The last section of the “Museum for Oberlin” exhibition offers a selection of recent acquisitions that were presented to the AMAM as gifts-in-kind from donors or purchased with museum funds designated specifically for that purpose. Since general College funds have never been used to acquire art for the museum, Into the Future celebrates the generosity and foresight of the many donors who help the museum to continuously develop the collection. In addition to works that amplify existing collection strengths, the works on view showcase the growing holdings of photographs spanning the entire history of the medium, as well as twentieth-century art from Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, and Japan. These artworks have already played a central role in inspiring innovative curricular approaches to teaching and learning and support a broad range of class visits across the College and Conservatory.Image: Tim Davis (American, born in Africa, 1969)Rainbow Bread, from the Voidfill/Vanitas series, 2006C-printGift of Cristina Delgado (OC 1980) and Stephen F. Olsen (OC 1979)AMAM 2010.16 
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The last section of the “Museum for Oberlin” exhibition offers a selection of recent acquisitions that were presented to the AMAM as gifts-in-kind from donors or purchased with museum funds designated specifically for that purpose. Since general College funds have never been used to acquire art for the museum, Into the Future celebrates the generosity and foresight of the many donors who help the museum to continuously develop the collection. In addition to works that amplify existing collection strengths, the works on view showcase the growing holdings of photographs spanning the entire history of the medium, as well as twentieth-century art from Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, and Japan. These artworks have already played a central role in inspiring innovative curricular approaches to teaching and learning and support a broad range of class visits across the College and Conservatory.

Image:

Tim Davis (American, born in Africa, 1969)
Rainbow Bread, from the Voidfill/Vanitas series, 2006
C-print
Gift of Cristina Delgado (OC 1980) and Stephen F. Olsen (OC 1979)
AMAM 2010.16 

The AMAM’s Eva Hesse archive includes several diaries, notebooks, and datebooks in which Hesse sketched and recorded thoughts about both her life and her work. These volumes, which cover over a decade of Hesse’s life, paint a nuanced picture of the artist. In the diary that Hesse kept while at studying at Yale University, she records the thrill of early success: “Terribly excited! Just feel it. Have been working hard! Feel good about work (my own). Stronger than ever before. Sold another painting.” In a draft of a letter that she wrote to her close friend Sol LeWitt during a stint in Germany, however, Hesse reveals a much less confident side of herself: “I trust myself not enough to come through with any one idea; or maybe a singular good idea does not exist. And if there would be one among the many I don’t think I could recognize it.”On view in the Ripin Print Gallery through December 23, 2011.Image:Eva Hesse (American, born in Germany, 1936–1970)Untitled, 1962Collage, crayon, and pencilGift of Helen Hesse Charash, AMAM 1982.102.28   
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The AMAM’s Eva Hesse archive includes several diaries, notebooks, and datebooks in which Hesse sketched and recorded thoughts about both her life and her work. These volumes, which cover over a decade of Hesse’s life, paint a nuanced picture of the artist. In the diary that Hesse kept while at studying at Yale University, she records the thrill of early success: “Terribly excited! Just feel it. Have been working hard! Feel good about work (my own). Stronger than ever before. Sold another painting.” In a draft of a letter that she wrote to her close friend Sol LeWitt during a stint in Germany, however, Hesse reveals a much less confident side of herself: “I trust myself not enough to come through with any one idea; or maybe a singular good idea does not exist. And if there would be one among the many I don’t think I could recognize it.”

On view in the Ripin Print Gallery through December 23, 2011.

