"Speak softly and carry a big fish" - Face Value at the National Portrait Gallery

Earlier this week, I was invited to the press preview and opening reception for the National Portrait Gallery's (NPG) newest exhibit- "Face Value: Portraiture in the Age of Abstraction."

Honestly, I can't say enough good things about this exhibit. It is one of those amazing times when everything just works: the exhibit design, the flow in the gallery, the narrative, and the subject matter. 

The gallery has two entrances, each with a remarkable statement piece. I entered the exhibit from the exhibit's main entrance and was greeted by Joan Brown's Self-Portrait with Fish and Cat (1970). This portrait is bold, not just in size and color, but in subject matter as well. It sets the tone for the rest of the exhibit. And is where the quote in the title comes from, as the Director of the National Portrait Gallery, Kim Sajet, joked that this portrait had inspired her new mantra: "Speak softly and carry a big fish." 

Co-currator Wendy Wick Reaves beginning the tour of the exhibit with:

Self-Portrait with Fish and Cat

Joan Brown (1938-1990)

1970

Oil enamel on masonite Courtesy of George Adams Gallery, New York

In this exhibit, the art truly speaks for itself. The exhibit design works so well with the artwork. The muted gray tones allow visitors to completely focus on the portraits. The simple frames allow the works to shine, breaking from more traditional portrait exhibits, which often seem to utilize the idea that the more ornate the frame, the more prestigious the portrait. With the objects in this exhibit ranging from small square portraits to wood-cuts outs, the staging of the exhibit could have become a challenge to the exhibit's feel and flow. But the placement of the cutouts - placed on simple white circles - allows for easy flow and study. David Ward, Senior Historian at the NPG and co-curators of "Face Value,  even joked that they might seem too inviting, as he wouldn't want visitors attempting to shake Jack O'Hare's hand. 

Frank O'Hare

Alex Katz (born 1927)

1959-1960

Courtesy of the artist and Pace Gallery, New York. 

As I moved through the gallery, I let myself be drawn to different works. One of those works was Elaine de Kooning's Harold Rosenberg. At first I was confused, because it was so different from my idea of a portrait prior to this exhibit. It is loud, inexact, and informal. But it all works. De Kooning's abstraction influences are obvious, but the subject is still easily recognizable (its always great learning new art tidbits from the curators themselves). While explaining this portrait, Brandon Brame Fortune - one of the exhibit's co-curators and the Chief Curator and Curator of Painting and Sculpture - told us that the NPG would be doing an entire de Kooning exhibit next year, which should be wonderful. 

Brandon Brame Fortune explains de Kooing's influences and subject choice.

Harold Rosenberg

Elaine de Kooning

Oil on Canvas

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

My favorite piece, by far, was Chuck Close's Nancy. From the moment I saw it, I was drawn to it. There is just something about the painting. Close referred to his series of large figure studies as heads instead of portraits, wanting to shock his audience with the scale. And he does just that. The detail is exquisite, from her freckles and somewhat frizzy hair to her overlapping front teeth. She is not perfect, but she is hauntingly beautiful in this portrait. And she is an important piece in this exhibit, both as a Chuck Close piece and as an anchor for the exhibit. Whenever I looked over at this part of the exhibit, I found myself staring at her; there's something about Nancy.

Nancy

Chuck Close (1940-)

1968

Acrylic on Canvas

Milwaukee Art Museum, Gift of Herbert H. Kohl Charities, Inc.

In the photograph above is another one of my favorite pieces from the exhibit: Marisol Escobar's Hugh Hefner. This piece was originally commissioned for Time and donated to the NPG. I love this piece because its odd. A comment from David Ward during this part of the tour really struck me. He said that Hefner was "attempting to make sex serious" and this portrait of his kind of alludes to that. Despite his elongated head (yes, I know what I just said) and two pipes, the piece has a seriousness about it that is in opposition with Hefner's brand. 

Hugh Hefner

Marisol Escobar (1930 -)

1966-77

Polychromed wood

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; Gift of Time magazine. 

As I left this gallery for the last two rooms, there was an obvious shift in the feeling of the art. As I was transitioning to art made in the late 1960s and 1970s, it made sense. This was a period in American history where the social norms and the status quo were being questioned.  And this is especially true when it comes to art. It is also more risqué art, delving into the most personal aspects of people's lives. 

