Category Archives: PA Art

Noségo

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Noségo: Died a Few Times to Live This OncePast Lives, 2018, acrylic on wood panel, 32” x 32”

Noségo: Died a Few Times to Live This Once

Exhibition Dates: December 14, 2018 – February 9, 2019

Opening Reception: December 14, 2018 • 5:30 – 10:00pm

November 12, 2018 (Philadelphia, PA) – Paradigm Gallery + Studio is pleased to present Died a Few Times to Live This Once, an exhibition of new works by the Philadelphia-based contemporary artist Yis ”Noségo” Goodwin. The exhibition, marking Noségo’s third solo presentation with the gallery and his first solo exhibition in his hometown of Philadelphia in 3 years, will open on December 14, and remain on view through February 9, 2019. There will be an opening reception at the gallery on December 14, from 5:30 to 10pm.

Employing a distinctively unrestrained visual vocabulary of vivid colors and bold patterns, anthropomorphic forms and irregular shapes, Noségo’s richly colorful, dreamily surreal new series explore themes of resilience and rebellion.

Executed with an extraordinary degree of freedom and panache spanning the full breadth of the artist’s multidisciplinary practice, the exhibition will feature new acrylic paintings as well as never before exhibited mural and sculpture—his most personally significant presentation of his works to date.

Derived from childhood memories and a seemingly boundless imagination, ambiguous characters find themselves in unique, sumptuous atmospheres, at once strange and familiar, of and not of this world.

Through a dynamic cartoon-expressionist style, Noségo creates works of graphic intensity and fervent energy, painting meticulously rendered, high-spirited dispatches from earthly yet surreal realms, a dazzlingly radiant world of mythological characters, dreamlike scenes, and fresh, childlike imaginings.

Intuitively blending comic book aesthetics with a pop culture sensibility, his vibrant, saturated canvases are marvels of invention. Through a process of continual addition, disparate elements are fused into intricately worked tapestries—leaving the viewer pleasantly lost in lush, chimerical reveries.

Conjuring eclectic images from an ecstatic imagination, mythical creatures—part animal, part human, part object—nomadically roam in vortexes of brilliant color, playful and fantastical landscapes that look nearly as alive as his animated characters.

Possessing the sublime qualities of a lucid dream, Noségo’s highly inspired works of painterly improvisation transform the natural world into mysteriously alluring, joyously alive fantasias—manifest of an irrepressible creativity, his exuberantly painted canvases display an wholly original rapturous aesthetic vision.

Noségo: Died a Few Times to Live This Once

About Noségo Noségo is a Philadelphia based artist with a passion for combining fine art with contemporary styling. Through a marriage of dynamic patterns and vibrant colors, he creates whimsical environments with characters created from a place of playful imagination and the natural world. Deriving from infinite inspiration, that is, we are inspired therefore we can and should inspire others, themes of boundlessness run as a common motif throughout his work. This can be found through the interminable subjects he puzzles together through constant addition. Knowing that there’s perfection in the imperfect, he believes his work always has space for more in the constant pursuit of inspiration.

About Paradigm Gallery Paradigm Gallery + Studio® exhibits contemporary artwork from around the world with a focus on Philadelphia-based artists. Established February 2010, the gallery began as a project between co-founders and curators, Jason Chen and Sara McCorriston, as a space in which to create artwork, to exhibit the work of their peers, and to invite the members of the community to create and collect in a welcoming gallery setting. To this day the gallery still aims to welcome all collectors, from first time to lifelong, and continues to support accessible work that welcomes a wide audience.

Location: 746 S 4th St Philadelphia, PA 19147

Media Contact: Lainya Magaña, A&O PR 347 395 4155 lainya@aopublic.com

Thank you to Madison Fishman for the content of this post.

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Prints

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Joanne Isaac, Old City Coffee

OLD CITY COFFEE PRESENTS JOANNE ISAAC: PRINTS IN THE CAFE

Art Show will run from November 2 – February 1, with opening reception on First Friday

PHILADELPHIA – On Nov. 2 during First Friday, Old City Coffee will serve as the setting for the first posthumous showing of work by storied artist, Joanne Isaac. A reception will be held for guests to experience the charming, graphic world of an internationally-applauded printmaker.

