For Immediate Release
July 19, 2004
Contact: Brent Sverdloff 781/259-3628, bsverdloff@decordova.org
Sarah Smith 781/259-3663, ssmith@decordova.org
Abstract Elements: The Dr. Beatrice H. Barrett Collection of Art
Dewey Family Gallery
September 18, 2004 - July 31, 2005
Opening Reception: Friday, September 17, 2004 from 7 - 9 pm
LINCOLN, MA—In 2003, DeCordova Museum's Permanent Collection received over 170 works of art from the bequest of contemporary art collector Dr. Beatrice H. Barrett. This exhibition will highlight the most significant artworks from her collection, bring together largely abstract works by regional and international artists of the second half of the twentieth century, and examine the taste and vision of an important collector. Featured artists include Alexander Calder, Wolf Kahn, Gyorgy Kepes, Henry Moore, Maud Morgan, George Rickey, and Hugh Townley.
Abstract images suggesting the four elements are represented in many of the works in the Barrett collection. Earth, air, water, and fire all vividly appear in the paintings, drawings, sculpture, and kinetic works that Barrett collected, and which will be grouped thematically within the Dewey Gallery. Many of the works are fundamental, centering on the essence of an object or the essential nature of a space.
This attraction to the elements/elemental is possibly related to Barrett's life work in the scientific realm as a behavioral psychologist. In her work in experimental behavior analysis, Barrett continually investigated how we are affected by the world around us. What are our emotional and intellectual responses to the natural world, and the forces of nature? In this context, abstract expressionism can be thought of as a convergence of experiments and experience, as means of creating environments that influence behavior, and as a way in which we can improve our lives.
Organized by Curatorial Fellow Alexandra Novina, Abstract Elements is accompanied by the full-color book Choreographing a Collection: The Dr. Beatrice H. Barrett Collection of Art, by former DeCordova Assistant to the Director Angela Koester.
General Information
DeCordova Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm and on selected Monday holidays. Admission is $6 per person, $4 for senior citizens, students, and youth ages 6-12. Children age 5 and under, Lincoln residents, and Active Duty Military Personnel and their dependents are admitted free. The Sculpture Park is open year round during daylight hours. The Store @ DeCordova and the School Gallery are open Monday through Thursday, 9:30 am to 7:30 pm, Friday through Saturday, 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, and Sunday 11:30 am to 5:30 pm. The Café @ DeCordova is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 am to 3 pm. Free guided public tours of the Museum's main galleries take place every Thursday at 1 and Sunday at 2 pm. Free tours of the Sculpture Park are given on Saturday and Sunday at 1 pm from May to October. Visit www.decordova.org or call 781/259-8355 for further information.
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