Last Friday, the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum put on quite the show. The three- part exhibit, “The Genres: Portraiture, Still-Life, Landscape” opened, and part one, “Portraiture,” was revealed to the public.
To some, the new art, painted and displayed by New York City-based artist Hope Gangloff, stole the show. However, to others, it was the re-unveiling of the Kresge art collection that brought the exhibition home.
Alison Gass, curator at the Broad Art Museum, said the exhibit is an exemplary way to make contemporary art something to which people can relate and engage. Looking at the Kresge collection through the eyes of an artist will help the general public become more comfortable with contemporary art, she said.
“I want people to feel that contemporary art is something that they can engage with,” Gass said. “That’s what really drew me to Hope and why I chose her to kick off the ‘Genre’ series. I think figurative painting, particularly paintings of people you recognize, is something you can relate to.”
Gangloff searched the archives of the Kresge collection to find pieces that complement her original artwork, selecting the pieces she felt would perfectly represent “portraiture.” Gangloff then painted a mural on one of the walls of the Broad Museum, an interactive piece featuring bohemian modern-day paintings that left the audience astounded.
Overall, the exhibit brings back the Kresge collection, while also attempting to make contemporary pieces more relatable to the public – something to which Gass feels she’s dedicated her career as a curator.