With a specialty in etching, Isaac made a name for herself and attracted a loyal following with her series focusing on Pennsylvania Dutch barns and depictions of scenes from nature. Other notable career milestones include her books, Tom Thumb’s Alphabet (Putnam, 1970) and Amanda (Lerner Publications, 1968), the recipient of the 1968 award for years’ best illustration from the Society of Illustrators, New York. Isaac’s works can be found in the private collections of the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Embassy in Paris, and the Free Library of Philadelphia. Her work has also been presented internationally in Germany, Italy, Poland, Japan, Canada, Brazil, and Spain.

Joanne Isaac, Old City Coffee

As the creator of Old City Coffee’s original logo, Joanne’s influence is evident as soon as you walk into the café. The 4 oz. espresso cups, also designed by Joanne, encompass her thoughtful style with each deliberate detail adding to the overall feel of the brand. The simple, yet sophisticated, cups encircled by six, multi-hued, brown bands designed to evoke the taste, smell, and texture of the quintessential espresso experience. This thoughtful attention to detail communicates to customers the love and appreciation the business has for coffee as a whole. Isaac’s impact is also felt in the way Old City Coffee operates with a commitment to tradition and high quality goods, traits that have become synonymous with the specialty coffee brand. Her designs not only carry on a piece of family history, but also embody a holistic mindset inherited by her family.

Joanne Isaac, Old City Coffee

A woman ahead of her time, Joanne rejected the notion that she should work only as a homemaker and, instead, prospered as an artist with the full support of her family. As the mother of four, Joanne successfully juggled her career and family, and her influence can be seen in her two daughters who organized the exhibition. Joanne’s daughter Ruth is the founder and co-owner of Old City Coffee. Elder daughter Rachel, inspired by Joanne’s passion for art, followed in her mother’s footsteps as a professional artist and a framer.  Joanne’s legacy carries on through the two most important pieces of her life: her family and her artwork.

“Her commitment to and passion for her craft shone through in every piece and we want to continue sharing her work with the world,” says daughter, Rachel Isaac.

The showcase will be open to the public, with a kickoff opening reception on Friday, Nov. 2 from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. Pieces will be on display in Old City Coffee’s café area every day during operating hours. The display will end with a closing celebration on Feb. 1 from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. to commemorate the life and artwork of Joanne Isaac. For more information go to: www.oldcitycoffee.com

Thank you to Alex Styer, Senior Account Executive & Director of Digital Media at Bellevue PR for the content of this post.

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Moment

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Zelda Edelson: Color in the MomentZelda Edelson, Calif’s Palace, acrylic on canvas, 40” x 30”, 2018

Accomplished painter and editor from Philadelphia has first solo exhibition at

age eighty-nine in her hometown.

Zelda Edelson:  Color in the Moment

A solo exhibition by painter Zelda Edelson

 November 2 – 30, 2018

Curated by Amie Potsic

OPENING RECEPTION: First Friday, November 2, 5:00 – 9:00 PM Artist in attendance at 5:00 PM

LOCATION: Old City Jewish Art Center (OCJAC), 119 N. 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106

Contact:  Rabbi Zalman Wircberg, 215-627-2792  ocjac.org

HOURS: Thursdays and Fridays 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Sundays 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM and by appointment (Closed on Thanksgiving).

Admission is free.

Click the pics for large images.

Philadelphia, PA – Old City Jewish Art Center, located at 119 N. 3rd Street, Philadelphia, and Amie Potsic Art Advisory, LLC present Color in the Moment, a solo exhibition by painter and Philadelphia native, Zelda Edelson. At eighty-nine years old, Edelson presents her first solo show in the city, which highlights her new paintings.  Curated by Amie Potsic, CEO and Principal Curator of Amie Potsic Art Advisory, LLC, the show begins on November 2 and runs through November 30.  The opening reception will be on First Friday, November 2 from 5:00 – 9:00 PM with the artist in attendance at 5:00 PM to discuss her work with guests and patrons.  Gallery hours are Thursdays and Fridays from 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Sundays from 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM, and by appointment.  Admission is free and all are welcome.

Color in the Moment features Zelda Edelson, a prolific abstract painter who has created her own technique to enable her to paint from a walker used for balance.  Creating something positive from challenging circumstances, her paintings are colorful and evocative.  Edelson begins each painting with a gesture of the arm to create the first mark with her palette knife.  The paint begins to flow and Edelson becomes invigorated, losing herself in the process.  She paints on the areas of the canvas she can reach first.  Then turning the painting, she accesses the previously unreachable portions to complete it.  When each painting is finished, Edelson enjoys the process of bringing her diverse background to bear as she writes insightful titles for each work.  Sharing her love of painting through gesture, color, and form, Edelson’s work reveals a voice that is both seasoned and spontaneous.

Edelson explains, “My paintings are full of color, feeling, and movement.  They are lyrical like a song, strong like a knot, and intricate like a spider’s web.”  Her work is in the tradition of Abstract Expressionism as were her strongest influences:  artists Paul Klee, Jackson Pollock, and Willem de Kooning.

Zelda Edelson: Color in the MomentZelda Edelson, Interrupted, acrylic on canvas, 40” x 30”, 2018

Zelda Toll Edelson was born in Philadelphia on October 18, 1929. Edelson traces her interest in art and painting to an experimental art class she took while at Girls High taught by distinguished artist and teacher Jack Bookbinder.  This first introduction to modern art had a profound effect on her, which she would act on many years later.  As a young woman, Edelson was a bit of a radical, frequently going to far away parts of town to see a foreign movie or check out a bookstore. When she completed high school, she went to the University of Chicago, where she graduated with a major in English Literature.  After marrying Marshall Edelson, she eventually moved to Connecticut.  There she began her twenty-year career as Editor and Head of Publications for Yale University’s Peabody Museum of Natural History. In her role as editor, Edelson used her artistic sensibility to create skillfully produced photographs and illustrations to complement the natural history articles of the Yale faculty.

When she retired in 1995, Edelson decided to focus on painting.  She also moved back to Philadelphia, to her roots, where she still has many family members.  Zelda has exhibited her work at the Woodbridge Town Center and the Creative Arts Center in Connecticut as well as at Gallery Q2, The Jewel of India, Art for the Cash Poor, and Main Line Art Center in the Philadelphia area. She received an Honorable Mention award in the 70th Annual Members’ Exhibition at Main Line Art Center in October of 2007.  At eighty-nine years old, Edelson now lives in Haverford, PA, where she continues to be a prolific painter.

 Zelda Edelson: Color in the MomentZelda Edelson, Romance In A Winter Light, acrylic on canvas, 24” x 18”, 2012

Curator of the exhibition, Amie Potsic, MFA is the CEO & Principal Curator of Amie Potsic Art Advisory LLC, Chair of the Art In City Hall Artistic Advisory Board of the City of Philadelphia, as well as an established photographer and installation artist.  Potsic has extensive experience curating exhibitions for museums, galleries, art organizations, and public spaces and offers Legacy Planning for artists and collectors.  Legacy Planning involves the opportunity to shape an artist or collector’s legacy, during their lifetime, to create meaning and purpose through a life’s work.  By documenting, exhibiting, and publishing their artwork as well as placing works with institutions and collections, she helps strengthen their artistic impact while relieving their loved ones of the difficult task of organizing an archive, studio, or collection.  Potsic presents this legacy exhibition to honor Edelson and her work.

Potsic received her MFA in Photography from the San Francisco Art Institute and BA’s in Photojournalism and English Literature from Indiana University.  She has held faculty appointments at the University of California at Berkeley, Ohlone College, and the San Francisco Art Institute and been a guest lecturer at the International Center of Photography, the University of the Arts, Tyler School of Art, and the Delaware Contemporary. Professional appointments have included Director of Gallery 339, Curator and Director of the Career Development Program at the Center for Emerging Visual Artists (CFEVA), and most recently Executive Director and Chief Curator of Main Line Art Center.  Curatorial projects have included exhibitions for the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts, the Office of Arts and Culture of the City of Philadelphia, Philagrafika, Moore College of Art & Design, Main Line Art Center, Maryland Art Place, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Founded in 2006, the Old City Jewish Art Center (OCJAC) was envisioned as a platform to build Jewish community through the arts.  Growing steadily since then, the OCJAC gallery has become an exhibition space for serious artists, holds monthly First Friday art receptions with a Jewish twist and provides social and Jewish holiday programs throughout the year. OCJAC is now a landmark gallery in the Philadelphia art scene and is the only gallery dedicated to Jewish artistic expression and cultural exchange in Philadelphia.  Using the arts as a springboard, the Old City Jewish Art Center advances and promotes the universal messages of Judaism and spiritually to the broadest possible audience.

