February 03, 2011

195 Promised Gifts of Art from Bay Area Collectors, Including Major Works by Pollock, Nauman, Smith, Beuys, and Sherman

SFMOMA launches a collections campaign with another spectacular cache of artwork: 195 promised gifts from nine Bay Area collectors, including major works by Diane Arbus, Joseph Beuys, Robert Gober, Eva Hesse, Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly, Bruce Nauman, Jackson Pollock, Ed Ruscha, Cindy Sherman, and David Smith, and others, spanning all media, from modern and contemporary painting, sculpture, photography, and design, to new media and conceptual-based works. The full press release is here. Some nice pictures, here:

Jackson Pollock, Black and White (Number 6), 1951; enamel on canvas; 56 x 45 in.; Promised gift of Helen and Charles Schwab © 2011 Pollock-Krasner Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Shomei Tomatsu, Japan World Exposition, Osaka, 1970; dye transfer print; 10 3/8 in. x 15 1/2 in.; Promised gift of Randi and Bob Fisher © Shomei Tomatsu

Jeff Koons, Two-Ball Total Equilibrium Tank (Spalding Dr. J. Silver Series, Wilson Aggressor); 1985; glass, steel, sodium chloride reagent, distilled water, and basketballs; 63 in. x 36 13/16 in. x 12 13/16 in.; Collection SFMOMA, fractional and promised gift of Norah and Norman Stone in memory of John Caldwell © Jeff Koons

Francis Bacon, Figure with Two Owls, Study for Velazquez, 1963; oil on canvas; 78 x 75 in.; Collection SFMOMA, fractional gift of Helen and Charles Schwab © 2011 Estate of Francis Bacon / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

 Jackson Pollock, Square Pouring, 1948; oil on masonite; 24 x 24 in.; Promised gift of Helen and Charles Schwab; © 2011 Pollock-Krasner Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Christopher Wool, Untitled, 2007; enamel on linen; 126 in. x 96 in.; Promised gift of Chara Schreyer © Christopher Wool

Joseph Beuys, Untitled (Vitrine with Four Objects/Plateau Central), 1962-1983; mixed media in painted wood, steel, and glass vitrine; 81 1/8 in. x 19 11/16 in. x 86 5/8 in.; Collection SFMOMA, fractional and promised gift of Norah and Norman Stone © 2011 © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst Bonn, Germany

Ed Ruscha, Evil, 1973; artist’s blood on red silk over wood stretcher; 20 in. x 24 in.; Promised gift of Robin Wright and Ian Reeves © Ed Ruscha

It’s pretty stunning. Highlights include:

  • Multiple works by Jackson Pollock and David Smith, along with masterworks by Francis Bacon, Chuck Close, Jasper Johns, Yves Klein, Brice Marden, and Cy Twombly, among others.
  • Signature works by John Baldessari, Matthew Barney, Georg Baselitz, Robert Gober, Eva Hesse, Jeff Koons, Sigmar Polke, Ed Ruscha, Thomas Schütte, Richard Tuttle, and Luc Tuymans, which enhance SFMOMA’s already strong holdings by these artists.
  • A major concentration of 30 sculptures and works on paper by Joseph Beuys, which contextualizes and enhances the museum’s stellar track record of collecting and presenting postwar German artists such as Anselm Kiefer, Sigmar Polke, and Gerhard Richter.
  • Significant additions to SFMOMA’s renowned photography collection, including works by Japanese artists Yayoi Kusama, Daido Moriyama, Hiroshi Sugimoto, and Shomei Tomatsu; 19thcentury works by Timothy O’Sullivan and Carleton Watkins; and key works by Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Nan Goldin, Cindy Sherman, and Paul Strand.
  • Twelve outstanding works by Bruce Nauman, three of which were made in the 1960s when he lived and worked in the Bay Area. Together with the museum’s existing Nauman holdings, these pieces make SFMOMA one of the leading repositories of the artist’s work in the world.
  • A series of works on paper by Ellsworth Kelly that, together with the museum’s Kelly paintings and those in the Fisher Collection, will position SFMOMA as the global authority on the artist’s work.
  • Major works by Doug Aitken and Gary Hill that will strengthen the museum’s media arts holdings, and a signature work by Roy McMakin for the architecture and design collection.
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