Washington, DC.— The Kreeger Museum is pleased to announce that “Tom Wesselmann Draws” will be on view through July 30th. In the 1960s, Tom Wesselmann was one of the key figures in the Pop Art Movement along with Andy Warhol, Roy Lichenstein, James Rosenquist and Robert Indiana. He was a brilliant colorist, superior draftsman and innovator of new techniques, who devoted his life to his art and his family. Tom Wesselmann Draws is the most comprehensive exhibition of drawings by the artist that has ever been assembled. The exhibition includes over 60 works, many of them large in scale and created from materials not usually associated with drawing, including steel, aluminum, fabric, and molded plastic. In addition, many of the pieces on view have never been seen outside the artist’s studio in New York City.
The exhibition, which covers drawings from his entire career spanning 1959-2004, was originally curated in 2003 by Wesselmann and his wife Claire and encouraged by Emilio Steinberger, Director of the Haunch of Venison Gallery in New York City. Wesselmann passed away in 2004 at the age of 73 and the show was put on hold. Five years later, Claire felt ready to revisit the project. “Working in collaboration with the Museum on the installation of the exhibition, his wife Claire will apply her own aesthetic sensibilities to capture the essence of her husband’s oeuvre,” says Greenberg. As stated by Aimee Walleston in the December 2009 issue of Art in America, “Claire Wesselmann is as alive as in Wesselmann’s drawings, with a keen intellect and a uniquely personal take on her husband’s practice. Some supporters have urged me to put together a drawing show because I have never had a major drawing show. The project interests me from another point of view in that I have made drawings in ways more adventurous than what many envision…The scope of the show will be to present a well edited selection of the best drawings available covering the full range of my varied production. I don’t view the show as delineated by decades in any way, but as a continuity of drawings as they occurred…A show that will enlarge the common perception of what a drawing is to a surprising and rewarding degree.” – Tom Wesselmann, New York City, 2003. The exhibition opened at Haunch of Venison in November 2009 and travelled to the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale, Nova Southeastern University in October 2010. The Kreeger Museum will complete the run of the show. The catalogue, Tom Wesselmann Draws, Haunch of Venison, New York, 2009 accompanies the exhibition.
One of the greatest legacies of David and Carmen Kreeger is the museum that bears their name. In 1959, Mr. and Mrs. Kreeger began to amass a formidable collection of modern art. For the next fifteen years they assembled most of the museum’s holdings. The collection of The Kreeger Museum reflects the spirit of the Kreegers. It is important to note that the collection represents a shared vision. Mr. and Mrs. Kreeger both agreed on every piece in the museum. The Kreeger’s approach to collecting was a personal one. As David Kreeger said “I never bought art as an investment. I bought it for love and I was lucky. Art that embodies the creative spirit of men transcends the value of money.” At first glance the collection may seem eclectic, but the astute viewer will note that the unifying elements are color and texture. There is also a musical quality to many of the works. The Kreeger Museum opened its doors to the public on June 1, 1994. The Board of Directors appointed Judy A. Greenberg as the Director of The Kreeger Museum. As the founding Director, Ms. Greenberg has provided vision and conceptual leadership and has been responsible for originating innovative programs involving art, architecture and music for the museum and the Washington, DC community. The mission of The Kreeger Museum is to enhance the understanding and appreciation of art, music and architecture. The goal is to continually strive for excellence by presenting temporary exhibitions, public programs, educational initiatives and collaborations that relate to the Museum’s mission. The collection is mainly comprised of works from the 1850s to the present. The Impressionists are represented by nine Claude Monet paintings, as well as works by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, and Camille Pissarro. From his early work to the end of his life, the career of Pablo Picasso can be traced through his paintings at the Kreeger. Other 20th century European artists include Edvard Munch, Max Beckmann, Wassily Kandinsky, and Joan Miró. The American artists are introduced by the graceful motion of an Alexander Calder mobile. Visitors can either lose themselves in the infinite space of a painting by Clyfford Still, or enjoy the sly Pop humor of James Rosenquist’s Bowling Ball Diptych. The permanent collection also includes a collection of traditional works of art from west and central Africa. There are also a few Indian and Pre-Colombian pieces. Visit the museum’s website at … http://www.kreegermuseum.org/