Image:
Eva Hesse (American, born in Germany, 1936–1970)
Untitled, 1962
Collage, crayon, and pencil
Gift of Helen Hesse Charash, AMAM 1982.102.28 

 

In 1951, AMAM Director Charles Parkhurst inaugurated a series of biennial exhibitions initially titled “Three Young Americans,” the purpose of which was to bring to Oberlin innovative new work by artists “young in reputation yet noteworthy in accomplishment.” The “Young Americans” series, which ran until 1990, was organized in its later years by Professor Ellen Johnson, Curator of Modern Art Athena Tacha, and her successor William Olander. The “Young Americans” exhibitions served as a launching pad for many noteworthy artists of the late twentieth century, including Frank Stella, Claes Oldenburg, Robert Rauschenberg, Jim Dine, John Chamberlain, Richard Diebenkorn, Bruce Nauman, Chuck Close, David Salle, and Cindy Sherman.Visit the “A Museum for Oberlin” exhibition now through December 23, 2011.Image:Bruce Nauman (American, b. 1941)Study for Hologram, 1970Photolithographic offset printArt Rental Collection TransferAMAM 1994.30
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In 1951, AMAM Director Charles Parkhurst inaugurated a series of biennial exhibitions initially titled “Three Young Americans,” the purpose of which was to bring to Oberlin innovative new work by artists “young in reputation yet noteworthy in accomplishment.”

The “Young Americans” series, which ran until 1990, was organized in its later years by Professor Ellen Johnson, Curator of Modern Art Athena Tacha, and her successor William Olander. The “Young Americans” exhibitions served as a launching pad for many noteworthy artists of the late twentieth century, including Frank Stella, Claes Oldenburg, Robert Rauschenberg, Jim Dine, John Chamberlain, Richard Diebenkorn, Bruce Nauman, Chuck Close, David Salle, and Cindy Sherman.

Visit the “A Museum for Oberlin” exhibition now through December 23, 2011.

Image:
Bruce Nauman (American, b. 1941)
Study for Hologram, 1970
Photolithographic offset print
Art Rental Collection Transfer
AMAM 1994.30

At the turn of the twentieth century, Americans began enthusiastically collecting Japanese woodblock prints. Mary A. Ainsworth (1867-1950), a member of the Oberlin College class of 1889, was one of the earliest collectors and a notable exception among the majority of wealthy male connoisseurs. During a period of twenty-five years, between 1906 and the early 1930s, Ainsworth assembled an outstanding and historically representative collection of Japanese woodblock prints from Japan’s Tokugawa period (1600-1868). Following her death, Ainsworth’s comprehensive holdings of more than fifteen hundred Japanese prints of exceptional quality and over one hundred important woodblock books (amounting to three hundred volumes), along with a major reference library and several printing blocks, were bequeathed to Oberlin College.Find out more in the exhibition “A Museum for Oberlin,” which closes on December 23.Image: Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, 1797–1858)The Grove of Plum Trees at Kameido, no. 30 from the series One Hundred Views of Famous Places in Edo, 1857 Color woodblock print Mary A. Ainsworth Bequest, AMAM 1950.1396 
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At the turn of the twentieth century, Americans began enthusiastically collecting Japanese woodblock prints. Mary A. Ainsworth (1867-1950), a member of the Oberlin College class of 1889, was one of the earliest collectors and a notable exception among the majority of wealthy male connoisseurs. During a period of twenty-five years, between 1906 and the early 1930s, Ainsworth assembled an outstanding and historically representative collection of Japanese woodblock prints from Japan’s Tokugawa period (1600-1868).

Following her death, Ainsworth’s comprehensive holdings of more than fifteen hundred Japanese prints of exceptional quality and over one hundred important woodblock books (amounting to three hundred volumes), along with a major reference library and several printing blocks, were bequeathed to Oberlin College.

Find out more in the exhibition “A Museum for Oberlin,” which closes on December 23.

Image:
Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, 1797–1858)
The Grove of Plum Trees at Kameido,
no. 30 from the series One Hundred Views of Famous Places in Edo, 1857
Color woodblock print
Mary A. Ainsworth Bequest, AMAM 1950.1396 

