To accompany the work of Intersections artist Xavier Veilhan, curator of modern and contemporary art Vesela Sretenovic dipped into the permanent collection for some unexpected pieces. Veilhan’s work is somewhat puzzling and strange, she says, because it teases our perception and understanding of what we see and think we know. He mixes representation and abstraction, organic and man-made materials, figures and landscapes, the familiar and the strange. This play of seeming contradictions is evident in the installation in the Cafritz Gallery that welcomes visitors to the museum and will serve as entry to the Veilhan show.
Left to right: Alexander Archipenko, Standing Woman, 1920, Oil paint on gessoed papier-mâché on wood; 19 1/4 x 12 1/4 x 1 1/8 in.; 48.895 x 31.115 x 2.8575 cm.. Gift from the estate of Katherine S. Dreier, 1953; Alberto Giacometti, Monumental Head, 1960, Bronze; 37 1/2 x 11 x 10 in.; 95.25 x 27.94 x 25.4 cm.. Acquired 1962; Francis Bacon, Study of a Figure in a Landscape, 1952, Oil on canvas; 78 x 54 in.; 198.12 x 137.16 cm.. Acquired 1955. Below: James Casebere, Yellow Hallway #2, 2001, Digital chromogenic print; 48 x 60 1/8 in.; 121.92 x 152.7175 cm. Gift of the Heather and Tony Podesta Collection, Washington, DC, 2011;Juan Hamilton, Bruja, 1988, Bronze, red patina; 15 1/2 x 13 1/2 x 13 3/4 in.; 39.37 x 34.29 x 34.925 cm. Gift of Rosina Yue Smith, 1993. Photos: Joshua Navarro
Vesela embraced the eclecticism of both Veilhan’s oeuvre as well as our own collection. A new photography acquisition by James Casebere, Yellow Hallway #2, makes its debut next to a little-seen work by Juan Hamilton, Bruja, 1988. The shimmery, flooded space of the photograph looks otherworldly next to the very earthy mound of Bruja, perhaps referencing Veilhan’s gift for distortion and yet still holding on to simple abstract shapes. The figure is represented by a trio in a variety of styles and materials: Alexander Archipenko’s assemblage Standing Woman, 1920, Francis Bacon’s painting Study of a Figure in a Landscape, 1952, and Alberto Giacometti’s bronze sculpture Monumental Head, 1960. Photographs by Brett Weston and Berenice Abbott will speak to Veilhan’s exploration in photography and landscape. And last, but certainly not least, is Naum Gabo’s Linear Construction in Space No. 1 (Variation), 1943, of which Vesela cannot say enough. The simple, beautiful form is an exercise in optics or, to paraphrase Veilhan himself, in “deep looking.”
Naum Gabo, Linear Construction in Space No. 1 (Variation), 1943, Lucite with nylon thread; 24 1/8 x 24 1/4 x 9 7/8 in.; 61.2775 x 61.595 x 25.0825 cm.. Acquired 1948, photos by Paul Strand and Brett Weston.
