Displaying items by tag: Crocker Art Museum

In its only North American presentation, The Age of Albrecht Dürer: German Drawings from the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris, has opened at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento. The panoramic exhibition of German drawings is centered on Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528), considered one of the greatest and most influential artists of the Northern Renaissance and a pivotal figure of German humanism. This iconic artist's life is seen in an exceptional selection from one of the world's best drawings collections.

Crocker Art Museum, 216 O Street, Sacramento, CA
Through October 11, 2015
For information call 916.808.7000 or visit www.crockerartmuseum.org

Armin Hansen (1886–1957) sought to capture the raw power and vitality of the Pacific and those who sailed it rather than the beauty of the ocean’s light and color for its own sake. Although the San Francisco native at times painted lush still lifes, spirited rodeo scenes, and loosely rendered landscapes, his signature subjects were fisherfolk and the sea.

Often described as impressionist, Hansen’s art departed from the calm and colorful beauty that characterized the style, even though he used bold colors and, at times, broken brushstrokes. For the most part, Hansen rejected Impressionism’s gentility to focus on humanity’s interaction and contests with nature. He did so with broad masses of color, dynamic compositions, and the elimination of superfluous detail. At heart a storyteller, he had an ability to create compelling narratives.

Hansen’s artistic stories are shown through 100 works, including oils on canvas, watercolors, and etchings. The exhibition is organized by the Pasadena Museum of California Art in collaboration with the staff of the Crocker Art Museum, and is made possible in part by a grant from SMAC.

The Crocker Museum served as a storage space for precious pieces of artwork for Japanese families during WWII.

The museum says it recently discovered the it kept precious items for several families sent away to relocation camps, and is now trying to track down those families.

Registrar John Caswell says he recently discovered in old archived documents that the Crocker Museum once served as storage space for Japanese-American families forced into war relocation camps back in 1942.

The Crocker Art Museum has completed construction of a 125,000 sqf expansion designed by Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects (GSAA). The Teel Family Pavilion more than triples the museum’s current size and enhances its role as a cultural resource for California and the state’s many visitors. One of GSSA co-founder Charles Gwathmey’s last major public projects, the Crocker Art Museum expansion complements the 125-year-old museum’s historic structures, which includes one of the first purpose-built art museum buildings in the United States.

In addition to extensive new galleries for temporary exhibitions and the display of the Crocker’s permanent collection, The Teel Pavilion includes expanded educational and art studio space, a teacher resource center, a space for participatory arts programming for children and adults, an expanded library, and a new student exhibition space and teaching galleries. The Anne and Malcolm Henry Works on Paper Study Center greatly improves access for visiting scholars studying the Crocker’s outstanding master drawings collection, and for the public. The expansion also provides space for onsite collections care and storage, as well as a new conservation lab. New public amenities, including a 260-seat auditorium, a café with indoor and outdoor seating, and a redesigned Museum Store, have also been added. The first floor is open to the public free of charge and free Wi-Fi will be available.

Project architect Gerald Gendreau said, “The design for the new Crocker Art Museum is about adding to the urban collage — complementing the historic Art Gallery building, tying to the green space that fronts the Museum, even engaging travelers on the adjacent highway — all while giving the Museum flexible spaces for growth now and into the future.”