In the fall of 1994 the White House initiated a series of exhibitions
titled Twentieth Century American Sculpture at The White House,
for the First Ladies' Garden. Conceived by Hillary Rodham Clinton,
developed by J. Carter Brown, and organized under the auspices of the
Association of Art Museum Directors, this series highlights sculpture
drawn from public collections across the United States. The Museum of
Fine Arts, Houston is honored to have been invited to curate the third
Twentieth Century American Sculpture at The White House
exhibition, showcasing works from museums in the Southwest and West. In
organizing this presentation we had the pleasure of following the example
of George Neubert, Director of the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and
Sculpture Garden at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Towensend
Wolfe, Director and Chief Curator of The Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock.
As we began to focus on themes for this exhibition, we sought out works
representative of the transformations that have shaped the course of
sculpture across this century. The advent of Modernism literally knocked
sculpture off its pedestal as succeeding generations of artists explored
new ways of thinking about working in space. Two Beaux-Arts figures
introduce our presentation: gracefully elevated on finely molded bases,
they are representative of the Renaissance revival that characterized
American art at the turn of the century. In contrast, today's artists
freely address the relationship between figure and ground, frequently
banishing any form of visible support to test the limits of sculptural
composition.
The ten artists featured here demonstrate a remarkable vitality and
diversity of expression, from Adolph Weinman's romantic and classicizing
statues of 1915 to Joseph Havel's ebulliently inventive assemblage of
1993. Georgia O'Keefe and Jesus Bautista Moroles have captured a
visionary spirit in their abstractions, while William Tucker addresses
the beauty of pure geometry in his work. An iconoclastic intelligence
animates the compositions of Scott Burton, Joel Shapiro, and Robert
Therrien, as they challenge and celebrate the reductive aesthetics of
Minimalism. Deborah Butterfield's image of a graceful horse has a
startling naturalism, while Martin Puryear's Decoy wittily evokes
an artificial duck with remarkable economy.
Despite their divergent explorations of medium and composition, these
artists are united in their tactile love of materials and their exuberant
command of form. Assembling these works in the gracious precinct of the
First Ladies' Garden creates a dynamic visual dialogue; they complement
and redefine the garden site. These are works that invite the viewer to
pause, to walk around, and in one case, even to sit down.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Hillary Rodham Clinton and
J. Carter Brown for their visionary support of this project. The curator,
Alison de Lima Greene of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, has continued
her tradition of organizing superb exhibitions, setting the highest
standard of uncompromising excellence. A deep thank you to our many
colleagues who generously shared their collections, expertise, and
connoisseurship, and to the talented members of the White House staff for
their spirit of cooperation. With them, we are grateful for the support
of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation; such enlightened patronage
ensures the future of the arts in this nation.
Peter C. Marzio, Director
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston