioneer in feminist performance for the camera, Suzy Lake took up photography in order to explore the politics of gender, the body and identity. Lake’s triptych, Peonies and the Lido, holds a mirror to the self as it tempts (and resists) the obsession with youthfulness. Her video, Dance to Life, avails flowers to re-enact the closing stages of a marriage as so much surplus emotion. Dyan Marie’s relational art practice includes photo-based work, as well as performance and publishing initiatives that reflect on contemporary cultural experience. Her Murmurs and Messages series comprises digitally developed images of flowers, in which those vines and plants are seeded with single word poems. Lori Newdick is known for her beautiful and seductive images that capture the space between herself and her subject. Her 2010-2012 Untitled Flowers series captures something akin to surrealism’s deconstructive formlessness.

Installation view with work by (from left) Barbara Astman, Lori Newdick, Dyan Marie

Installation view with work by (from left) Barbara Astman, Lori Newdick, Dyan Marie — at McMaster Museum of Art.

Installation view with work by (from left) Lori Newdick, Sara Angelucci, Sasha Yungju Lee

Installation view with work by (from left) Sara Angelucci, Sasha Yungju Lee, Dyan Marie

Installation view with work by Dyan Marie

Installation view with work by (from left) Dyan Marie, Barbara Astman

Installation view with work by (from left) Barbara Astman, Suzy Lake — at McMaster Museum of Art.

Slow Art Day: “Eye Opening” Event

Guest Blog by Rachel Tirone, volunteer, graduating McMaster student, and 2013 Slow Art Day host at the McMaster Museum of Art (MMA).

Saturday’s Slow Art Day event at the MMA was a huge success! Slow Art Day is a volunteer run event, designed to break down the barriers between art and the public by showing participants that anyone can appreciate art – you don’t have to be an expert!

The Museum was one of more than 250 venues.

This being the first Slow Art Day at McMaster, I was thrilled by the level of interest. Registration was full!

Our participants began the day with a short introduction to the day’s activities before they got started on their slow looking – 5 works of art, 10 minutes each.

As this year’s host, I tried to choose a variety of works that conveyed the diversity of the three exhibits that were on at the Museum. The list included works by K. Nicol and Henri Le Sidaner, as well as three works from the McMaster Studio Art graduating exhibition. We were lucky enough to have artist Kaylyn Roloson with us to discuss her work, “It’s a great day for maple trees and evergreens…” (pictured above left), a metal wall-sculpture indicative of Roloson’s cottage-country nostalgia, her love of colour, and the physicality of her welding practice.

After viewing, participants gathered in the Education Gallery for a catered lunch and some interesting discussion around the chosen works. A gallery or museum setting can often be intimidating, and as such the MMA and the discussion portion of the event work to create a casual and open environment for learning. I was impressed by the all of the attendees’ willingness to participate in the discussion, as well as the confidence with which they shared their insights into the works.

Almost all of the participants commented on how much their Slow Art Day experience opened their eyes, both to works they were familiar with and ones that they would have otherwise walked right by.

A big thank you to the McMaster Museum of Art for the opportunity to host Slow Art Day this year – it proved to be a learning experience for myself as well as all those who participated, and I hope that the event will continue to grow and be a success in future years.

See you for Slow Art Day 2014!

Art on the flipside: What the visitor never sees

One of the many perks of working at a Museum is the opportunity to view works of art from vantage points that the public very rarely get to see – canvases without frames, on tabletops, drawings without a barrier of glass or mat board (which may conceal an artist’s note or paint dabs), art in undiffused light, an unobstructed view from the front…and back. If you’ve ever stepped into an art vault or visited the Museum’s Paper Centre (which I highly recommend), you’ll understand how very different the experience is from the gallery presentations.

Here are a few of the interesting verso views of art in McMaster’s collection:

Back of 17th century oil painting by Adrien Brouwer (Flemish, 1605-1638)

Back of oil on panel painting c. 1913 by A.Y.Jackson (Canadian, 1882-1974)

Playing card image on the back of oil painting by Josef Herman (English, born Poland, 1911 – 2000)

Back of 1934 painting “Trees on Pine Island, Georgian Bay” by Naomi Jackson Groves (Canadian, 1910-2001). The artist was a conscientious record keeper. Part of this text says: “Likely done at same time and place as AY’s [her uncle, A.Y. Jackson]. AY, Betty Maw (Brett) and I camped here for about ten days…These trees burned down by vandals later according to AYJ.”

