The Picker Art Gallery, which closed in 2012 for an inventory of Colgate’s art collection, reopened last week with two exhibitions of artwork by prominent American artists Richard Serra and Diane Arbus.
Richard Serra, Venice Notebook 2001, #7, 2002. 1-color etching. Collection of Paul J. Schupf ’58 Living Trust, Gregory O. Koerner ’88, Trustee. © 2014 Richard Serra/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo by Mark Williams
Serra’s pieces, lent to the Picker by trustee emeritus Paul J. Schupf ’58, are primarily from the artist’s collection of Venice Notebook etchings.
The series, featuring more than 20 prints, was created when Serra made sketches of his own sculptural work at the 2001 Venice Biennale.
The exhibition highlights Serra’s lesser-known work in sketching as well as his talent for printmaking.
It is accompanied by a catalogue containing an interview with Schupf and master printmaker Xavier Fumat, who collaborated with Serra on the pieces in the exhibition.
The collection of photographs by Arbus is the largest ever to be showcased in a university museum. Composed of 27 images, the exhibition depicts subjects of all walks of life she found in New York City during the 1950s and ’60s.
Her work studies the range of human experiences and examines their many intricacies. The pieces were lent from the collection of John ’85 and Susan Manly Pelosi ’85.
Last Wednesday, Jeff Rosenheim, curator in charge of photography at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, gave a lecture titled “Diane Arbus and American Photography.”
The exhibition opening featured remarks from President Jeffrey Herbst and Anja Chávez, director of university museums, as well as Schupf and Jill Shaw, the Picker’s senior curator of collections.
Both Shaw and Chávez were excited that the exhibitions are from such influential names in the art world. “These artists are international phenomenons,” said Shaw. “They’re really incredible works.”
The exhibition will be open until Jan. 10, 2015.