The Curated Object

Exhibitions Reno. Arthur and Lucia Mathews: Highlights of the California Decorative Style. The Nevada Museum of Art. The Curated Object

 

Lucia K. Mathews, Four-Panel Screen, n.d.. Plywood, oil paint, gold leaf. Collection of the Oakland Museum of California, Gift of Concours d'Antiques, the Art Guild.

 

 

 

 

Arthur F. Mathews, Youth, c. 1917. Oil on canvas. Collection of the Oakland Museum of California, Gift of Concours d'Antiques, the Art Guild.

 

 

 

 

 

Lucia K. Mathews, Rectangular Box with Lid, c. 1929. Painted wood. Collection of the Oakland Museum of California, Gift of Concours d'Antiques, the Art Guild.

 

 

 

 

Arthur F. Mathews, Youth, c. 1917. Oil on canvas. Collection of the Oakland Museum of California, Gift of Concours d'Antiques, the Art Guild

 

Arthur and Lucia Mathews: Highlights of the California Decorative Style

June 16 - October 14, 2012 

Arthur and Lucia Mathews, two of California’s most prolific artists working in the California Decorative Style during the early twentieth century, are featured in the exhibition Arthur and Lucia Mathews: Highlights of the California Decorative Style opening June 16 at the Nevada Museum of Art. The aesthetic the Mathews fostered incorporated classical references, idyllic landscapes and a muted tonal color palette applied to a variety of works from murals and paintings to wooden frames and decorative objects. Their careers unfolded during the height of the American Arts & Crafts movement, when an emphasis on fine design and craftsmanship was placed on the hand-made production of material goods and objects.

As residents of San Francisco, the Mathew’s philosophical emphasis on the importance of aesthetics and design contributed to the revitalization of the city following the 1906 earthquake. In many of their paintings, California is represented as a new Arcadia, with mythological figures wearing fanciful Greek robes dancing or frolicking in idyllic settings. They often incorporated stylized motifs based on swans, peacocks, zodiacal figures, and botanicals into their work, and their landscape paintings of cypress trees on the Monterey Peninsula—where they spent many summers—have become icons of that region.

All of the artworks in this exhibition are from the collection of the Oakland Museum of California. Major Sponsorship forArthur and Lucia Mathews: Highlights of the California Decorative Style is provided by George and Irene Drews, Ed and Ella Kleiner, Gordon and Cecile Peters, and John H. O. La Gatta.

For mrore information please visit: www.nevadaart.org.

 

Exhibitions Reno. Tiffany & Co. Arms from the Robert M. Lee Collection. The Nevada Museum of Art. The Curated Object

 

Colt Single Action Army Tiffany & Co. Revolver, (popularly known as a Third Generation Colt Single Action Revolver), 1985. Robert M. Lee Collection © 2012 Robert M. Lee Trust. All rights reserved. No reproduction of photos without prior permission. 

 

Cased Pair of Presentation New Model Belt or Navy Pistols (popularly known as the Colt Model 1861 Navy Pistols), 1863/1867. Robert M. Lee Collection © 2012 Robert M. Lee Trust. All rights reserved. No reproduction of photos without prior permission. 

 

Smith & Wesson Presentation and Exhibition Frontier Tiffany & Co Revolver, circa 1892-93. Robert M. Lee Collection © 2012 Robert M. Lee Trust. All rights reserved. No reproduction of photos without prior permission. 

 

 

Tiffany & Co. Arms from the collection of Robert M. Lee

February 11 - May 20, 2012 

In an exclusive, single-venue showing, the Nevada Museum of Art presents Tiffany & Co. Arms from the collection of Robert M. Lee featuring objects from the finest-known collection of privately owned Tiffany & Co. firearms rivaled only by those on view in the Robert M. Lee Gallery of American Arms at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. On view February 11 - May 20, the exhibition features six Tiffany & Co.-designed revolvers, four pistols, one rifle, and one presentation sword from the Robert M. Lee Collection. 

The most distinguished name in decorative firearms in America is Tiffany & Co.—a surprise to those who might otherwise recognize the firm as a legendary purveyor of fine silver, jewelry and luxury objects. Founded in 1837 by Charles Lewis Tiffany, what became Tiffany & Co. commenced business just one year after the young inventor Samuel Colt registered his new designs for revolving pistols and long arms with the U.S. Patent Office. In the 175 years since then, the paths of Tiffany & Co. and Colt crossed many times. Among the other American gun makers with ties to Tiffany & Co. are Henry Deringer, Winchester, and Smith & Wesson. 