There is handwriting from artists and/or donors on the back of many works in the collection. Several have long narratives written in pencil telling the story that inspired the art. Others have technical notes from the artists about such things as the exact paint pigments selected.

The back of this 1969 Harold Town (Canadian, 1924-1990) painting has the artist’s signature three times as well as his hand print

Many labels from the back of an oil by Claude Monet. For the most part, labels are very helpful and can help us trace a painting’s provenance. Although, sometimes labels on the same artwork have quite different titles…more puzzles to solve.

Congratulations SUMMA class of 2013!

Last week was a busy one for McMaster’s art students as Bookmarkers: summa 2013*, the graduation exhibition, opened at the Museum with a Public Reception, Awards and Artist Talks.

Congratulations to all the students for an outstanding exhibition and publication and thank you to the McMaster School of the Arts and exhibition sponsor Upper James Toyota for making it possible.

For those who missed the events, have a look at the pics below. And check out the great review in last weekend’s Hamilton Spectator.  Bookmarkers continues just one more week, closing April 27.  Don’t miss your chance to see (and hear) art by some of the best emerging artists in the area.

*summa = a comprehensive work, covering, synthesizing, or summarizing a field or subject.

photo: Anya Kablak

photo: Anya Kablak

photo: Anya Kablak

photo: Anya Kablak

photo: Anya Kablak

photo: Anya Kablak

photo: Anya Kablak

summa 2013 award winners: from left: Katie Leaf (Museum Award), Paige Woodhouse (Faculty Award), and Emily Terejko (People’s Choice Award). photo: Anya Kablak

photo: Anya Kablak

photo: Anya Kablak

photo: Anya Kablak

photo: Anya Kablak

2013 Graduating Art Student Exhibition

McMaster Museum of Art presents

BOOKMARKERS: summa 2013
McMaster’s Graduating Art Student Exhibition
APRIL 11 – 27, 2013

Reception and Awards: Saturday April 13, 2 – 4 pm
Artist Talks: Wednesday April 17 at 12:30 – 1:30 pm

McMaster Museum of Art presents the annual exhibition showcasing the art and accomplishments of students graduating from McMaster University’s Studio Art Program. This year’s class of 19 students presents work exploring a variety of themes in a wide range of media including painting, sculpture, printmaking, and digital.

Visit April 11 and 12 to cast your vote for the People’s Choice Award!

McMaster University School of the Arts offers a small, high quality art program and has just initiated a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Its students contribute to the vibrancy of Hamilton’s art community through course work, placements, exhibitions, volunteering and work experiences.

This exhibition is generously supported by Upper James Toyota

Graduating students  are pictured above. From top left: Anthony Butler, Devan Marinaccio, Gabriela Palomo, Rachel Tirone, Angela Marino, John Stirling, Emily Benedict, Paige Woodhouse, Shona Fitz-Gerald Laing, Emily Terejko. Bottom, from left: Chelsea Braley, Cheyenne Federiconi, Katrina Camilleri, Natalie Jachyra, Nicole Shuk Yin Chiu, Kaylyn Roloson, Simone Sciascetti, Brittany Reed, Katie Leaf.  Photo: Chelsea Braley

McMaster Museum of Art
Alvin A. Lee Building
McMaster University
1280 Main Street West
Hamilton, ON L8S 4L6
Admission is Free
Museum hours: Tue/Wed/Fri 11am-5pm, Thu 11-7, Sat 12-5

museum@mcmaster.ca
www.mcmaster.ca/museum

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McMaster Student Organizes Museum’s First Slow Art Day

Rachel Tirone, McMaster University Student, organizing Slow Art Day
at the McMaster Museum of Art, April 27

A guest blog post from McMaster University Applied Humanities student Rachel Tirone, who will be hosting the McMaster Museum of Art’s first Slow Art Day event on Saturday April 27^th .
____________________________

The average time that a museum or gallery visitor looks at a piece of art is just 17 seconds.

Slow Art Day is a volunteer-run movement designed to change the way we look at and talk about art.  I came across Slow Art Day while doing research on arts education for my applied humanities at the McMaster Museum of Art this term, and felt that it hit on all the points of the Museum’s mission/vision, as well as its dedication to museum education.

Beginning with 16 venues in 2009, the movement has grown to include over 220 museums and galleries worldwide for this year’s event. The intention is to look at 5 artworks chosen by the event’s host, spending 10 minutes looking at each, and then to meet and discuss the works over lunch.

For more information on Slow Art Day, please visit their website.

