New Acquisitions for the Art Gallery at University of Saint Joseph
The University of Saint Joseph Art Gallery acquired new pieces for its collection at a Purchase Party on November 16, 2012. Members of Friends of the Art Gallery chose from a group of works pre-selected by Gallery Director Ann H. Sievers. The new acquisitions will remain on view at the Art Gallery through Sunday, December 16, 2012.
The Art Gallery, located in The Bruyette Athenaeum on the University of Saint Joseph’s West Hartford campus at 1678 Asylum Avenue, is open Tuesday - Saturday: 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.; Thursday: 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.; and Sunday: 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.; closed Monday. Admission is free of charge.
The members’ first choice was a color woodcut by Vassily Kandinsky, one of the founders of the German Expressionist group Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider). First published in his artist’s book Klänge (Sounds), “Two Riders on a Red Background” was printed in an artist-supervised edition in 1938 for inclusion in XXe siecle, a fine arts journal that published original prints.
The second work selected is an untitled color lithograph (1953) by Cuban-born Wilfredo Lam for an issue of the art review, Derrière le Miroir. The lithograph shows the abiding influences of Surrealism and Afro-Cuban culture on his work. Both works, which were purchased with funds set aside from members’ annual dues, help fill gaps in the Gallery’s collection of 20th century art.
A third work was subsequently purchased with a combination of Art Gallery funds and gifts from individual donors. Enrique Chagoya’s “Escape from Fantasylandia: An Illegal Alien’s Survival Guide” (2011) is a codex – an accordion-folded artist’s book – made with lithography and gold metallic powder on the bark-based paper used by ancient Meso-American cultures. Embodying what the artist terms “reverse anthropology,” it re-imagines an alternative history in which the dominant culture of the 21st century is Meso-American rather than Anglo-American.