The magic of Tiffany & Co. arms drew clients the likes of Theodore Roosevelt,‖ states R. L. Wilson, Curator of Firearms for the Robert M. Lee Collection, ―and inspired the creative instincts of the firm's designers, from the first objects of the mid-19th century, continuing up through modern times. The Robert M. Lee Collection showcases some of Tiffany's most exquisite pieces." 

Tiffany’s production of presentation swords and fine guns began in the 1850s, reached a peak during the Civil War period (c. 1861-65), and continued through the close of World War I (c. 1918). The art of Tiffany & Co. arms was revived c. 1982, and remained active until c. 2001, with innovative modern era designs created by the firm’s Corporate Division. The Tiffany & Co. items in this exhibition span just over a century — they were made as early as 1893 and as recently as 1994. 

All of the rare arms in this exhibition are featured in a series of books being published by Yellowstone Press, under the umbrella title The Art of the Gun. The first book in the series, Magnificent Colts Selections from the Robert M. Lee Collection, will be released in January 2012 and available in the Nevada Museum of Art’s Museum Store. 

EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS: 

This special exhibition of selected Tiffany & Co. arms is the first major showing since The Artistry of Tiffany's Decorative Arms organized in 1991 by the firm's Archivist, Janet Zapata. That presentation was at the flagship Tiffany & Co. store on Fifth Avenue and 57th Street, New York, and coincided with premiering the Royal Armouries Smith & Wesson Tiffany Special, commissioned by the Armouries for display at Her Majesty's Tower of London. Among those present at the opening of the 1991 exhibition were the Lees, which led to adding the 'American Eagle Colt Army Pistol' to the Lee collection. 

**Among creators of the exquisite decorations on Tiffany & Co. arms was Paulding Farnham, considered by many to be the firm’s premier designer. The elaborate sword in this exhibition, featuring embellishments by Farnham, was presented to Admiral Robley D. Evans, Commander of the U.S.S. Iowa in the Battle of Santiago, a major victory in the Spanish-American War. 

**Certain pistol handle types made in the 19th century are identified by collectors as ―Tiffany grips.‖ These were sometimes manufactured by Tiffany & Co., but most were produced by other firms, primarily in New York City—such as Schuyler, Hartley & Graham, military goods dealers and distributors. A Police Colt with Mexican Eagle Tiffany & Co. grips is featured in this exhibition. 

**Tiffany & Co. was renowned for its skills at etching, and a cased and inscribed pair of silver- and gold-finished, elaborately etched, Colt Model 1861 Navy revolvers—presented to frontier hero Wm. ―Buffalo Bill‖ Mathewson—is included in this exhibition. 

The objects included in this exhibition are from the private collection of Robert M. Lee. 

Exclusive sponsorship of Tiffany & Co. Arms from the collection of Robert M. Lee provided by the Wayne L. Prim Foundation. 

For more information please visit: The Nevada Museum of Art

 

Exhibitions Reno. Art Glass of the Tiffany Era. The Nevada Museum of Art. The Curated Object

 

 

Tiffany Studios, Lamp with Turtleback Motif, Early 20th century. Collection of Dr. Byron Vreeland. Photo courtesy Christopher Martin.   The Duffner & Kimberly Company, Lamp with Wisteria Motif (detail), Early 20th century. Collection of Dr. Byron Vreeland. Photo courtesy Christopher Marti    Thyatira (detail), c. 1902, Stained glass, Tiffany Studios, New York. Exhibition organized by In Company with Angels, Inc.   The Duffner & Kimberly Company, Lamp with Nasturtium Motif (detail), Early 20th century. Collection of Dr. Byron Vreeland. Photo courtesy Christopher Martin.   Seven stained glass windows, c. 1902. Stained glass, Tiffany Studios, New York. Exhibition organized by In Company with Angels, Inc. ART GLASS OF THE TIFFANY ERA

February 11, 2012 through May 20, 2012

 

The Nevada Museum of Art is excited to announce its upcoming exhibition Art Glass of the Tiffany Era, on view February 11 through May 20, 2012. This is a unique presentation that will unite two distinct displays exploring the range of art glass produced during the early twentieth century: Out of the Forest: Art Nouveau Lamps, showcasing 20 exquisite lamps and In the Company of Angels: Seven Rediscovered Tiffany Windows.

Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848–1933), an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts, is best known for his work in stained glass. Originally a painter, he became interested in glassmaking around 1875.  In the beginning of his career, Tiffany used cheap jelly jars and bottles because they had the mineral impurities that provided a depth and texture that finer glass lacked. Unable to convince glassmakers to retain the impurities, Tiffany began making his own glass in a variety of colors and textures that became his trademark for designing numerous stained glass windows and lamps, glass mosaics, blown glass, ceramics, jewelry, enamels and metalwork.  To this day, Tiffany is the American artist most associated with the Art Nouveau and Aesthetic movements.  

Out of the Forest: Art Nouveau Lamps

This exhibition features 20 stained glass lamps manufactured in the early 20th century by the companies of Tiffany, Handel, Durand, and Duffner & Kimberly. The exhibition focuses on themes related to the Art Nouveau style and its inspiration in nature, as well as the history related to the various design companies who competed for customers at the turn of the century. The exhibition includes an interpretive space aimed at serving children and families. 

All of the objects in this exhibition are from the private collection of Byron Vreeland.

In the Company of Angels: Seven Rediscovered Tiffany Windows

Comprised of seven stained glass window panels, the works in this exhibition were created by Tiffany Studios at the beginning of the 20th century and named for the angels in the Book of Revelation from the Bible. The windows were originally installed in the Church of the New Jerusalem in Cincinnati, Ohio until it was taken by eminent domain and demolished for highway construction in 1964. The windows, crated and stored in various garages and sheds for decades, were re-discovered in 2001. This national exhibition tour debuts the story of these seven rediscovered Tiffany Windows.  

Arthur Femenella, a Tiffany stained glass expert, and conservator overseeing the restoration of these windows, explains: “These Tiffany windows are selected from a rich and varied palette of opalescent, drapery, rolled, textured, antiqued and flashed glass.  The faces and flesh of the angels are delicately hand painted with vitreous paint.  The rest of the windows are exquisitely plated, a technique developed by Tiffany and John La Farge involving the mechanical layering of layers of glass used to achieve great depth.”  

The exhibitions that comprise Art Glass of the Tiffany Era will be on view February 11 through May 20, 2012. Programming, including lectures, performing art, a film, and tours, will be offered in conjunction with the exhibition. The E.L. Cord Museum School will also offer classes, workshops, and design studios on the design and craft of art glass.  

For more information please visit: The Nevada Museum of Art

Exhibitions Reno. Bryan Christiansen: Trophy Hunter. Nevada Museum of Art. The Curated Object

Bryan Christiansen, La-Z- Boy, 2008. Leather upholstery from discarded furniture. Courtesy of the artist. 

Bryan Christiansen, Buck (floral sofa), 2009. Wood, metal, and foam from dismantled furnitur. Courtesy of the artist. 

BRYAN CHRISTIANSEN: TROPHY HUNTER

Feb. 20-May 9, 2010

Launching the Nevada Museum of Art’s Nevada Emerging Artists Series, Trophy Hunter is artist Bryan Christiansen’s first solo exhibition, and his Museum debut, opening February 20 through May 9, 2010. The Nevada Emerging Artists Series, a new ongoing exhibition program designed to support the work of select Nevada-based artists, is generously sponsored by The Satre Family Fund of the Community Foundation of Western Nevada.

A recent graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, Christiansen creates life-sized contemporary sculptures from discarded household furniture, such as mattresses, bed springs, couches and recliners. Having experienced all the requisite activities of a rural childhood growing up in a small log cabin in the Black Hills of South Dakota, Christiansen’s hand-crafted works challenge the conventional notions of traditional rural life.

 “We are thrilled to launch the Nevada Emerging Artists Series with such an impressive young artist. As a recent university graduate, Bryan brings a fresh eye and new talent to the art world as a whole, and to the Museum, with his contemporary sculptures – sculptures that ask viewers to re-examine their accepted traditions and urban surroundings. His works beg to be discovered and the Museum looks forward to announcing the next Nevada-based artist in the Series and bringing their work to the forefront of the regional arts scene in the state and across the nation.”

Christiansen’s works stand in for the trophies, antler mounts, and pelts so often prized by hunters, and represent his own triumph of the present over the past and his strength to confront some of life’s most challenging contradictions.

Christiansen ventures into forgotten urban alleyways and parking lots to search for discarded furniture, recalling the ritualized pursuit of stalking and hunting animals.  Once he returns to the studio, he proceeds to “skin and gut” the furnishings, as though he were eviscerating a fresh kill. In acknowledgment of Native American traditions, however, he makes sure that nothing goes to waste, saving and bottling everything down to the last bit of sawdust and string. 