Color in the Moment will be on view November 2 – 30, 2018.  The opening reception will be on First Friday, November 2 from 5:00 – 9:00 PM.  Gallery hours are Thursdays and Fridays from 11:00am – 4:00pm, Sundays from 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM, and by appointment.  Admission is free and all are welcome.

For more information, please contact Amie Potsic at amie@amiepotsicartadvisory.com or 610-731-6312.

Thank you to Amie Potsic for the content of this post.

Amie Potsic Art Advisory

Old City Jewish Art Center, 119 N 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106

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DECOROUS

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DECOROUS. Camp, Costello“Decorous exhibition, Installation view #1” Artwork by: Donald E. Camp and Aubrie Costello Ó Amie Potsic 2018

Iconic Philadelphia artists call for social justice and question American identity in

Decorous, the launch exhibition by Amie Potsic Art Advisory.

DECOROUS

Donald E. Camp  |  Aubrie Costello  |  Tom Judd

Curated and Presented by Amie Potsic, CEO & Principal Curator of Amie Potsic Art Advisory, LLC. 
In partnership with Michael Garden Group

July 19 – September 15, 2018

 – EVENTS –

OPENING RECEPTION: Thursday, August 16th, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

ADVISORY LAUNCH CELEBRATION & CLOSING RECEPTION: Saturday, September 15th, 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM

AMIE POTSIC INTERVIEWED ON ART WATCH RADIO: Wednesday, September 26th, 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM Listen on AM Radio WCHE Live stream at http://wche1520.com/project/art-watch/

Location: Space and Company, 2200 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA

Hours: Monday – Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Evenings and weekends by appointment. Admission is free

Inquiries and information: Amie Potsic, CEO & Principal Curator, Amie Potsic Art Advisory, LLC

amie@amiepotsicartadvisory.com

www.amiepotsic.com

610.731.6312

Presented in partnership with: http://www.michaelgarden.com/

DECOROUS, CAMP Woman Who Writes, Lorene CareyDonald E. Camp, Woman Who Writes/ Lorene Carey, Casein and raw earth pigment on archival rag paper. Photographic Casein Monoprint 22” x 30”, 2006, Ó Donald E. Camp 2006

Philadelphia, PA – Amie Potsic Art Advisory presents Decorous, an exhibition featuring Donald E. Camp, Aubrie Costello, and Tom Judd at Space and Company, located at 2200 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA.  Curated and presented by Amie Potsic, CEO and Principal Curator of Amie Potsic Art Advisory, in partnership with Michael Garden Group, the show is on view now through September 15.  The opening reception will be on Thursday, August 16th from 6:00 – 8:00 PM.  The closing reception and Advisory Launch Celebration will be on Saturday, September 15 from 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM.  Both events are free and open to the public.  Hours are Monday through Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM and by appointment.

Decorous, featuring Donald E. Camp, Aubrie Costello, and Tom Judd, elevates and honors the words, individuals, and histories in our collective unconscious.  The artists’ work melds social justice, politics, human rights, and personal narratives to yield a provocative and layered dialogue.  They give voice to those struggling to be heard, including African-American men, women, and those seeking a better life for their families.  With a distinctly American view on race, activism, and the frontier spirit, these artists invite us to confront and engage in conversation by elevating the every-man/woman to opulence, reverence, and relevance.

