From bright colors to weird dimensions; many different kinds of art were on display for all to see. From July 28 to October 20, the Musuem of Fine Arts featured
“Jasper Johns to Jeff Koons: Four Decades of Art from the Broad Collections.
All these works of art were brought to the MFA thanks to Eli and Edyth Broad through The Broad Art Foundation. The couple are the owners of more than 1000 pieces of art by 150 designers. Some of the thespians chosen to represent this span of forty years are Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, Anselm Kiefer, Cindy Sherman and Jeff Koons to name a few.
Some of the most interesting pieces of artwork were done by Jasper Johns and Andy Warhol. One of Johns’ works, “Flag, 1967,” was the earliest work in the exhibit. Johns can also take credit for being one of the pioneers behind pop art. Artists like Johns served as inspiration to future generations.
Andy Warhol was famous for taking pictures of inanimate objects, such as Campbell soup cans and pictures of famous women, like the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis and Marilyn Monroe. He would take pictures from newspapers, magazines and commercials, and reproduce them through a process known as silk-screening.
Lichentenstein, a pop artist, is one of the Broads’ favorite artists He bases his paintings on comic books. Lichentenstein combines, both, picture and text in powerful paintings with flat colors and hefty outlines. One of his pictures “I…I’m Sorry,” was used on the cover of the brochure for the exhibit.
Charles Ray and Robert Therrien bring a whole new feel to the world of art with their larger than life images. Ray’s mannequin entitled, “Fall ’91″stands eight feet tall, dressed in a stylish red suit with red fingernail polish to match. Therrien takes a different approach with, “Under the Table, 1994.” This piece is made of wood, metal and enamel, and its dimensions are 117x312x216 feet. “Under the Table,” is comprised of a kitchen table and four chairs. Standing beneath this massive piece of art may make the visitor feel like a character out of the movie, “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.”
Jeff Koons took art to yet another level in 1995 with his sculpture of “Balloon Dog,” a three dimensional, limited edition porcelain sculpture. Although the piece is quite impressive, Koons actually did not sculp the dog himself. He is the man behind the idea. Koons comes up with the concept and hires a team or people who actually have the skill and talent necessary to put the work together. “Balloon Dog” sells for $400 each.
Artistry has changed with the times. It has gone from being flat and dull to multi-deimensional and multicolored. For more information on this and other exhibits, go to www.mfa.org.
