Whom You Know: Abstract Drawings opens today at Smithsonian American Art Museum

Monday, June 18, 2012

Abstract Drawings opens today at Smithsonian American Art Museum

Exhibition

"Abstract Drawings"

June 15 - Jan. 6, 2013

Where

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Eighth and F streets N.W.

Graphic Arts galleries, second floor

Description

"Abstract Drawings" presents a selection of 46 works on paper from the Smithsonian American Art Museum's permanent collection that are rarely on public display. From simple sketches to highly finished compositions, these works represent the rich possibilities of abstraction as a mode of artistic expression. American artists began to experiment with abstraction in the early 20th century. The installation includes works from the 1930s to 2009 by artists such as Joseph Cornell, Gene Davis, Jacob Kainen, Willem de Kooning, Man Ray, Theodore Roszak and Sean Scully. Most abstract drawings were created as independent works of art in which the artist explored an idea or the relationship of forms and colors, as in "Bones" (1987) by Andrea Way or "Saber Dance" (1952) by Davis. In many of the drawings, references to objects, figures or places remain visible, but they have been transformed into compositions that have only a passing resemblance to their source of inspiration, such as Charles Seliger's1945 series of 14 illustrations for the unfinished satire "An Island in the Moon"by poet William Blake. The collages on display in the installation by Cornell were based on Rorschach inkblots that were then transformed into images by the artist's imagination and deft addition of line. Some of the featured drawings were preparatory for works of art in another medium, such as Al Held's "Untitled (Study for Order/Disorder/Ascension/Descension)" (1975), which he created for an enormous two-part mural commissioned for the Social Security building lobby in Philadelphia.

The artworks on display were selected by Joann Moser, senior curator.

Public Programs

Kate Maynor, paper conservator, will give a gallery talk Thursday, July 12, at 4 p.m. "The Big Draw Family Day" is Saturday, Oct. 6, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. A gallery talk by Moser will be scheduled in the fall; see the museum's website for details.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum, located above the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metrorail station, is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., except Dec. 25. Admission is free. Follow the museum on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, ArtBabble, iTunes and YouTube. Smithsonian information: (202) 633-1000. Museum information (recorded): (202) 633-7970. Website: americanart.si.edu.

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