COLORADO ART BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER THE MAGAFAN TWINS
Through August 2nd, 2009.
Read American Art Review's article about the exhibition here.
An exhibition of Colorado art from traditional to modern style (1875 to 2007), with an emphasis on the Magafan twins (19 Magafan works); curated by Hugh Grant.
The current exhibition, Colorado Art Before, During and After the Magafan Twins, continues a series of shows which carry out the mission of Kirkland Mission—to demonstrate the wide ranging strengths of Colorado art from traditional through modern style works. This exhibition was formed to coincide with the first joint event of a members’ reception at Kirkland Museum and lecture the same evening at the Denver Public Library. Because the lecture, The Influence of Piero Della Francesca on American Artists, included Colorado artists Jenne and Ethel Magafan and their teacher Frank Mechau (1904-1946), Hugh Grant organized a 19 work exhibition (1933-1950s) of the Magafan twins in Exhibition Rooms I and II. Shown are paintings (7), mural maquettes (5), lithographs (2), wood block prints (2), etchings (2) and a drawing. All but 6 of these works are from the permanent collection of Kirkland Museum and 15 of these works have never been on view here.
A recently acquired painting by Frank Mechau, and one of his lithographs are also shown after the Magafan works in Exhibition Room II. Curator Hugh Grant comments, “The exceptional murals and paintings of the Magafan twins and their teacher Frank Mechau have been important to Colorado, as well as America. I’ve wanted to do something like this Magafan show for some time. Many Coloradoans may have seen Ethel’s mural in the Denver post office at Broadway and Alameda, Jenne’s murals at West High School in Denver and in the Glenwood Springs post office and Mechau’s murals in the Denver Public Library and in the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center garden. Now at Kirkland Museum visitors can see some of their extraordinary smaller works.”
House in Leadville by Jenne Magafan, 1939
Re-balancing of Colorado Collection
This exhibition opens directly after Colorado Abstract, at Kirkland Museum, which showcased paintings and sculptures illustrated in the historic section of the 319 page book of the same title, released January 2009. Most of Colorado Abstract was pure abstraction, as was the preceding show Wynne / Wynne. Thus, after about five months of mostly pure abstraction on the ground floor of Kirkland Museum, it is time to return to a more balanced presentation of different styles. Each style has its share of devotees and visitors can more fully see the historic development of Colorado art. Now, in the foyer and Exhibition Rooms I and II, there is a far wider range of styles including traditional (24), Impressionism (10), Surrealism (5), referential abstraction (16) and pure abstraction (8) for a total of 63 paintings and works on paper from 1875 to 2008. All but 7 are from the permanent collection of Kirkland Museum and 36 of these works have never been on view here. As always, metal and ceramic sculptures by Colorado artists are also on view, along with the international decorative art collection, all of which gives the Kirkland its unique salon atmosphere. The lower floor of Kirkland Museum has many more works in the same categories, for a further in-depth experience. Artists from many different parts of Colorado are shown including Denver, Colorado Springs, Boulder, Ft. Collins, Central City, Redstone and Salida. In addition, the Kirkland’s sculpture garden courtyard is again beginning to welcome guests with signs of spring.
