Allen Memorial Art Museum
Oberlin College
87 North Main Street
Oberlin, Ohio 44074
General information: 440.775.8665
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 9, 2013
Contact: Megan Harding
440.775.8670
www.oberlin.edu/amam
REALISM THEMED EXHIBITIONS OPEN AT OBERLIN’S ART MUSEUM
Oberlin, OH — Two major exhibitions at the Allen Memorial Art Museum examine
realism from its roots in mid-19th-century France to the present day. Regarding
Realism and Modern and Contemporary Realisms provide fresh interpretations
of works from the museum collection and are on view through June 22, 2014.
Realists sought to depict the world around them. They favored rugged
shorelines, farm scenes, and ordinary people performing daily activities—subjects
deemed by the French Academy as unworthy of serious art. “The Realism
movement—and the many artistic reactions to it—continue to have great relevance
today, which is why we chose it as the theme for this academic year and for a host of
related events,” said Andria Derstine, the museum’s John G. W. Cowles Director.
Whether by practicing direct observation, depicting accessible subjects, or
portraying social truths, the Realists sought an aesthetic that was true to life.
Regarding Realism shows how the movement first achieved cohesion in mid-19thcentury France, where such artists as Gustave Courbet, Jean-François Millet, and
Charles-François Daubigny began to frankly portray the natural landscape, working
classes, and rural society. Open-air paintings and sketches Théodore Rousseau’s
landscape study La Source (ca. 1830), for example, set the stage for the later works
of Impressionist and post-Impressionist artists, including Claude Monet, whose
Wisteria (1919-20) is also on view.
The desire to depict contemporary life—subjects from the artists’ immediate
experience, rather than contrived scenes or historical subjects—soon reverberated
throughout the rest of Europe and then in America. A monumental canvas by James
McDougal Hart, Peaceful Homes (1868), is shown alongside prints by American
Regionalists, such as Grant Wood and Thomas Hart Benton, who depicted everyday
scenes of the Midwest. Urban scenes were favored by artists of the Ashcan School—
John Sloan and George Luks, for example—who recorded the grittiness of urban life.
Regarding Realism was organized by Curatorial Assistant Sara Green, a
2012 graduate of Oberlin College, with assistance from Assistant Curator of Modern
and Contemporary Art Denise Birkhofer.
The works in Modern and Contemporary Realisms range from colorful
Expressionist paintings of the early 20th century to highly detailed Photorealist
works by Chuck Close and Audrey Flack. “The artists are not concerned with
creating truthful representations of actual people, places, or objects, but rather filter
their subjects through their own particular style or aesthetic,” said Assistant Curator
of Modern and Contemporary Art Denise Birkhofer, who organized the exhibition.
Highlights include Picasso’s 1911 canvas, Glass of Absinthe, a Cubist work
that retains a recognizable still-life subject, along with two paintings by Marc
Chagall that offer dream-like compositions. Works in the Pop Art category include
Andy Warhol’s silkscreened Jackie (1963), Claes Oldenburg’s 13-foot Giant Saw
(1966), and Red Grooms’ near-life-size Token Booth with Nude Commuters (1975).
Also featured is a section of works in the Socialist Realism genre—primarily
propagandistic works from China and the former Soviet Union—organized by
Curator of Academic Programs Liliana Milkova.
RELATED EVENT
Thursday, December 5, 5:30 p.m.
“Courbet’s Realism” — Lecture by Linda Nochlin
Linda Nochlin, a leading scholar in the field of 19th-century art, holds the Lila
Acheson Wallace Professorship in Modern Art at New York University’s Institute of
Fine Arts. Nochlin’s 1971 book Realism remains the standard source for study of the
art movement. She is known for her seminal essay “Why Have There Been No Great
Women Artists?” and other publications such as Women, Art and Power, The Politics
of Vision: Essays on 19th-Century Art and Society, and Representing Women.
For complete event listings, please visit www.oberlin.edu/amam.
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HOURS: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday 1 to 5 p.m.; closed
Mondays and major holidays. Free educational or group guided tours may be
arranged by calling 440.775.8671.
The Allen Memorial Art Museum cares for more than 14,000 works that provide a
comprehensive overview of the history of art. We work with Oberlin College faculty
and students to promote direct study of original works of art, foster visual literacy,
and deepen appreciation for the diversity of world culture. Founded in 1917 with
the idea that learning about art is important for everyone, the museum offers free
admission.