From 1955 to 1968, Joseph and Enid Bissett gave the AMAM twenty-four paintings and works on paper by canonical European artists including Picasso, Giacometti, Sisley, and Modigliani. The Bissetts, who made their fortune through the development of the Maidenform bra, were close personal friends of the artist Jean Dubuffet and his wife Lili, as evidenced by the letters displayed in the next case. Joseph and Enid Bissett gave much of their art collection to the AMAM on the advice of their nephew, J.R. Judson (OC 1948), who graduated from Oberlin College and went on to become an eminent historian of Dutch and Flemish art. The Bissetts’ generous gift greatly strengthened the museum’s holdings in the area of mid-twentieth-century European art. Learn more in the exhibition, “A Museum for Oberlin” on view until December 21. Image: Henri Matisse (French, 1869–1954)Reclining Nude, ca. 1925Pastel on flocked paperGift of Joseph and Enid Bissett, AMAM 1962.43
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From 1955 to 1968, Joseph and Enid Bissett gave the AMAM twenty-four paintings and works on paper by canonical European artists including Picasso, Giacometti, Sisley, and Modigliani. The Bissetts, who made their fortune through the development of the Maidenform bra, were close personal friends of the artist Jean Dubuffet and his wife Lili, as evidenced by the letters displayed in the next case. Joseph and Enid Bissett gave much of their art collection to the AMAM on the advice of their nephew, J.R. Judson (OC 1948), who graduated from Oberlin College and went on to become an eminent historian of Dutch and Flemish art. The Bissetts’ generous gift greatly strengthened the museum’s holdings in the area of mid-twentieth-century European art.


Learn more in the exhibition, “A Museum for Oberlin” on view until December 21. 

Image:

Henri Matisse (French, 1869–1954)
Reclining Nude, ca. 1925
Pastel on flocked paper
Gift of Joseph and Enid Bissett, AMAM 1962.43

The AMAM’s collection of works on paper grew substantially beginning in the 1960s, aided in large part by a distinguished collection of more than 100 Old Master prints bequeathed to the museum by Max Kade and the Kade Foundation in 1967, 1969, and 1975. John R. Spencer, AMAM director from 1963 to 1971, and Professor John Kurtz of the German Department brought the needs of the museum to Max Kade’s attention. He generously responded by giving an important part of his personal collection to the museum. The majority of the prints Kade and his foundation donated are by German Old Masters: sixty-three by Durer and others by Aldegrever, Beham, Burgkmair, and Schongauer. Fourteen Rembrandt etchings were included in this gift, as well, including the one seen here.See more on the history of the collection in the exhibition, “A Museum for Oberlin,” on view until December 21.Image:Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669)St. Jerome Beside a Pollard Willow, 1648EtchingGift of the Max Kade Foundation, AMAM 1967.42
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The AMAM’s collection of works on paper grew substantially beginning in the 1960s, aided in large part by a distinguished collection of more than 100 Old Master prints bequeathed to the museum by Max Kade and the Kade Foundation in 1967, 1969, and 1975.

John R. Spencer, AMAM director from 1963 to 1971, and Professor John Kurtz of the German Department brought the needs of the museum to Max Kade’s attention. He generously responded by giving an important part of his personal collection to the museum. The majority of the prints Kade and his foundation donated are by German Old Masters: sixty-three by Durer and others by Aldegrever, Beham, Burgkmair, and Schongauer. Fourteen Rembrandt etchings were included in this gift, as well, including the one seen here.

See more on the history of the collection in the exhibition, “A Museum for Oberlin,” on view until December 21.

Image:
Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669)
St. Jerome Beside a Pollard Willow, 1648
Etching
Gift of the Max Kade Foundation, AMAM 1967.42

Gifts from several notable donors such as the distinguished Oberlin College history professor Frederick Binkerd Artz (OC 1916), Charles F. Olney, and Paul F. Walter (OC 1957) form the core of the museum’s current South and Southeast Asian art holdings. The collection includes examples of Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts from a variety of historical periods. On display in the exhibition “A Museum for Oberlin” is a selection of Indian miniature paintings that amplified the museum’s holdings expanded the range of subject matter and regional styles represented in the collection. In addition, the AMAM owns a number of preparatory drawings for miniature paintings that help teach students about the creative processes used to develop these works. Image:Indian, Mughal Dynasty (1526 - 1858)A Lady Separated from her Lover is Consoled by a Maid from a Nayak-Nayika Bhed, Virahini Nayika, ca. 1680Tempera, gold, and inkPaul F. Walter Fund, AMAM 1969.40
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Gifts from several notable donors such as the distinguished Oberlin College history professor Frederick Binkerd Artz (OC 1916), Charles F. Olney, and Paul F. Walter (OC 1957) form the core of the museum’s current South and Southeast Asian art holdings. The collection includes examples of Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts from a variety of historical periods. On display in the exhibition “A Museum for Oberlin” is a selection of Indian miniature paintings that amplified the museum’s holdings expanded the range of subject matter and regional styles represented in the collection. In addition, the AMAM owns a number of preparatory drawings for miniature paintings that help teach students about the creative processes used to develop these works.

