Collecting in Depth: Seven Artists from The Maslow Collection
Everhart Museum, Scranton, PA
Feb 02, 2006 - Apr 09, 2006
There is no universally accepted or standard rationale for collecting art. The determination of a particular focus is most often based on the interests of the collector, though of course this focus may expand or change over time. Beyond satisfying the initial esthetic taste of the collector the collection may also grow in such a way that it embraces a desire to know and experience the range of work produced by one or more artists represented in the collection. The depth of the collection is in part dependent upon this approach. Clearly if a collection only contained a single work by each of the artists in the collection it could only give a very limited snapshot of each artists' intent, especially since many artists do not confine themselves to only one medium or process.
The Maslow Collection, since its inception in 1982, has grown in such a focused manner that it both covers a wide range of artistic production occurring during the later half of the 20th Century as well as charts the development of many of the artists represented in the collection though the continued purchase of their work over time. The overall breadth and depth of The Maslow Collection provides the opportunity for a meaningful study of a significant body of work produced by artists (especially those working and or exhibiting in New York City) during the 80s and 90s.
A brief overview of the artists and works included in this current exhibition illustrates the depth of The Maslow Collection, even though the works selected are in many cases only a small fraction of the total works by each artist in the collection.
The works by Robert Cumming included in this exhibition include paintings, drawings, watercolors, photographs and sculpture spanning a period from 1979 to 1990, while the changing approach to art production and process, from early poured polyurethane sculpture to the shaped Rhoplex canvases (and more recent paintings),by Anthony Sorce covers over 40 years of work. Melissa Meyer's works in this exhibition represent well her approach to creating paintings and prints in both large and small scale. The changing approach to realism over a 13 year period is clearly evidenced through the works by John Beerman, while the movement from two dimensional to three dimensional space is expressed in the painted surfaces by James Biederman. A study of the relationship between the drawing and maquette to the finished piece of sculpture can be understood in the presentation of Kevin O'Toole's work, and Mark Cohen's highly articulated photographic point of view can be realized in the 7 images included in this exhibition.
It is significant to note that the current exhibition which includes 7 artists chosen from the over 150 artists represented in The Maslow Collection could be repeated over and over again with the selection of other artists in the collection. Artists such Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein, Jasper Johns, Frank Stella, Larry Brown, Will Mentor, Rex Lau, and Jerry Zeniuk, to name but a few, are each represented with at least 5 or more works in The Maslow Collection.
Works Included
John Beerman
Big Yellow Cloud, South of Highway 64 North of Taos, NM, 1989
Fisher Beach, 1998
The World is Breathing, 1985
Unpossessible Being, 1986
What is the Sense of Leaving Your House, 1985
James Biederman
Go-Jo, 1984
Etivaz, 1987
untitled, 1987
untitled, 1988
Albanian Tango, 1990
Ba Boom, 1983
Mark Cohen
Boy in Pit. April 1971
Girls Hiding from Camera. February 1972
Paper Hat. March 1978
Girl Coming Out of Ocean. July 1980
Girl Carrying Ritz Crackers, 1981
Boy Approaching White Line, 1981
Girl in White Dress Skipping, 1981
Robert Cumming
Small Constelation 3, 1987
Red Perceives Only a Bulb in the Outline, 1979
Orbits Down, Eyes Red, 1990
Forefinger of Nature, 1986
Light in the Window, Look to the Floor, 1989
Burning Box #2, 1988
Flame Motif: Plan for Temperature Turn Up, 1989
Industrial Bowl, 1983
Kevin O'Toole
LW 51-89, 1989
Study for LW 51-89, 1989
untitled, 1988
Study for untitled, 1988
LW 60-90, 1990
Study for LW 60-90, 1990
LWR 86-92, 1992
Study for LWR 86-92, 1992
LWR 97-92, 1992
Melissa Meyer
In Love With Night, 1992
Volterra, 1990
untitled, 1987
Brooklyn VIII, 1992
XI, 1990
Havemeyer (Survey Suit I ), 1992
Stagg (Survey Suit II ), 1992
Thames (Survey Suit II ), 1992
Anthony Sorce
Polarity, 1983
Emergence, 1969
Blue Reflections, 1974
Untitled (AVS/Glowing Presence), 1989-92
Montauk, 1981-82
Diagonal, Caravaggio Suite, 1995
Crossing Arcs, Caravaggio Suite, 1995
Vergil's Melody, 1994