The Rose Art Museum plans to debut five new exhibitions on September 17 to the Brandeis community. With a strong legacy in making the visual arts accessible to students, the Rose Art Museum has continuously created compelling exhibits for the Brandeis community.
Although currently closed for renovations, the Rose will welcome the new exhibits “Image Machine: Andy Warhol and Photography,” “Light Years: Jack Whitten, 1971-1973,” “Omer Fast: 5000 Feet Is The Best,” “Minimal and More: 60s and 70s Sculpture from the Collection” and “Spotlight on the Collection: Al Loving.” All of these exhibits have been built on the Rose’s own rich collection of contemporary art. The collection is grounded on the development of abstract art in the 60s and 70s, from work produced in the studio of Andy Warhol to works from Jack Whitten.
One exhibit, “Spotlight on the Collection: Al Loving,” is part of the annual Collection in Focus Exhibit in which underrepresented and understudied pieces in the Rose’s collection are highlighted. “Spotlight on the Collection: Al Loving” presents the work of African-American artist Al Loving, an abstract artist who painted during the 60’s and 70’s in a time where African-Americans were largely removed from the abstract movement. The exhibit not only celebrates his artwork, but highlights his achievement as a pioneering artist.
Another part of the collection is the much-anticipated Andy Warhol exhibit: “Image Machine.” Joseph D. Ketner II, former Rose director, curated the exhibit. The exhibit is also part of a collaboration between the Rose and the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Warhol, best known perhaps for his involvement with the Pop art movement—such as the iconic images of Campbell Soup cans—also heavily explored photography in his art. The exhibit displays his photograph of contemporary famous peers, such as Cheryl Tiegs, Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie O and Gianni Versace. Warhol’s art pushed and challenged the definition of what art is by subverting the conventional in unexpected ways. By placing repeating images of the Campbell soup cans in a museum setting, for example, Warhol both elevates the simple soup cans and also offers a critique of popular consumer culture and commercialism. Similarly, these ideals are explored in “Image Machine” with photographs of celebrities.
Another contemporary artist of Warhol is Jack Whitten, whose work is also featured in one of the exhibits, “Light Years: Jack Whitten, 1971-1973.” The exhibit will premiere some of Whitten’s never before seen work and will showcase Whitten’s large-scale pieces as well as some of his experimental smaller drawings.
Exhibits will feature simplistic sculpture from the same time period in “Minimal and More: 60s and 70s Sculpture from the Collection.” The media of cinema is explored in “Omer Fast: 5000 Feet Is The Best.” Fast’s 30-minute video, which will be viewed in the Mildred S. Lee Gallery, was created from a series of conversations conducted with a former U.S Air Force Predator Drone operator and explores the idea of warfare against drone surveillance.
Indeed, the re-opening of the Rose promises a wide variety of exciting and thoughtful art exhibits that are worth a visit.