Presented at Space and Company, the artwork resonates with the ornate décor of the historic building.  The molding, accents, and chandeliers interact with the rough-around-the-edges aesthetic of the artwork to shed light on the fine line of between high and low culture as well as the line-in-the-sand drawn by class and racial differences.  Depicting those often marginalized as revered portraits and voicing their words in silk slogans alongside suited businessmen in free-fall conjures the possibility that roles can be reversed and identity can be reformed.

DECOROUS, JUDD, Diving figureTom Judd, Memories, 30” x 23”, Lithograph, printed by Ron Wyffels, 2018

Donald E. Camp is an NEA, Pew, and Guggenheim recipient whose work addressing the humanity of all people, including African-American men, has been influential on the national discourse related to race and human rights.  Tom Judd is a Pollock-Krasner awardee whose internationally exhibited paintings, collages, and documentaries have provided a vital American vision from coast to coast for decades.  During this exhibition, Judd also has new public art on view at the University of the Arts.  Aubrie Costello is a sought after silk-graffiti artist whose work speaks of truth and female power by creating interventions in galleries, public spaces, performances, and street art dialogues.  Together, their work embodies the growth, collaboration, and calls for social justice of our times.

Decorous is the launch exhibition presented by Amie Potsic Art Advisory, LLC.  The show celebrates the contributions of accomplished artists in Philadelphia while highlighting the curatorial expertise of the company’s founder. Potsic began the Advisory in January of 2018 in order to fill a void of support for artists, collectors, and institutions while helping them to create lasting artistic legacies.  Seeing a need among artists and collectors to plan for the future and create meaning from their life’s work, she now offers Legacy Planning as well as independent curatorial services and art advising. The closing reception for Decorous on September 15th will also serve as the launch celebration for the Advisory and will feature artist talks, entertainment, light fare, and libations.

DECOROUS, COSTELLO, StayAubrie Costello, Stay, Silk, chiffon, dressmaker pins, thread, 12” x 17”, 2017

Also this September, Potsic will be curating Natural Wonder, a large-scale photography and video exhibition presented through Inliquid at Park Towne Place.  The exhibition will feature Jenny Lynn, Caroline Elizabeth Savage, Keith Sharp, Laura Krasnow, and Leo Hylan.  Park Towne Place, located at 2200 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy in Philadelphia, will offer an opening reception for the exhibition on Thursday, September 20th at 6:00 PM.  Potsic and the artists in the exhibition will be presenting artists talks at the event.

On Wednesday, September 26th from 1:00 – 1:30 PM, Potsic will be interviewed on Art Watch Radio by host Lele Galer.  Potsic will discuss her Advisory and how she supports artists and collectors and provides legacy planning to solidify artistic legacies.  The show can be heard live on WCHE 1520 AM Radio and can be live streamed from their website at http://wche1520.com/project/art-watch/ .

Amie Potsic is the CEO and Principal Curator of Amie Potsic Art Advisory providing visionary and advisory support to artists, collectors, businesses, and institutions with expertise in Legacy Planning.  She is also Chair of the Art In City Hall Artistic Advisory Board to the Office of Arts and Culture of the City of Philadelphia as well as an established photographer and installation artist.  She has held faculty appointments at U.C. Berkeley and the San Francisco Art Institute and has been a guest lecturer at The International Center of Photography and The Delaware Contemporary. She also served as Director of Gallery 339, Director & Curator of the CDP at The Center for Emerging Visual Artists (CFEVA), Executive Director and Chief Curator of Main Line Art Center, and curated exhibitions for Philagrafika 2010 and The Philadelphia Museum of Art.

For more information, please contact Amie Potsic at amie@amiepotsicartadvisory.com or 610-731-6312.

Thank you to Amie Potsic for the content of this post.

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Modern Times

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Modern Times, Charles Demuth, Lancaster (In the Province No. 2)Lancaster (In the Province No. 2), 1920, by Charles Demuth, American, 1883 – 1935. Oil on canvas, 30 x 16 inches. Philadelphia Museum of Art: The Louise and Walter Arensberg Collection, 1950-5-1.

