Compilation 丨 Wu Junshen
Women, long traditionally seen in art history as objects of viewing of desire—beautiful creatures, are known as "muses." But at this moment, if you walk into the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the male gaze has been replaced, women's own works with their appearances occupy the center of the stage, and women artists of history are getting their due rewards in this important new exhibition.
This is part of the museum's current exhibition, which will run until November 28. More than 200 works of art are on display, including works by the likes of Cindy Sherman, Lee Krasner and Georgia O'Keefe, selected mainly from the museum's collection.
Curator Nonie Gadsden said: "The goal of the whole exhibition is to get these authentic artists recognized, because women have not received the same attention from the media, critics and praise in their lives as men. ”
The exhibition is divided into seven sections, one of which is Textile and Fiber Art, which emerged in the 1960s. In addition, there are works by action painters from the 1950s onwards, including Joan Mitchell, Grace Hartigan and Helen Frankenthaler.
"Medieval Women and Abstraction", one of the most stunning displays in the exhibition, traces women artists in this field and is not limited to painting but also includes media such as ceramics, furniture and prints.
Not long ago, the centenary of women's participation in politics sparked a closer look at the women artists in the museum's art collection. Curator Gadsden said: "That's how we find the focus, the way we tell stories from our art collections. "Women's suffrage, their right to vote, makes us reflect on what has changed, what hasn't changed, what restrictions women artists continue to be subjected to, and what freedoms they're beginning to explore."
Grace Hartigan, Masquerade, 1954. Source: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The purpose of the exhibition is not to hide them under the dust of the storage room. "You have these works of art in the warehouse, but you don't always see them," she says, "and some of the works have never seen the sun in our gallery, and some of them haven't been on display for a long time." This is the first time we have looked at our art collection from this vantage point. ”
The exhibition focuses on works from the 1920s to the 1970s, including women photographers, painters, sculptors and textile artists. "Women's eyes are what we have to face, and I really want to take a modern feminist approach — the feminist movement is about consensus, it's about community building, it's about rallying people," she said. ”
Among the works of the 1920s and 1930s, there are works by Finnish-born ceramic artist Maija Grotell, and Florine Stettheimer's vivid and high-profile colors to show everything in New York. "Any woman who tried to make a statement at the time was political because the move violated the norms of the time," Gardsden said, "and she had to be brave and fight against the current." ”
Maija Grotell – Vase, circa 1942. Source: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
"All art here is political," Gadsden says, "georgia O'Keefe always says, 'I'm not a politician,' but in that era, being a successful female artist was a political manifesto." She has driven the feminist agenda with her success. ”
People walk into the exhibition and see the first series called Women Depict Women: Her Vision, Her Voice, Choosing a Portrait of a Woman" "When you walk into a gallery, I want you to be confronted by a group of women looking at you," Gadsden said. ”
Another is a painting by Joan Mitchell, who rose to prominence as an artist in the 1950s and 1960s, despite the "boys club" of abstract painters at the time.
"In the 1920s and 1940s, women had so much success, women had more independence and autonomy, and the postwar 50s were like five steps backwards," Gazden said. ”
Joan Mitchell, Chamonix, circa 1962. Photo: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
It is important to highlight female abstract painters, because abstract art is part of a movement that began in New York in the 1940s, and the narrative of male painters remains the main force.
Gadsden said: "I like to stand next to the display case and think, 'Hey, guess what?' It's not just Jackson Pollock (the male abstract painter) who does it, but women do it too. ”
"If you're going to show a jackson Pollock painting, put it together, or just show Joan Mitchell's," she adds, "And the purpose of this exhibition is to say, 'If these artists have the ability to do what they do, I'm going to do my thing too.'" ”
Although women have come a long way in the past few centuries, much remains to be done. "It's an ongoing undertaking," Gardsden said, "and we're trying not to put it back in its original state."
At the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the "Women Take the Floor" exhibition will run until Nov. 28.
Reference Links:
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/apr/14/women-take-the-floor-museum-of-fine-arts-boston-exhibition
Editor 丨 Zhang Jin
Proofreading 丨 Chen Diyan
Source: Beijing News