Cranbrook Art Museum - Exhibitions - Postwar Art and Design from the Cranbrook Collection


Postwar Art and Design from the Cranbrook Collection :: CRANBROOK ART MUSEUM :: September 22 and continuing This rotating exhibition of works from the post-World War II era includes important modern paintings and sculptures from the museum’s permanent collection with highlights from the recent gift of the Dr. John and Rose M. Shuey Collection. Among the artists included are Harry Bertoia, Duane Hanson, Donald Judd, Robert Motherwell, Robert Rauschenberg, and Zoltan Sepeshy and Frank Stella.
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ABOUT THE ARTIST :: JOAN MITCHELL >>
Joan Mitchell was born in Chicago in 1926 and died in Paris in 1992. After graduating from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, she moved to New York to work in the context of the reigning Abstract Expressionists. The competitive macho climate, however, soon forced her to flee to France. There, amidst the great tradition of avant-garde art, she slowly built her own formidable reputation. Mitchell painted for 40 years and had her first major retrospective in 1988 at the age of 62. Like Rosa Bonheur, Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt and Georgia O’Keeffe before her, all her life Mitchell worked against the social system, whose patriarchal bearings only saw fit to support the art of men.
TAKE A CLOSER LOOK >>
Joan Mitchell found inspiration in nature. However, when we look at her paintings, such as "Preface for Chris," it is impossible to see the original place that triggered her imagination. It could be the lakefront in Chicago, her hometown, or her garden in Paris, the city where she spent most of her life. But is it even important for us to know what brought this painting to life in order to enjoy it? Mitchell’s preoccupation is not with the appearance of the place but with her personal response to it, her feelings, thoughts and memories. Like glimpses of the past or dreamlike visions, in "Preface for Chris" forms seem to evolve and elapse, embroiled in a never-ending dynamic process of interacting with each other. The artist transforms reality and recreates her own inner world through the language of cool buoyant forms, dark ominous blocks of paint and large tranquil backdrops punctuated by tendrils of dripping paint. Joan Mitchell is one of the greatest practitioners of the style known as Action or Gestural painting, which is a signature style of Abstract Expressionism. The name reveals the unprecedented degree of energy used by the artist in the process of creating the work. Unlike traditional brushwork, which involves only the movement of the hand, Action painting requires the movement of the whole arm. This results in works that closely reveal the inner life of the artist. Like one’s manner of speech or a particular gait, the sweep of the brush captures the idiosyncrasies of the hand that makes the mark.
THANK YOU >>
Since the Art Museum’s founding by George and Ellen Booth in 1930, the Cranbrook collection has grown primarily through generous donations from artists and patrons. We remain indebted to the donors, including Rose M. Shuey, whose recent gift included "Preface for Chris."
TO LEARN MORE >>
The catalogue of Cranbrook art Museum’s earlier exhibition, Three Decades of Contemporary Art: The Dr. John and Rose M. Shuey Collection, is available at The Store on the lower level.