Slow Art Day will be held at the McMaster Museum of Art on Saturday April 27^th.
Art viewing: 12 – 1 pm
Catered lunch and discussion:  1  – 3 pm

Sign up now before spaces fill up!
Registration, admission, and lunch are FREE.
Registration closes April 13^th.  
To register, please visit the Eventbrite page.

Feel free to contact me with any questions:  tironerl@mcmaster.ca

I’m looking forward to seeing some of you there!

- Rachel Tirone

Kids, Quotes and Kudos from March Break Tours

We’ve been very busy here at the MMA for March Break! Children from ages 4-12 have come in for tours of our new exhibit The Moderns.  Thanks so much to everyone for coming in!

Some favourite quotes of the week:

I can’t believe Herman Levy had enough room for all these paintings!

This painting reminds me of my grandma’s house, and I love my grandma so I love this painting! (about the Henri LeSidaner painting shown below)

One of the best museums ever! I would love to come here every day!

Henri Le Sidaner (French, 1862-1939), Le Vase Rouge, late 19th-mid 20th Century, Oil, Gift of Herman Levy, Esq., O.B.E., Collection of McMaster Museum of Art, McMaster University

The McMaster Museum of Art staff and docent team offer individual and group tours to all ages and hands-on educational activities, customized to suit your interests. Book yours today!

- Teresa Gregorio, Museum Monitor / Information Officer, McMaster Museum of Art

Installation views of The Moderns

First look at “Levy Series No. 5: The Moderns” exhibition, McMaster Museum of Art

The Moderns exhibition opened this morning.  Here are some installation views to whet your appetite:

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Levy’s Passion for 20th Century Art explored in new exhibition ‘The Moderns’

Henri Le Sidaner (French, 1862-1939), Le Vase Rouge, Oil, Gift of Herman Levy, Esq., O.B.E.

The McMaster Museum of presents
Levy Series No. 5: THE MODERNS

MARCH 7 – AUGUST 3, 2013

The Moderns is the fifth in a series of exhibitions exploring the collecting interests of Hamilton businessman Herman Herzog Levy, O.B.E. (1902-1990), the McMaster Museum of Art’s greatest benefactor to date.

Herman Levy’s association with McMaster University began in the 1930s. He attended art history lectures and classes in the 1940s and 50s, and supported educational efforts through, then anonymous, gifts. Levy’s earliest donations of art and antiquities date from the late 1940s, but his collection donation to the Museum in 1984 and subsequent Estate donation in 1990—more than 200 works and a generous bequest designated for collection purchases—radically transformed the collection and a cultural and education resource.

Levy’s collection interests were European art, maps and antiquities, which he approached with thorough research, conducted when travelling for business in Europe and subsequent trips across the globe. The Moderns looks at his passion for 20th century art, within the broader context of the McMaster collection.

The exhibition includes more than 30 works, some never before exhibited, by:
Mario Avati
Mary Cassatt
Georges Braque
Henri Gaudier-Brzeska
Tsuguharu Foujita
Josef Herman
Albert Marquet
Walter Sickert
Henri Le Sidaner

Image details, from left:  Henri Le Sidaner, Le Bouquet Devant la Fenêtre, n.d., oil, Gift of Herman Levy, Esq., O.B.E., Henri Gaudier-Brzeska,Maquette for Bird Bath, 1914, Levy Bequest Purchase, Mary Cassatt, Young Girl, c. 1878 – 1890, pencil, Gift of Herman Levy, Esq., O.B.E.

To date, the Levy Series exhibitions and its Publication Portfolio (available at MMA for $15) includes:
No. 1 The Past is Forgiven: Herman Levy and Josef Herman, in their Times, 2007.
The exhibition focused on the 15 Herman Levy collection works by Polish-born artist Josef Herman (1911-2000), the largest single holding that Levy acquired by a living artist.
No. 2 Northern Art in the Age of Cock, Dürer, Rubens & Rembrandt, 2007. This exhibition featured early German and Netherlandish works from the Herman Levy collection and the Levy Bequest Purchase Programme.
No. 3 The French School, 2008. This exhibition highlighted works from the French School by such artists as Bernard, Bonnard, Braque, Degas, Dufy, Friesz, Gaugin, Marquet, Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Rouault, and Le Sidaner.
No. 4 125 & 45: An Interrogative Spirit, 2012. The Museum of Art celebrated both the 125th anniversary of McMaster University and the 45th anniversary of the Museum in 2012. A two part exhibition highlighted some of the key donors, benefactors and landmark moments represented by collection art works.
No. 5 The Moderns (publication forthcoming)