World-class Modernism Exhibition at The Philadelphia Museum of Art

By Bob Moore

The works of art in the Philadelphia Museum of Art‘s Modern Times exhibition, covering a period of artistic upheaval from 1910 to 1950, are seldom unexpected or unfamiliar. The modernist trend which they embody is deeply etched into our cultural unconscious, the background or context to everything that has happened since in the art world. Marcel DuChamp‘s nude descending her staircase, Georgia O’Keefe‘s succulent flowers, Marsden Hartley‘s colorful World War I compositions: these were the visual soil that Americans like myself grew up in.

Modern Times, Alfred Stieglitz, The City of AmbitionThe City of Ambition, 1910 (negative); c. 1930 (print), by Alfred Stieglitz, American, 1871 – 1944. Gelatin silver print, image/sheet/mount: 4 1/4 x 3 3/8 inches. Philadelphia Museum of Art: The Alfred Stieglitz Collection, 1949-18-47.

Walking through the 160-some pieces in the exhibition is like paging through the Modern American Art section of an extensive History of Art, with few outright surprises.

What is surprising (at least to me) in this exhibition was how many of these works are owned outright by the Philadelphia Museum of Art‘ (PMA). Not on loan from some internationally-recognized museum, but property of the PMA. Ours, all ours. This highlights a side of the exhibit not about Art but about Acquisitions. PMA’s Chief Executive Officer, Timothy Rub, in a foreword to the associated book, notes that “It was during the 1940s that the PMA’s holding of modern European and American art were established through several important gifts…” including donations by Albert E. Gallatin, Georgia O’Keefe and Alfred Steiglitz, and Walter and Louise Arensburg (not Annanberg, another Philadelphia philanthropist who bequeathed his collection instead to the rival Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York).

Modern Times, Marsden Hartley, Painting No 4 (Black Horse)Painting No. 4 (A Black Horse), 1915, by Marsden Hartley, American, 1877 -1943. Oil on canvas, 39 1/4 x 31 5/8 inches. Philadelphia Museum of Art: The Alfred Stieglitz Collection, 1949-18-8

There are a few works in the show not owned (yet) by the PMA: the book identifies one statue lent by a Museum Trustee and some fourteen paintings (including Charles Demuth‘s sizzling Jazz lent by another Trustee, with a note hinting at their eventual acquisition by the Museum.

The Modern Times exhibition curator was Jessica Todd Smith. In an essay in the associated book, she tells how the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA) pioneered Modern Art in Philadelphia. But an ill-fated one-month PAFA exhibition of works from the collection of Albert C. Barnes in 1923 caused a ridiculous public outcry (the work was “trash,” and “the creations of a disintegrating mind,” said reviewers; think of peasants with torches and pitchforks).

Smith says the “critical reaction to the Barnes collection in 1923 scared PAFA’s board from presenting any further exhibitions of modern art until the 1950s…” The controversy also led to Barnes’ alienation from the Philadelphia art scene and all that followed. See Philadelphia Inquirer, “Barnes at the Pennsylvania Academy: A scandal in 1923“, May 4, 2012, by much-missed art critic Ed Sozanski.

The PMA then “picked up the modernist gauntlet,” Smith writes, under museum director Fiske Kimball. Smith says other figures in PMA’s acquisition of American Modern Art included R. Sturgis Ingersoll and Carl Zigrosser.

In a footnote 41 to her essay, Smith notes that some work was excluded from the exhibition, including “work that wholeheartedly embraces abstraction to the exclusion of any hints of figuration, leaving out most geometric abstraction and, on the more painterly end of the spectrum, Abstract Expressionism…” She also regretted that the museum had holes in its collections, including Social Realism, Regionalism, Native American, and Central and South American art.

In footnote 25, Smith lists the various art clubs that kept Modern Art alive in Philadelphia, including the Philadelphia Sketch Club and the Philadelphia Art Alliance — but most notably not including the Plastic Club, an artists’ club which has been around since 1897.

The drama of acquisition politics and finance aside, however, the work in the Modern Times  show is a world-class exhibition put on single-handedly by our local museum. Don’t miss it!

MODERN TIMES: American Art 1910 – 1950, Philadelphia Museum of Art April 18-September 3, 2018

(Associated Book) AMERICAN MODERNISM: Highlights from the Philadelphia Museum of Art by Jessica Todd Smith

Thank you to Bob Moore for the content of this post.

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