From Robert Rauschenberg's Booster - the artists's de-heroization of the space race- to Robert Carston's Classical Exposure - a showing of support and solidarity with the growing women's movement of the 1970s, there is a lot of social commentary in this room. This is not simply a reaction to the post-war/Cold War era, but an in your face question of society. 

The exhibit closes with two portraits: Portrait of Andy Warhol by John Browning Wyeth and Portrait of Jamie Wyeth with Tan Background.  Wyeth suggested to Warhol that they paint each other's portraits and these were the results. The portraits are great examples of the styles the two men were know for: realism and pop. Placed at the end of the exhibit, these portraits are true statement pieces. And that statement, according to co-curator and Senior Curator of Prints and Drawings Wendy Wick Reaves, is that "portraiture was back."

On left: Portrait of Jamie Wyeth with Tan Background, Andy Warhol (1928-1987), 1976, Acrylic and screenprint on canvas, Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art, Nashville, TN.

On right: Portrait of Andy Warhol, James Browning Wyeth (1946-), 1976, Oil on Canvas, Botanical Garden and Museum of Art, Nashville, TN.

As I mentioned, there are two entrances to this exhibit. The second one is located near the end of the exhibit's narrative. At this entrence, visitors are greeted by Barkley Leonnard Hendricks' Sir Charles, Alias Wille Harris.  The curators mentioned that this exhibit has a large number of pieces by African-American artists and female artists, who were held outside the "Old Boys Club" that many of the well-known mid-century portrait artists belonged to. Which allowed them to to create some truly interesting pieces, according to the currators. And I would have to agree. This piece evokes cool, which is somewhat fitting because visitors enter "Face Value" from the exhibit, "American Cool." 

Sir Charles, Alias Wille Harris

Barkley Leonnard Hendricks (1945-)

1972

Oil on Canvas

National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; William C. Whitney Foundation

And don't forget to check out the gift shop for fun "Face Value" memorabilia! You know I love a great museum shop and the National Portrait Gallery has always had a great one. If you are looking for a fun Mother's Day present for an art loving mom, check out the exhibit catalogue. Its a beautiful book that starts with the poem Hand With A Picture" by John Ashberry, which was commissioned specially for the exhibit. 

It was a great morning at the museum and I was excited to come back that evening for the opening reception to see what other people thought of the exhibit. 

When I walked into the reception I was greeted with the sound of jazz, the smell of food, and the chatter of people talking all around the atrium.

Everyone seemed excited to see the exhibit, but first there were a few presentations. After cocktails, food, and jazz, we listened to Kim Sajet welcome everyone to the exhibit. Then we were listened to a reading of John Ashberry's poem "Hand With A Picture," read by Steven Schmidt. 

I have to admit that I was slightly distracted at the beginning of the reception because I discovered that they could create a shallow pool in the middle of the artium. How cool is that!

At the end of the presentation portion of the reception, we were treated to an amazing performance piece by Daniel Wurtzel called Pas de Deux. It was an absolutely mesmerizing installation, with the two pieces of fabric floating and intertwining in the sparkling air. (This is only a sneak peak, I promise there is more to come on this amazing piece.)

After the presentations ended, we headed upstairs to view the exhibit. I wandered around trying to gauge people's reactions to the exhibit and watch how the flow of people worked in the gallery space. Both were extremely positive. People seemed to really connect with the images, which is exactly what are is suppose to do.

"Face Value: Portraiture in the Age of Abstraction" opens today, April 18th, and runs through January 15, 2015. The National Portrait Gallery is open daily from 11:30am to 7:00pm. 

Monuments Men: The True Story

So, this past month, as everyone has been talking about all the great Oscar movies and the fun new comedies, my focus was on something a bit different. I had been waiting to see the movie The Monuments Men for ages and so, opening weekend, my mom and I decided to go see if it lived up to our expectations. 

And it totally did! Now, I know that it received mixed reviews, so I'm going to say this right now. This a story about how museum curators and art specialists become reluctant action heroes (kind of) to save the most amazing art in Western Europe. This is not your typical war movie, with big battle scenes and lots of explosives. That would be bad for the art. And despite the fact that there are many comedians in the film, this is not a comdey. It is Hollywood's version of a true event and -as in all life stories - there are highs and lows, so it is part comedy, part drama, and part action movie all rolled into one. 

Anyway, I loved this move, so I decided to do some more digging into the true story of the Monuments Men. I am still deciding whether or not to read the book the movie is based on by Robert Edsel. But in the mean time, I did some searching to find out more about the true story. And those searches led me to the Archives of American Art and their current exhibit The Monuments Men: On the Frontline to Save Europe's Art, 1942-1946. 

