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April Issue 2003
American Masters Visualize the Sounds of Music of the 2Oth Century at Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, SC
Helen Farr (Sloan) ---------------------------------------
Norman Lewis
On Apr. 11, 2003, the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, SC, presents a special exhibition drawn from one of the world most acclaimed American print collections. The Sight of Music: From the Collection of Reba and Dave Williams features diverse etchings, lithographs, silk-screens and engravings encompassing numerous interpretations of, and variations on, the theme of music. The exhibit will be on view through Aug. 24, 2003.
"Suffice it to say, The
Sight of Music brings together a delightful medley of visual
interpretations of music," state Reba and Dave Williams.
"Diversity abounds in style, technique and image, but the
artists' shared muse brings true harmony to the exhibition."
The Sight of Music proves itself to be as varied as the
musical sounds, styles and subjects created and performed in 20th
century America, offering not only a record of this important
aspect of our culture but also a survey of work by some of the
country's most significant 20th century artists working in print
media. The artists featured in "The Sight of Music"
translate classical jazz and rock movements to paper using artistic
styles as varied as American Regionalism, Neo-dadaism, Pop and
Conceptualism. Naturally, it follows that African-American artists
and musicians are strongly represented, including South Carolina
native William H. Johnson and singers Paul Robeson and Marian
Anderson.
Andy Warhol
The Sight of Music includes 91 works on paper dating from 1920 to 1996 that can be generally grouped into various subject areas. The exhibition highlights twelve portraits of musicians or composers, including Chuck Close's Philip Glass and Andy Warhol's Beethoven and Debbie Harry. There are illustrations of specific music or songs, as with Thomas Hart Benton's I Got A Gal on Sourwood Mountain, and numerous works inspired by historically significant American music locations. For example, William Sharp's Jam Session represents New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz, and Lou Barlow's Jitterbugs represents the music and dance that ignited New York Harlem in the 1920s, making it the cultural mecca for black music in the 20th century. Other artists that are exhibited attempt to render actual music, translating into the visual arts the sounds and movements that they have heard, such as John Cage's Global Village.
Roy Lichtenstein ---------------------- William Henry Johnson
-------------------- Edward Ruscha
Named among the top 200 art collectors in the world by Art
News, Reba and Dave Williams have been collecting prints with
musical themes since 1975. Their prestigious collection of American
prints now numbers more than 5,000 works and includes 2,000 artists.
The collection emphasizes prints made by American artists between
the World Wars, with particular concentration on works by artists
employed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the 1930s
and 1940s. The Williams place the emphasis of their collection
on breadth, and strive to encompass all styles and movements.
The Sight of Music stays in tune with this mission, celebrating
the diversity and depth of artistic expression in the disciplines
of music and the visual arts in America.
This sound-inspired exhibition
will be on view during Spoleto 2003, offering Spoleto-goers the
opportunity to experience works on paper by some of the most renowned
visual artists of the 20th century.
For more information check our SC Institutional Gallery listings,
call the museum at 843/722-2706 or on the web at (www.gibbesmuseum.com).
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