Conversations

Dear All,

I’m excited to share with you the second interview in the series of “Conversations.”  I am thrilled to have Rebecca R. Hart, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Denver Art Museum, participating this month.

On a monthly basis, I will be conducting interviews with art world luminaries, all of whom will provide a deep and nuanced view of the art community. When seen collectively, my hope is that you will possess a more comprehensive and enlightened sense of this dynamic field.

Formerly the curator of contemporary art at The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), Rebecca R. Hart now serves as the curator of modern and contemporary art at the Denver Art Museum, overseeing 12,500+ bodies of work. She is also an author and a teacher and has contributed to more than 15 publications.

“’Conversations’ with – Rebecca R. Hart”

 

You’ve been known to draw deep connections between artists and local communities, how would you say this role has changed since your move to Denver?

When I arrived in Denver I found a vibrant contemporary art community that included both artists and collectors. The demographics of Denver are considerably different from Detroit, where I lived for twenty-five years. Here, there is a large Latinx community, an influx of new people, and many who have lived here for generations. Perhaps it’s because Denver is the gateway to the American west that I’ve found a spirit of adventure among the people that I’ve met. So it made sense that my first exhibition, Audacious, was based on the premise, “Contemporary art is controversial, let’s talk.” Instead of offering answers the exhibition posed questions and established a platform for conversation and personal reactions.

Now we’re about to open Mi Tierra: Contemporary Artists Explore Place that features thirteen artists commenting on contemporary experiences in the American west.  All of the artists are Mexican American, whether they live in the U.S. or Mexico. To curate an exhibition like this as an Anglo I sought the advice of senior members of the arts community across the nation and, more importantly, in Colorado. At the Denver Art Museum we did extensive research with the Latino communities through group sessions and individual conversations. I also spent three to five days with each artist that we commissioned. From these contacts I learned what was important to the Latinx community and vetted my ideas with a small group of advisors. So my focus has shifted because the political and demographic realities of where I live have changed. My role as a curator remains largely the same: to join artists and their ideas to an institution and larger community.

Over the course of your long career, it appears that the focus of the “art world” and “museum world” has become increasingly geared towards the contemporary arts. What is your view of the museum world’s response to contemporary art from where you began and where you are now?

When I began my career in the 1980s artists, museums and the public were very open to new ideas and partnerships. The auction market or blue chip galleries didn’t dominate the “art world”. The playing field was more level so it was easier to collaborate. Over the years stratifications developed as collectors took keen interest in contemporary art and as the subjects that contemporary artists addressed became more political. Museums could no longer afford to purchase key artworks and increasingly became concerned about public perceptions about controversial topics.

In response museums increasingly attempt to be gathering places for exchange of ideas, aesthetics and visual culture.

In our current, fast-paced age and need for constant stimulation, how best do you suggest for this generation (millennials) to approach contemporary art in a manner that the audience is actually appreciating it?

I resist is the idea that everything is available and can be fully understood virtually, online.  There is a difference between seeing a flattened image on a screen and the experience of being in the same space as an artwork.  That said, the internet has broadened and democratized access to contemporary art. Everyone can attend elite events virtually and has rapid access to art at any moment of the day. The challenge is to slow down, to learn what you love, what’s worth pursuing. I use many virtual platforms to consume art online but rely on what’s termed the “primary experience,” of actually seeing work to fully understand it.

As a curator, I’m in a position of privilege in terms of access but younger collectors and artists have opportunities to visit museums, commercial galleries and art fairs. As they engage both online and in person opportunities emerge because many millennials have vast experience in terms of online contact. Appreciating art is about digesting what you see, not simply consuming it.

How does an encyclopedic museum best interface the viewer’s experiences of contemporary art with other collecting fields?

During the renovation of the Detroit Institute of Arts Graham Beal, the former director, asked all curators to make every culture a living culture.  As a result, the historic collections had to somehow become contemporary; but how? In some instances, I worked with other curators to purchase contemporary artworks that had deep resonance with the historic collection: a text painting by Ghada Amir for the Islamic gallery or the choice of a Nancy Spero installation that incorporated imagery related to Egyptian reliefs already in the collection. Other times the curator of a collection would include an interpretive text about topics we may experience daily. When a visitor understands that Artemisia Gentileschi graphically depicted a murder in Judith and Holofernes soon after she suffered a rape, the work has different valence.

What is good art to you?

Whether I’m standing in front of an old master or looking at the work of a local artist, I sense an artwork is “good” when it touches something in me.  This subjectivity can be intellectual or emotional: did the artwork teach me something about the time in which it was made; or about the artist’s position; is there a congruence between what I see and what the artist proposes to create; did it somehow resonate with a personal experience?

Regardless of whether it’s possible, is there a single object or painting that you would love to own?

Hands down it’s Rembrandt’s Bathsheba at her Bath (holding letter from David) in the Louvre.  That portrait of Rembrandt’s lover, Hendrickje Stoffels, captures the pathos of a woman who has been summoned by King David while her husband was absent. The painting is illustrative of a biblical story and instructive in terms of human interactions. When I first saw it I understood the deep betrayal, helpless, and resignation that Bathsheba felt. The small highlights on her face and hand, that are only visible when you see the actual painting, stun me as I sense her sadness and respect her composure.

You have interests as an author and a teacher as well, what drew you towards curating contemporary art?

Fortunately, as a museum curator, I have opportunities to write and teach often. I studied art history as well as critical theory while also training as an artist. So I understand artworks not only intellectually and aesthetically but also in a haptic sense, in my body.  While I was in graduate school I learned that many artists know that they make in an intuitive sense but often lack the verbal language to explain it. I began to realize that my love of language and knowledge as a maker would enhance how I write and teach about contemporary art practice. This is a tremendous resource for a contemporary curator.

What cities fascinate you for the arts? And what institutions?

Major art capitals—New York, Paris, London—are on my list.  But less recognized places are also: Detroit for its innovation and can-do spirit, Bilbao for blending the new and old, Istanbul for creative fortitude.  I can’t wait to visit China and see what’s going on there.

How do you stay current in the art world, particularly in light of how hugely international the contemporary art world has become?

I’m not sure that anyone is truly “current.,” but a good way to understand the broad scope of the field is to attend international biennials and triennials like the Venice, Sharjah, documenta, Gwangju, São Paulo, Dakar, New Orleans, and others on a long list. High-end art fairs often allow me to see a broad range of international trends that are commercially viable. I read a lot and spend time wondering online.

What and who inspires you?

I’m not sure that I could name a single person. But I know that I’m interested in ideas, conversation, and finding historic resonances and congruence between issues today and history. I’m enough of an optimist that I think that we can learn from the past.

What are you currently reading?

Procession: The Art of Norman Lewis in preparation for a show I’m working on about the relationship of Clyfford Still and Mark Bradford.  Mark has a deep affinity with Clyfford Still and Norman Lewis was a key black artist working in Abstract Expressionism.  I hope to better understand the position of black artists at the time.

If you could invite any guests to a dinner party, alive or deceased, who would you invite?

I’d ask Ana Mendieta to make a guest list.  Would she invite Castro and Andre, friends from the University of Iowa, or her artist friends in New York?  No matter who her guests might be I know that the conversation would be lively!

 

I hope you enjoyed this, if you have any questions about “Conversations” or would like to see any personalities in the art world interviewed here, please let me know. As always if you need advice regarding any aspect of Collecting Fine Art, please feel free to contact me.

Warm Regards,

Bill Cottingham

February 1, 2017