I decided to go and check it out. An important piece of information on the logistics of the exhibit. The Archives of American Art is located in an office building on 9th Street in DC. However, the exhibit is in a room that the Archives has in the National Portrait Gallery/ America Art Museum complex. Hopefully this clears up any confusion if you decide to go (I was a bit lost at first). 

When I finally figured out where I was suppose to go, I entered the museum complex through the Portrait Gallery side and made my way towards the atrium. 

And through the door on the left side. There are no signs directing you towards the exhibit and the people I asked were a bit confused with what exhibit I was looking for. So, I figured that I would give you directions. 

Once through this door, go to the end of the short hallway and turn right into the Lawrence A. Fleischman Gallery.  

There, now you've made it to the exhibit!

The exhibit is small but effective, telling the story of these remarkable men and women through photographs and documents. Although there are only six cases of objects in the exhibit, the pieces chosen by the curators seem to tell a complete story. 

It begins with the George Leslie Stout's concerns about the potential loss of centuries worth of European art and his original proposal concerning the "Protection of Monuments." Stout was an art conservator at the Fogg Musuem at Harvard and one of the main advocates for the need to protect European art - and thus European history and culture - from destruction. 

Draft Proposal for protection of monuments, December 1941.Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. 

The call for action went out from many of the country's top museums shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor and many members of the art community heeded the call. 

Monuments Men Walker Hancock (second from left) and George "Ole Pops" Stout (second from right), June 1945. Thomas Carr Howe papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. 

The exhibit continues to tell of the search for the massive collection of art that the Nazis had stolen and hidden away. 

**Spoiler: If you have not seen the movie yet and want to be surprised how it plays out, stop reading now. The next parts will give pieces of the movie away.**

Inventory list of looted art from the Göring collection found at Berchtesgaden and transported by truck to Munich Central Collecting Point for repatriation, July 26–August 4, 1945. Thomas Carr Howe papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

One of the most important recoveries in the movie was the recovery of Michelangelo's Madonna and Child. It occurs almost at the end of the movie and appears to be the most important discovery for the team. We see some of the repatriation of art, but much of it is glossed over by George Clooney's character (Based on George Stout) in his debriefing with Roosevelt. 

Rescuing Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child, Altaussee, 1945. Thomas Carr Howe papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

But the exhibit goes further. It shows the vast amount of art that had to be catalogued and repatriated. Images of the crate stacked on top of crate and stack after stack of painting convey the shear volume of this operation. 

Herr Sicher, George Stout and Thomas Carr Howe inspecting paintings, 1945 July 9. Thomas Carr Howe papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

One of the most interesting characters in the movie is Claire Simone (played by Cate Blanchett). She is one of the only women in the movie but plays an extremely important role. That character is based on Rose Valland, a French art historian who worked tirelessly to save thousands of pieces of art during and after Nazi occupation. Part of the exhibit that I really enjoyed was seeing her during the cataloguing and repatriation of the recovered art. 

Edith Standen and Rose Valland examine artwork, armor, and sculpture to be returned to France, May 1946. James J. Rorimer papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

At the back of the exhibit was an interactive panel, which allowed visitors to call a number and hear an interview with one of the original members of the Monuments Men. In theory, this is an amazing idea, a way to draw the audience further into the story. In reality, however, it just didn't work for me. All the interviews I tried were fuzzy and hard to hear, likely because of their age and the original quality of the recording. If there was a way to clean up the recordings, I think I would have really enjoyed that part of the exhibit. 

Over all, I truly enjoyed the Monuments Men exhibit. As an art fan and a member of the museum field, the importance of this story really hits home. Throughout the movie, people keep asking the Monuments Men if the art is worth the sacrrifce. I believe that it is. Because it is not just something pretty to admire, but a part of history and culture that reflect where society is at that point in time. And I am grateful to all the men and women involved in the protection and recovery of this art.

On a side note, this elderly couple was in the room the entire time I was there (I tend to take much longer than most people in exhibits because I am taking and retaking photos and making sure I jot down enough information in my notes). They seemed to have a true connection with the event, making me wonder if they had seen any of this up close. 

The exhibit opened the same day as the movie, February 7th, and will be on display until April 20, 2014. The museum is part of the Smithsonian, so admission is free. The museum complex is open from 11:30am to 7:00pm. 

And if you have time, enjoy a cuppa in the atrium, it really is beautiful!