Displaying items by tag: kiki smith

Boston architect and Cleveland native Graham Gund, a 1963 graduate of Kenyon College, and his wife, Ann, have donated 80 modern and contemporary works of art to Gund's alma mater.

Many of the works are already displayed on the campus, the college said in a story published Wednesday in its official Kenyon News.

The college described the works, by masters including Pablo Picasso, Frank Stella, Kiki Smith, Paul Manship, Dale Chihuly and Christo and Jeanne-Claude, as comprising "a multimillion dollar value."

A selection of 100 works from the nearly 10,000 acquired during the tenure of the Shelby White and Leon Levy Director of the Brooklyn Museum, Arnold Lehman, is being presented in his honor on the occasion of his retirement in the summer of 2015. "Diverse Works: Director’s Choice, 1997–2015," on view through August 2, 2015, includes works in a wide range of media from every corner of the globe. Spanning many centuries, the exhibition brings together important objects from all of the Museum’s collecting areas.

The selections range from an ancient Chinese mythical carved figure (5th–3rd century b.c.e.) to contemporary works by Kiki Smith and Chuck Close, and a mixed-media collage (2013) in a customized frame from the American artist Rashaad Newsome.

Stéphane Aquin holds a distinguished profile in the Canadian art world and abroad, in part because he arrived to the role of curator from art criticism, but also because, in an era of revolving doors and fast-tracked career-making, Aquin has stayed with one institution—the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA)—for a long stretch of time, putting his head down and achieving increasingly strong exhibitions. Over the course of 16 years, he has accomplished major solo exhibitions with the likes of Pipilotti Rist, Tom Wesselman, and, most recently, Peter Doig, what many consider (including Aquin) his crowning achievement at the MMFA. In addition, he has curated interpretations of the Chapman brothers, Andy Warhol, and Alfred Hitchcock, and expanded the museum's collection by more than a thousand artworks, including works by David Altmejd, Kiki Smith, Antony Gormley, Dorion FitzGerald, and Michael Snow.

As a small-town Midwestern boy in the 1940s, Robert Duncan saved souvenir license plates from cereal boxes, not knowing that he was igniting a passion for collecting painting and sculpture.

"The stakes are just higher in contemporary art," says Mr. Duncan, now 72, "and the game is more fun."

Mr. Duncan and his wife, Karen, have spent decades building a collection of contemporary art that former museum director George Neubert ranks among the 50 best in the country. It encompasses nearly 2,000 works by such artists as Louise Bourgeois, Bruce Nauman, Yinka Shonibare and Kiki Smith.

The couple live in Lincoln, Neb., but maintain strong ties with their hometown of Clarinda, Iowa, where they went on their first date as junior-high students. The Duncans are turning the 1908 Carnegie library there into the Clarinda Carnegie Art Museum.

While many feared the worst for Atlantic City while Hurricane Sandy battered New Jersey, the east coast’s gambling mecca made it out relatively unscathed. Even Atlantic City’s $13 million public art project, “Artlantic,” was spared. Scheduled to open this Friday, the project hopes to inject some culture into the city, which is mainly associated with waterfront casinos and its famed Boardwalk.

“Artlantic: wonder” is the first phase of the five-year project that was designed by freelance curator, Lance Fung. Dominated by two large outdoor spaces, the form for “Artlantic” drew inspiration from the city itself and the legendary roller coasters on Steel Pier. Sheltered from the storm by 22,000 sod staples, “Artlantic” survived the relentless wind and water summoned by Sandy.    

While installations by artists such as Kiki Smith and Robert Barry will appear in these outdoor spaces, another site will be unveiled on Friday. Stretching 8,500-square-feet, this site will include a wooden-walled stage created by the artist John Roloff. When not being used for performances, the stage will be a stand-alone abstract artwork.

The Atlantic City Alliance, a marketing agency, and the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, are splitting the cost of “Artlantic” and have received funds from local businesses. The project organizers are using private land that is on loan for “Artlantic” meaning the land can be developed by the owners at any time. Hopefully the project will fulfill its five-year run, adding a new facet to an already iconic city.