Press Release  December 21, 2017

Carnegie Announces Significant Acquisitions

Courtesy CMoA

nendo, ‘Scale models of 50 Manga chairs,’ 2016, 3-D printed, thermoplastic, Gift of Allan Gerdau, by exchange,© 2016 nendo, by permission

Pittsburgh, PA…Carnegie Museum of Art (CMOA) announces highlights from its new acquisitions, which were approved on December 14. The museum’s collection includes over 30,000 art objects including painting and sculpture; prints and drawings; photographs; architectural casts, renderings, and models; decorative arts and design; and film, video, and digital imagery.

Several highlights from our December 14 acquisitions include:

Courtesy CMoA

nendo, ‘Manga chair #49,’ 2016, stainless steel, Edition 2 of 3, Gifts of G. David Thompson, John Baird Hudson and the Hudson Conservancy, and Reverend Alfred Duane Pell, all by exchange, © 2016 nendo, by permission

Manga, or “humorous picture,” is a popular style of Japanese comic book art. The details of characters (eyes, hair, and other body parts) are exaggerated for comedic or dramatic effect. With the group of 50 Manga chairs, design firm nendo mimics the qualities of manga comics. The chairs are happy, distressed, embarrassed, and surprised. CMOA has acquired a full set of 50 1/10 scale models representing each manga chair, along with one full-size chair, Manga chair #49, designed with flopping arms resting humorously at each side.

–Rachel Delphia, The Alan G. and Jane A. Lehman Curator of Decorative Arts and Design

Courtesy CMoA

Lorraine O’Grady, ‘Untitled (Mlle Bourgeoise Noire),’ 1980–1983, printed 2009, 14 gelatin silver prints, Second Century Acquisition Fund and the Mr. and Mrs. Peter Denby Fund for Contemporary Art, © Lorraine O’Grady / Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York

Lorraine O’Grady has been recognized as a significant player both in the fields of conceptual art and feminist art. Untitled (Mlle Bourgeoise Noire) documents her guerrilla performance as the character Mlle Bourgeoise Noire (Miss Black Middle-Class) occupying the space of museum openings where people of color and women have historically been marginalized or excluded. See this work now in 20/20: The Studio Museum in Harlem and Carnegie Museum of Art in CMOA’s Heinz Galleries.

–Eric Crosby, The Richard Armstrong Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, and Hannah Turpin, curatorial assistant

Courtesy CMoA

Peter Salter, ‘Early Sectional Elevation, Walmer Yard Housing, London,’ 2004, Ink, pencil, and acrylic on architectural paper, Drue Heinz Trust

Renowned for his meticulous drawings and atmospheric architecture, Peter Salter recently completed four townhouses on Walmer Road in West London. The Heinz Architectural Center is delighted to add to its collection a set of plans and a cross section of this complex project as well as a characteristically poetic working drawing of the lower street façade.

–Raymund Ryan, curator of architecture

Courtesy CMoA

William Henry Fox Talbot, ‘Oak Tree in Winter,’ 1842–1843, Salted paper print from a calotype negative, Gift of the William Talbott Hillman Foundation

Considered to be one of the inventors of photography, William Henry Fox Talbot drew on his knowledge of art history, botany, chemistry, and optics to produce the first ever photographic work on paper. The particular choice of subject for this photograph must have come easily; Talbot once wrote, “Old oak trees are very much to my taste.” See this work now in William Henry Fox Talbot and the Promise of Photography in CMOA’s Gallery One.

–Dan Leers, curator of photography

Courtesy CMoA

Max Weber, ‘The Discussion,’ 1918, Graphite and gouache on paper, The Foster Charitable Trust Fund

This is a work of cubist abstraction, but the title tells us there’s more to it. Its line and form and space and color and texture are complex and beautiful; and so, perhaps, is the relationship between two individuals sharing an aperitif and a conversation. I recommended its acquisition for its strength and freshness of color, and because it exemplifies early cubism. In addition, it is the first cubist work in our collection by this important American modernist, and it comes with a Pittsburgh provenance.

–Louise Lippincott, curator of fine art

 

Support
General operating support for Carnegie Museum of Art is provided by The Heinz Endowments and Allegheny Regional Asset District. The programs of the Heinz Architectural Center are made possible by the generosity of the Drue Heinz Trust. Carnegie Museum of Art receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Carnegie Museum of Art
Carnegie Museum of Art creates experiences that connect people to art, ideas, and one another. The museum is committed to global engagement and regional advancement. We champion creativity and its importance to society with experiences that welcome, inspire, challenge, and inform. Our core activities—collecting, conserving, presenting, and interpreting works of art—make those experiences possible. Our world-class collection of over 30,000 works emphasizes art, architecture, photography, and design from the 19th century to the present. One of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Museum of Art was founded by industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie in 1895. Learn more: call 412.622.3131 or visit cmoa.org.

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