Displaying items by tag: found objects

Self-taught, Overtown artist Purvis Young used little more than found objects and paint to craft his works, renowned for their rare ability to capture both hope and despair in the midst of urban strife and upheaval.

Finding patrons and fans in the likes of Bernard Davis (owner of the now-defunct Miami Museum of Modern Art), Lenny Kravitz, and Dan Aykroyd, among others, Young made an indelible mark on the city's artistic evolution.

Now, in honor of Black History Month, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in North Miami is launching a new exhibition: "Under the Bridge, Beyond the Beach and Above the Muck: The Art of Purvis Young."

It's not the sort of thing you generally see in a museum: a comfortable easy chair, a working TV set turned to an afternoon talk show on which "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" mom Kris Jenner is making salsa.

But this unlikely arrangement is, in fact, a work of art, on view as part of the Hammer Museum's Robert Heinecken retrospective, "Object Matter." The longtime L.A. artist, who passed away in 2006, was known for his pioneering use of found photographs in sculptural assemblages and vast wall installations. He was also known for undertaking guerrilla actions, such as surreptitiously printing images into new editions of "Time" magazine and then returning the copies to the newsstand. (San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art has an example.)

The inaugural installation of a biennial art exhibition, performances by Ronald K. Brown’s Evidence dance company, and a screening of Gia Coppola’s film “Palo Alto,” with a live performance of its score by Devonté Hynes are among the highlights of the fall season at BRIC House, the multimedia arts center in Brooklyn.

The art exhibition, BRIC Biennial: Volume 1, Downtown Edition, will include works by more than two dozen artists, including pieces built of found objects (particularly copies of The Village Voice) by Scherezade Garcia, paintings by Vince Contarino and large-scale works on paper by Ruby Onyinyechi Amanze. The exhibition opens on Sept. 20 and is to run through Dec. 14.

The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation announced that six American museums have acquired works by Robert Rauschenberg thank to its Gift/Purchase Program. The program was designed to expand public access to and awareness of Rauschenberg’s work by offering institutions the opportunity to acquire artworks from the foundation’s collection through equal parts gift and purchase.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York acquired “Bande de Surete/Twin City/Nipples (Cardboard)” and “Vow (Jammers);” The Minneapolis Institute of Arts in Minnesota gained “Park/ROCI MEXICO;” the Museum of Modern Art in New York obtained “Nabisco Shredded Wheat (Cardboard),” “Gull (Jammer),” and “Stop Side Early Winter (Glut);” The New Orleans Museum of Art in Louisiana acquired “Melic Meeting (Spread);” The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in California gained “Rosalie/Red Cheek/Temporary Letter/Stock (Cardboard);” and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York obtained “Untitled (Venetian).”

The works, which were created across two decades, are from some of Rauschenberg’s most important series. His Cardboards explore the aesthetic potential of everyday materials; the Venetians are sculptural works reminiscent of the Italian city’s atmosphere; Jammers, which were inspired by a trip to India, celebrate the sensual qualities of fabric; Spreads are large-scale works that combine printed imagery and found objects; Gluts touch on socioeconomic issues; and the artist’s ROCI series was created as part of a humanitarian project that promoted world peace through artistic dialogue with local cultures.

Rauschenberg, who helped bridge the gap between Abstract Expressionism and Pop art, was a pioneering figure in 20th century art. He is best known for his “Combines,” which are part painting and part sculpture. Rauschenberg often used found objects and non-traditional materials in these works.