The first college museum west of the Alleghenies, the
Allen Memorial Art Museum was established in 1917 to aid in the teaching of art,
and to house a substantial body of art objects already collected, including the
Charles Olney Collection of paintings, ivories and bronzes received in
1904.
Highlights:
See Hendrick Terbrugghen’s St. Sebastian Attended by
Irene; Monet’s Wisteria and Garden of the Princess, and works by Matisse,
Cézanne, Miro, Dürer, Rembrandt, Picasso, Warhol, Eva Hesse and Oldenburg.
Approximately 25% of the collection is non-Western art, primarily Asian that
includes modern and contemporary as well as traditional, notably Japanese
ukiyo-e prints. The collection has a modest number of African, Latino and
Pre-Columbian, and African American artworks In addition, the AMAM helps develop
programming for a Frank Lloyd Wright Usonian house (1947-49).
The Museum is housed in a 1917 landmark building designed by noted American
architect Cass Gilbert. In 1976 the Museum was expanded through the addition
of a large new gallery for modern art, designed by the architectural firm
of Venturi, Rauch and Associates. Decorative ironwork is by Philadelphian
Samuel Yellin.
The permanent collection contains 11,400 objects with
717 paintings, 566 sculptures, 8,259 works on paper, 753 decorative art objects
including furniture, and 1,105 textiles. The range of diverse cultures,
media and historical periods represented in our collection coincide with
curricular needs at the college and with public interests. Also the Art
Rental collection of 453 original works of art provides additional learning
opportunities for students and college staff. Approximately 75% of the
collection is Western art, dating from antiquity to the contemporary with
particular strengths in 17th century Dutch and Flemish painting, Old Master
prints, 19th and 20th century European modernism, and contemporary American
art.
Chinese & Japanese Art from Antiquity to the
Present September 17, 2002 - June 9, 2003 Highlights of the museum?s
Chinese and Japanese art objects ranging in date from neolithic times to the
present day juxtapose several long-term loans of Chinese bronzes and
porcelains from the Arthur M. Sackler Collection.
Late Modern and
Contemporary Sculpture Through June 9, 2003 Minimalism juxtaposes popular
culture in this mixed media installation. Come see Eva Hesse?s Laocoön
(1966), Jackie Winsor?s Four Corners (1972), Red Grooms?s Token Booth with
Nude Commuters (1975), Dennis Oppenheim?s Heavy Dog Kiss (1993), and Donald
Judd?s Untitled (1976), Blue Bell (1998) by Chakaia Booker, and Lave
Tete (2001) by Alison Saar.
Red Grooms (American, b. 1937), "Token Booth
with Nude Commuters 1975" from exhibition: Late Modern and Contemporary
Sculpture
Figure to Non-Figurative: The Evolution of Modern Art in
Europe and North America, 1830-1950 August 23, 2002 - June 9,
2003 Reexamining the definition and parameters of modern art, this exhibition
of over 80 paintings and sculptures ventures beyond the midcentury marks
(1830-1950) of the movement. Opening with the beginning of
Romanticism, as shown in the grand Portrait of Eleanor, Lady Wigram by Sir
Thomas Lawrence, the exhibition concludes with Arshile Gorky?s pivotal work,
The Plough and the Song. Arshile Gorky (American, 1904-1948), "the
Plow and the song," 1947 from exhibition: Figure to Non-Figurative
The
Object Revisited: Four Centuries of European and American Decorative
Arts August 27, 2002 - June 9, 2003 This exhibition focuses on many of
the triumphs of decorative art and design from the last four centuries,
including Renaissance bronzes and maiolica, Gallé and Tiffany art glass, and
Art Deco sculpture. As a Winter Term project, Oberlin College senior
Thomas D. Tredway assisted in the exhibit preparation.
Sacred and
Noble Patronage: Late Medieval and Renaissance Art July 2, 2002 - June 9,
2003 Beginning with early 15th-century Italian gold-ground paintings and
continuing to the High Renaissance and Mannerism (including works from the
Northern European schools), we see in paintings, sculptures, and tapestries
the evolution and diversity of patronage from the church to the nobility
and merchant class.
From Baroque to Neoclassicism: European
Paintings, 1625-1825 September 10, 2002 - June 9, 2003 This installation
opens with the triumph of the Baroque, continuing through the Rococo period
to the end of Neoclassicism at the close of the 18th century. Also
featured are two important loans for the fall term: Portrait of a Man with a
Rifle by Aelbert Cuyp (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam), and View of Venice, Piazza
and Piazzetta San Marco by Canaletto (Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford).
Red Grooms (American, b.
1937), "Token Booth with Nude Commuters 1975" from exhibition: Late Modern and Contemporary
Sculpture
Arshile Gorky (American,
1904-1948), "the Plow and the song," 1947 from exhibition: Collecting
the Vanguard: Art from 1900-1970
Hours:
Tuesday through Saturday 10 - 5;
Sunday 1 -5.
Closed Mondays and major holidays.
Tour Information: Group tours may be arranged by request. Call the
Museum¹s Education Office at 440-775-8671.
Admission:
Free
also free parking
Located at the intersectin of Ohio State routes 511 and 58 in downtown
Oberlin - 35 miles south west of Cleveland.
