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Blog Category: Exhibitions

Oscar Wilde's Wild West

Posted by Melissa Buron on February 16, 2012

Tomorrow The Cult of Beauty: The Victorian Avant-Garde, 1860–1900 (February 18–June 17) opens at the Legion of Honor! Exactly 130 years ago, the tenets of the Aesthetic Movement were introduced to San Francisco by none other than Oscar Wilde.

Oscar Wilde Reclining

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FRAME|WORK: Love and the Maiden by John Roddam Spencer Stanhope

Posted by Sarah Bailey Hogarty on February 15, 2012

This week’s FRAME|WORK, featuring John Roddam Spencer Stanhope’s luscious Love and the Maiden, will serve as the first in a series of posts examining a variety of themes present throughout the special exhibition The Cult of Beauty: The Victorian Avant-Garde, 1860–1900 (opening this Saturday, February 18). Stanhope’s allegorical painting will provide the backdrop for the discussion of topics ranging from artistic technique to the Aesthetic Movement’s color palette to the role of frames in the perception of an artwork.

Love and the Maiden

John Roddam Spencer Stanhope (English, 1829–1908). Love and the Maiden, 1877. Tempera, gold paint and gold leaf on canvas. Museum purchase, European Art Trust Fund, Grover A. Magnin Bequest Fund and Dorothy Spreckels Munn Bequest Fund. 2002.176

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A Band Apart: Ralph Eugene Meatyard and Francesca Woodman

Posted by Sarah Bailey Hogarty on February 8, 2012

Currently on view at the de Young and SFMOMA are two significant photography exhibitions—Ralph Eugene Meatyard: Dolls and Masks and Francesca Woodman, respectively. In this rare, behind-the-scenes look at the curatorial process, Julian Cox (of the de Young) and Corey Keller (of SFMOMA) discuss the elusive issues of artistic intention and practice, the mythology of the artist, and the position of Meatyard and Woodman in the history of photography.

Meatyard Woodman

Left: Ralph Eugene Meatyard (American, 1925–1972). Untitled, ca. 1960–1962. Gelatin silver print. Museum purchase, John Pritzker Fund. 2011.4.1. Right: Francesca Woodman (American, 1958–1981). My House, Providence, Rhode Island, 1976. Gelatin silver print. Courtesy George and Betty Woodman. x2011.467.032

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Exhibition Beautiful: The Art of Wallpaper

Posted by Sarah Bailey Hogarty on February 6, 2012

William Morris, champion of the Aesthetic Movement, said of interior design, “Whatever you have in your rooms, think first of the walls.” Wallpaper was a defining decorative motif in the homes of the Victorian avant-garde and bourgeoisie alike. In keeping with this fashion, the special exhibition The Cult of Beauty: The Victorian Avant-Garde, 1860–1900, opening at the Legion of Honor on February 18, will feature several environments adorned with the hand printed art wallpaper of Bradbury & Bradbury.

Calling card

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Art for Art's Sake at Design San Francisco

Posted by Sarah Bailey Hogarty on January 30, 2012

On February 18, The Cult of Beauty: The Victorian Avant-Garde, 1860–1900 opens at the Legion of Honor. This Wednesday, February 1 at 2:30 p.m., the San Francisco Design Center presents The Aesthetic Movement and Interior Design, a panel exploring the movement’s enduring influence on interiors. The discussion will feature exhibition curator Dr. Lynn Federle Orr, design writer and editor Zahid Sardar, interior designer Geoffrey De Sousa and 3D Magazine editor-in-chief, Alisa Carroll.

In advance of this event, Ms. Carroll is today’s guest blogger.

Sideboard, 1865–75

Edward William Godwin, Sideboard, 1865–75, ebonized mahogany with silver plated handles © V&A Images

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What's the Matter: Conserving the Sculpture of Stephen De Staebler

Posted by Lesley Bone on January 24, 2012

Matter + Spirit: The Sculpture of Stephen De Staebler presents the work of an artist who used a variety of materials ranging from metal to clay to create lasting works of art. Working with stoneware and sometimes porcelain, De Staebler built monumental sculptures that pushed the limits of the media and extended the boundaries of how these materials had been used in the past.

Standing Woman and Standing Man, 1975

Stephen De Staebler, Standing Woman and Standing Man, 1975. Pigmented stoneware and porcelain with surface oxides. Courtesy of Paul Thiebaud Gallery, San Francisco. Artwork © Estate of Stephen De Staebler.

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