Christiansen’s sculptures recall the work of 1950s assemblage artists Bruce Conner and Ed Kienholz, who used gritty discarded objects to probe such issues as the passage of time, death, and decay.  Unlike the work of these artists, however, Christiansen’s reconstructions are exquisitely crafted, featuring exposed hand-stitching and floral fabrics that have more to do with making sense of life than they do with dwelling on death.

For more information please visit: The Nevada Museum of Art

 

Exhibitions Reno. Frank Lloyd Wright and the House Beautiful. The Nevada Museum of Art. The Curated Object

Frank Lloyd Wright, Textile, Design 102, “Taliesin Line” by F. Schumacher and Co., 1955. Courtesy of Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Scottsdale, AZ.

Frank Lloyd Wright, Hanging Lamp (reproduction), Susan Lawrence Dana Thomas House, 1903. Courtesy of Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Scottsdale, AZ.

Frank Lloyd Wright, Japanese Print Table, 1898. Courtesy of Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Scottsdale, AZ.

Frank Lloyd Wright, Light Screen, Darwin D. Martin House, Buffalo, New York, c. 1903. Pair of pier casement windows.

Frank Lloyd Wright, C. Thaxter Shaw House, living area, Montreal, Canada, 1906. © Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation,
Scottsdale, AZ

Frank Lloyd Wright and the House Beautiful
April 19, 2008 - July 13, 2008
FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT’S FURNITURE, TEXTILES AND DRAWINGS
PRESENT HIS VISION FOR THE HOUSE BEAUTIFUL

The Nevada Museum of Art (NMA) presents Frank Lloyd Wright and the House Beautiful, an exhibition showcasing Wright’s skill in creating harmony between architectural structure and interior design while fulfilling the needs of a modern lifestyle.  During his remarkable 70-year career, Frank Lloyd Wright was committed to the development of a truly American style of architecture and to the creation of furnishings and accessories that enhanced the surroundings in his revolutionary spaces. Frank Lloyd Wright and the House Beautiful presents more than 100 original objects including furniture, metal work, textiles, drawings, publications and accessories from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and other collections. This is the first exhibition dedicated to Wright’s decorative and graphic designs since the 1970s.  Frank Lloyd Wright and the House Beautiful will be on exhibit at the NMA from April 19 through July 13, 2008.
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Frank Lloyd Wright and the House Beautiful on Exhibit at the Nevada Museum of Art; pg. 2 Contact: Megan Klein, Communications Associate, at 775.329.3333 ex. 263 or mklein@nevadaart.org.

The phrase “house beautiful” was coined in the early 20th century to refer to a principle of architectural and social reform which proposed that quality of life could be improved by designing one’s material environment.  Frank Lloyd Wright’s fascination with this ideal was apparent early in his career when he designed the book titled The House Beautiful, and it remained central to his architectural philosophy throughout his career.

This exhibition is divided into three themes that represent the methods by which Wright practiced the philosophy of the “house beautiful.” Each section is presented through period and contemporary photographs of Wright interiors to provide context for the original objects on view. The first section introduces how Wright sought to develop a modern interior reflective of a uniquely American spirit of democracy and individual freedom. The next section illustrates Wright’s development in integrating the space with furnishings and architectural elements. Finally, the exhibition explores his experimentation in bringing these ideas to the homes of average Americans.

Wright believed families would benefit from living in a tasteful and well-designed house. Examples of metal work, stained glass windows, furniture, light fixtures, drawings and architectural plans, textiles, publications and accessories, and photographs of home interiors combine to tell the story of Wright’s contributions to modern American life.  Frank Lloyd Wright and the House Beautiful presents a philosophy for creating interiors that radiate a sense of inner beauty and modern spirit.

The NMA is the last stop for Frank Lloyd Wright and the House Beautiful.  The national tour included installations at the Naples Museum of Art in Florida, the Boise Art Museum, the Portland Museum of Art in Maine, and the Philbrook Museum of Art in Oklahoma.

This exhibition is presented as part of the NMA’s Art + Environment exhibition series, an initiative that brings community, artists, and scholars together to explore the interaction between people and their environments.

ORGANIZATION
Frank Lloyd Wright and the House Beautiful is organized by International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC, in cooperation with The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Scottsdale, AZ.

For more information please visit: The Nevada Museum of Art
-Joanne Molina