There are over 2,000 works of art in the permanent collection of Guild Hall — and this weekend, the museum opens “ac•qui•si•tions,” a show highlighting 43 of them. A quick glance at the exhibit may leave viewers wondering what the common thread might be — and for good reason. The offerings are incredibly diverse and run the gamut. From representational and abstract imagery, to collage, sculpture, photography, pencil sketches and painting, there is literally something for everyone.
It turns out that in this show, the unifying theme is not about style or medium, but artists themselves. And the work on view represents offerings by many of the most familiar artistic faces working and living on the East End today — artists like Paton Miller, Linda Alpern, Dorothy Frankel, Rima Mardoyan, Jennifer Cross, Jim Dine, Peter Dayton, Bastienne Schmidt and Darius Yektai. And every one of the pieces on view in this exhibit represent work recently obtained by Guild Hall that are now part of the museum’s permanent collection.
In acquiring pieces for its permanent collection, the staff and board of Guild Hall, which first opened its doors in 1931, have long focused on artists of the East End. Early pieces in the museum’s collection included paintings by 19th century artists like Thomas Moran and Childe Hassam who provided views of an East End landscape long lost to memory. By the mid-20th century, Guild Hall had begun embracing the work of the area’s cutting edge and often controversial artists of the day — the abstract expressionists — followed by the Pop Artists and subsequent artistic movements. In 2006, Guild Hall celebrated 75 years by adding some 50 pieces to the collection that had long been part of their wish list.
And now, in 2010, another 43 works have been incorporated into Guild Hall’s permanent collection. This time, much of the art is by local names — artists who live in the neighborhood and who we see in the community and on the street every day.
“What’s wonderful is because it’s an ongoing process, we continue to collect artists who live in and work in our own generation,” explains Christina Mossaides Strassfield, Guild Hall’s museum director and chief curator. “These are artists who have been involved in the community for a while, and we want to show them the recognition and respect they deserve. Some have been involved in invitational exhibits here, or have participated in other activities at Guild Hall, and we felt we wanted them to be a part of the collection.”
The acquisition process was a methodical effort, undertaken by Strassfield and others at Guild Hall who crafted a carefully considered list of the artists from the area whose work they felt would be a meaningful addition to the permanent collection. Most of the works, notes Strassfield, were eventually acquired simply by asking the artists directly.
“We told them, ‘We would like to have you in the collection,’” notes Strassfield. “Nearly everything was donated. Most of them came through. I think they did that because Guild Hall is part of the local community.”
Many of the pieces that are now part of the museum’s collection have actually been exhibited at Guild Hall before, on loan as part of earlier shows. By being involved in curating these shows, Strassfield has been able to get a good sense of the size, scope and subject matter of work and the strengths of the different artists, which helped her determine what she wanted to seek out for this round of acquisitions.
“When you know an artist and have followed their work you know what you’d like to have,” says Strassfield. “I like this period, for example, or I tell them these are the kind of things we’re looking for — a major work, not a minor work, most of them were willing to do something like that.”
Sag Harbor photographer Linda Alpern and painter Rima Mardoyan were both winners of the Guild Hall annual member’s exhibition and both donated pieces. So did sculptor Dorothy Frankel who was part of the “East End Ten” exhibit at the museum. Also among the new work is “Boy with Trumpet,” a collaged painting by Southampton artist Paton Miller which features his young son. It’s a piece Strassfield has long admired.
“When I selected it for the ‘East End Ten’ show, I loved that painting,” she says. “I was talking to Paton and I said ‘I’d love to see that at Guild Hall — it’s a great piece.’”
Miller obliged and presented the painting as a gift to the museum. Another painting that Strassfield had long had her eye on was “Summer Garden” by Cornelia Foss.
“We showed that one in the landscape show,” recalls Strassfield. “It was one of those pieces that sticks in the memory. I told her I wanted it. Cornelia Foss said I think it’s available. We called her dealer and had them donate it.”
Strassfield notes that many other artists’ works came from donors. In addition to his own painting, Paton Miller also gave the museum a 1932 Fairfield Porter watercolor he had in his collection. Dallas Ernst donated a painting by her late husband, Jimmy Ernst, and B.H. Friedman, an avid art collector, invited Strassfield to come select work for Guild Hall when he sold his Georgica home and moved to a smaller place. Among the artists whose work is represented in his gift are Stephanie Brody Lederman, Howard Kanovitz, Jim Dine, Ibram Lassaw, Edvard Leiber, Conrad Marca-Reilli, Robert Motherwell, Hans Namuth, Miriam Schapiro, David Slivka.
“He had a wonderful eye, but this was clearly a curated collection and put together in a specific way,” says Strassfield.
Also added to the permanent collection in this go around are several pieces by elderly East End artists and others who have passed away in recent years. Strassfield notes that it’s important to make sure these artists are included in the museum’s holdings before their work is dispersed or they leave the area. Ultimately, these 43 latest additions reflect Guild Hall’s mission of documenting the art and artists of the East End and are a testament to the strong traditions that have made the area one of the most vital in America when it comes to sheer creativity.
“I think the generosity has been really great,” says Strassfield. “In this economic climate, people might say, ‘I’m going to take that work and sell it — do what I have to do.’ But we’re very lucky. The majority of artists we went to donated work themselves or went to a collector who was willing to donate. Even if it is hard times, they wanted to do this for Guild Hall. It’s really wonderful and exciting.”
“And they’re now part of a museum collection,” says Strassfield. “We get to have and exhibit their work. When a collector comes to the studio, they can say they have work at Guild Hall.”
“ac•qui•si•tions” runs through January 17 at Guild Hall (158 Main Street in East Hampton) and opens with a members reception from 4 to 5 p.m. Saturday, October 24. The public opening is 5 to 6 p.m. Also opening Saturday is “Bloom” an exhibition of paintings of Priscilla Heine, winner of Guild Hall’s member exhibition in 2007. Heine’s show will run at Guild Hall through November 29. For more information about either show, call 324-0806.
Top: “Chuck Close Portrait” a photo by Linda K. Alpern.
