Contemporary Art
The Contemporary Art Collection features works dating from 1945 to the present, numbers more than 3,000 objects, and emphasizes paintings and works on paper, but also includes significant examples of sculpture, photography and video. Although this department was not established until 1975, the Atheneum's engagement with contemporary art began in the early 1920s and has since become integral to the museum's identity and collection.
Today, the museum's commitment to enhancing the quality and diversity of its collection is as strong as ever. The Atheneum remains one of the few traditional art museums nationwide to actively collect a broad spectrum of innovative new art. Over the last several years the museum's collecting of contemporary art has become increasingly global in scope, reflecting the growing internationalism of today's art world. More...
Among recent acquisitions is the critically acclaimed film Out of Blue (2002) by London-based artist Zarina Bhimji. The Atheneum also maintains significant holdings by renowned Conceptual artist and Hartford native Sol LeWitt, whose Wall Drawing #1131, Whirls and Twirls (Wadsworth) was commissioned in 2004 for display in the museum's historic Morgan building.
The Department also organizes larger-scale special exhibitions and publications. Recent exhibitions featuring Sol LeWitt and Robert Rauschenberg provided unique opportunities to present seldom-seen work by leading artists, while also highlighting special concentrations from the permanent collection. Because contemporary art innately resists classification into schools, national styles, and media associated with earlier periods of modern art, its display at the museum is often thematically or conceptually oriented, revealing tendencies and affinities among artists working today. Since 1975, the Department of Contemporary Art has also maintained the MATRIX program, which highlights work by emerging and under-recognized mid-career artists through three solo exhibitions each year. Recent MATRIX artists include Jonathan Horowitz, Iona Rozeal Brown, and Ellen Carey.
