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Niho Kozuru
Transplanted
2011
Molded rubber on steel base
Niho Kozuru was commissioned to create
Transplanted as a response to Isamu
Noguchi's Song of the Bird, which you can
see in the background. How do you think
Transplanted compares to Song of the Bird
in its color, form, line, space, and texture?
Isamu Noguchi
Song of the Bird
1958
Marble and granite
Song of the Bird was installed in the
Sheldon when the museum first opened
in 1963. The bird is represented by the
white marble piece on the left, while the
granite form on the right represents the
song, with “air holes” carved into it like
those on a musical instrument.
Click on a gallery to learn about
the exhibition Five Decades of Collecting
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
1960s
The 1960s are often viewed as a
troubled time in America due to the
Vietnam War, political protests, and
the assassinations of leaders like
President John F. Kennedy and
Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.
Helen Frankenthaler
Red Frame
1964
Acrylic on canvas
Artists like Helen Frankenthaler,
however, appeared indifferent to
these tumultuous times. Rather than
commenting on the world around
them, they concentrated on
elements unique to painting itself:
surface, shape, and pigment.
1970s
Robert Rauschenberg
Watermark
1973
Color screen print
Robert Rauschenberg, who was
nicknamed "the American Picasso"
because of his artistic energy and
daring, was an influential artist in the
1970s. He created collages and
assemblages that, like Watermark,
combine wildly different materials
and images, many of them found.
Beginning in the 1950s, his work
opened the doors for other bold
movements such as Pop art and
environmental art.
1980s
In the 1980s, many artists, including
David Salle, continued to follow in
Rauschenberg's footsteps. They
mixed ideas and images from
traditional art history—the sort of
paintings and sculptures we typically
see in museums—with those from
everyday culture, like advertisements, comic books, newspapers,
and television.
David Salle
Propeller
1987
Soft ground and aquatint
1990s
Jeff Koons
Balloon Dog
1995
Porcelain
In the 1990s, artist Jeff Koons didn't
just borrow images from popular and
consumer culture—he celebrated it.
Some of his most famous works
depict, for example, Michael
Jackson and the Incredible Hulk.
He even designed a BMW racing
car. One of the smallest, most
vibrant pieces of sculpture in
Sheldon's collection is Balloon Dog,
from a series of shiny objects that
included balloon dogs over 10 feet
tall.
2000s
In the 2000s, the Sheldon developed
its African American Masters collection, beginning an ongoing project
that aims to tell the full story of
American art. The photographer
Carrie Mae Weems is concerned
about how images of African
Americans are excluded from the
popular media. She uses artworks
like this to represent black people
and explore their life experiences.
Carrie Mae Weems
Kitchen Table Series, no. 4
2003
Platinum print
2010s
In the last few years, the Sheldon has
collected many more works by
nonwhite artists. In pieces like this,
Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie, who is Native
American, uses portraits not only of
her own family, but also of unknown
people of Native American ancestry. She revitalizes these old pictures,
increasing their size so that they
cannot be misplaced or forgotten.
Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie
Boy in the Moon
2005
Lambda digital platinum print