Image:
Indian, Mughal Dynasty (1526 - 1858)
A Lady Separated from her Lover is Consoled by a Maid from a Nayak-Nayika Bhed, Virahini Nayika, ca. 1680
Tempera, gold, and ink
Paul F. Walter Fund, AMAM 1969.40

In 1917, Oberlin eagerly anticipated the completion of the new museum and art building, which was formally dedicated on June 12. To celebrate, Elizabeth Severance Allen gave to the fledgling museum several prints, including Dürer’s famous woodcut, The Rhinoceros. This work, and many, many more, are currently on view in the exhibition “A Museum for Oberlin” - through December 21. Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471–1528)The Rhinoceros, 1515WoodcutImage: 8 7/16 x 11 13/16 in. (214 x 300 mm)Sheet: 8 7/8 x 12 1/8 in. (225 x 308 mm)Gift of Mrs. F. F. Prentiss, AMAM 1917.7
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In 1917, Oberlin eagerly anticipated the completion of the new museum and art building, which was formally dedicated on June 12. To celebrate, Elizabeth Severance Allen gave to the fledgling museum several prints, including Dürer’s famous woodcut, The Rhinoceros. 

This work, and many, many more, are currently on view in the exhibition “A Museum for Oberlin” - through December 21. 


Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471–1528)
The Rhinoceros, 1515
Woodcut
Image: 8 7/16 x 11 13/16 in. (214 x 300 mm)
Sheet: 8 7/8 x 12 1/8 in. (225 x 308 mm)
Gift of Mrs. F. F. Prentiss, AMAM 1917.7

The Charles Olney collection came into Oberlin College’s possession in early 1904, but it was not brought to campus until spring 1908 when it was installed in the third floor of the Carnegie Library. In 1917, the AMAM was built to house the College’s growing collection of art, and the works from the Olney Collection joined other gifts of art and plaster casts of famous sculptures. Oberlin College accepted Olney’s gift with the understanding that many of the works would be sold, with the proceeds used to purchase objects of superior quality, to which Olney’s name would be attached. These proceeds were added to an endowment that Olney left as part of his bequest to the College. Today, the Charles Olney Fund is generally used to acquire works on paper, such as the print shown above.See this work and find out more about the formation of the AMAM collection in the current exhibit, “A Museum for Oberlin.”Image:Peter Behrens (German, 1868–1940)Kopfe (Kussende), 1898Color woodcutOverall: 10 3/4 x 8 7/16 in. (273 x 214 mm)Charles F. Olney Fund, AMAM 1959.107 
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The Charles Olney collection came into Oberlin College’s possession in early 1904, but it was not brought to campus until spring 1908 when it was installed in the third floor of the Carnegie Library. In 1917, the AMAM was built to house the College’s growing collection of art, and the works from the Olney Collection joined other gifts of art and plaster casts of famous sculptures. 

Oberlin College accepted Olney’s gift with the understanding that many of the works would be sold, with the proceeds used to purchase objects of superior quality, to which Olney’s name would be attached. These proceeds were added to an endowment that Olney left as part of his bequest to the College. Today, the Charles Olney Fund is generally used to acquire works on paper, such as the print shown above.

See this work and find out more about the formation of the AMAM collection in the current exhibit, “A Museum for Oberlin.”

Image:
Peter Behrens (German, 1868–1940)
Kopfe (Kussende), 1898
Color woodcut
Overall: 10 3/4 x 8 7/16 in. (273 x 214 mm)
Charles F. Olney Fund, AMAM 1959.107