THE ANNEX

Emilio Sanchez
Cuba and United States, 1921-1999
La Fortaleza
1970-75
Oil on canvas
Gift of the Emilio Sanchez Foundation, 2011/2.63

Recently UMMA and several academic museums in the US benefitted from the generosity of the Emilio Sanchez Foundation when it donated much of Sanchez’s life work. The gift to UMMA of eighty paintings and lithographs, along with other recent acquisitions from Cuba such as two folk paintings given by Dr. James L. Curtis, expand the collection in the direction of the Caribbean, an exciting growth area for the Museum.

You can see this new acquisition on view in the first-floor connector between the Museum’s historic wing and the Maxine and Stuart Frankel and the Frankel Family Wing until July 8, 2013.

Click here to read more.

Did you know that the University of Michigan has a wealth of public art waiting for you to explore? The collection includes both permanently installed and temporary artworks on every campus that span a wide range of media. Visit the Public Art website to browse through the collection for each campus, and go visit the artworks yourself.

You can plan a tour by browsing around on the Google map for each campus and finding out what interests you. Then print the maps, and start exploring!

HAVE FUN!

And don’t forget to visit the outdoor sculptures at UMMA!

Image: STIFF BOX NO. 12, Lucas Samaras, 1997; Cor-Ten Steel; Sculpture, Central Campus; In east court between Alumni Memorial Hall and the Frankel Family Wing of the Museum of Art

Georges Braque (May 13, 1882 – August 31, 1963) was a major 20th-century French painter and sculptor who, along with Pablo Picasso, developed the art style known as Cubism. 

“The things that Picasso and I said to one another during those years will never be said again, and even if they were, no one would understand them anymore. It was like being roped together on a mountain.” — Georges Braque

Image: Reclining Nude, Georges Braque, etching from 1882-1948, University of Michigan Museum of Art purchase, 1971/2.151

Eight favorite quotes from the one and only Salvador Dalí (May 11, 1904 – January 23, 1989):

• “At the age of six I wanted to be a cook. At seven I wanted to be Napoleon. And my ambition has been growing steadily ever since.” 
• “Have no fear of perfection - you’ll never reach it.” 
• “So little of what could happen does happen.” 
• “Surrealism is destructive, but it destroys only what it considers to be shackles limiting our vision.” 
• “Since I don’t smoke, I decided to grow a mustache - it is better for the health. However, I always carried a jewel-studded cigarette case in which, instead of tobacco, were carefully placed several mustaches, Adolphe Menjou style. I offered them politely to my friends: “Mustache? Mustache? Mustache?” Nobody dared to touch them. This was my test regarding the sacred aspect of mustaches.”
• “The only difference between me and a madman is I’m not mad.” 
• “Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.” 
• “Each morning when I awake, I experience again a supreme pleasure: that of being Salvador Dali.” 

Image: Dali Atomicus, 1948 portrait of Dalí by American Photographer Philippe Halsman, from the collection at UMMA.

(check out a hilarious Lego recreation of this photograph HERE)

CLOSING THIS SUNDAY AT 5PM

The Ghanaian-born El Anatsui, who lives and works in Nigeria, is widely known for monumental wall sculptures made from discarded bottle tops, and is recognized as one of the most original and compelling artists of his generation.

The exhibition spans four decades and encompasses work in wood, ceramic, and metal, as well as drawings, prints and paintings. In his most recent metal wall sculptures, Anatsui assembles thousands of west African liquor-bottle tops into moving patterns of stunning visual impact, transforming this simple material into large shimmering forms. 

When I Last Wrote to You about Africa presents the largest compilation of Anatsui’s works ever assembled, including massive wall pieces and large-scale floor installations.

Click here to read an interview with the artist conducted by UM student Mylan Kimbrough.

Looking back on a fantastic season of exhibitions and programs, and looking forward to exciting new developments—such as the inauguration of a permanent DESIGN GALLERY—check out the online edition of UMMA’s Spring/Summer Magazine to get the inside scoop on what’s going on at the Museum!

Please join us at UMMA on Monday, April 29 at 7pm for the exciting premiere of 17 new short films of the Many Voices project, inspired by works of art in the University of Michigan Museum of Art collection. From comedic to dramatic, kinetic to poetic, personal to prophetic, these films represent the kaleidoscopic creativity and eclectic visions of members in the Ann Arbor area community.

Participating filmmakers ranged from ages 14–59 and included local students, artists, musicians, teachers, and community leaders. Carefully crafted through a series of workshops and production sessions that took place throughout vastly different environments, each film is under 5 minutes and reflects a brief insight into the the creative possibilities of inspiration stemmed from great works of art.

These short films will also provide fresh ways for UMMA visitors to interact with the works of art within galleries themselves thanks to the newly installed free WiFi service which will broadcast them on demand to mobile devices activated by QR codes and via the web. They will also be added to UMMA’s award winning DialogTable. 

Admission is free! Filmmakers will be in attendance for an audience Q&A following the screening. Many Voices is generously supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. 

University of Michigan Museum of Art
525 South State Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
Click here for a map!

Michele Oka Doner, United States, born 1945
Angry Neptune, Salacia, and Stride, 2008, Cast bronze
Museum purchase made possible by a bequest from Clarence and Ruth Roy, the W. Hawkins Ferry Fund, and the support of the artist, 2009/1.466-468

Majestic yet seemingly crippled, these headless forms—hand burnished and patinated by the artist—evoke ancient, fossilized totems, their surface scarrings suggestive of the decay both of natural forces and of passing time. The artist has a long-standing interest in the natural world, and the three figures positioned here in a kind of timeless, abstracted conversation, ask us to consider the sacred qualities of nature.

See these three sculptures on Central Campus; on the east side of Alumni Memorial Hall - Museum of Art; between the Museum and Tappan Hall.

The University of Michigan has a wealth of public art waiting for you to explore - Click here to learn more.

Learn more about Earth Day.

Today the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) announced its partnership in the Google Art Project, a project that was created to preserve and promote art online with acclaimed museums and institutions around the world. UMMA has added 60 high-resolution images to their digitalgallery, which will allow people to explore its paintings, drawings, sculptures, and other works of art online. Click HERE to learn more about the partnership.

Click HERE to check out UMMA’s Collection on the Google Art Project site.