March / Apri 2016 - art ltd 37THROUGH JUNE 12, 2016
Admission is always free. All are welcome.
smartmuseum.uchicago.eduSeymour Rosofsky, Patient in Dentist’s Chair (detail), 1961, Oil on canvas. Smart Museum of Art, The University of
Chicago, Gift of the Rosofsky Estate, 2014.16.exhibition installation reflective of its previous
surroundings. He says, “Dorace Fichtenbaum’s
collection covered nearly every wall of her
home. For the DMA presentation we will
replicate this aesthetic with a salon style
hang—grouping objects by similarity and like-
ness in the way that their previous owner tried
to rationalize and organize the diversity of her
collection.” Once the exhibition closes, Meslay
says, conservation work will be done on the
works on paper before they return to the dark-
ness of their boxes. He stresses that it is “not
because the work was treated badly,” but
rather to re-mat much of it onto safer paper.
Some of the African objects will go on view im-
mediately and plans are afoot to put Mitchell’s
iconic 1981 painting, Untitled, on display.
Fichtenbaum travelled widely and often
brought home indigenous objects from her so-
journs. However, beyond the canon of Western
art, it is the addition of her African objects that
will be most keenly felt. While African art
is already well represented at the Museum,
these pieces will fill in some gaps. Dr. Roslyn
Walker, Senior Curator of the Arts of Africa, the
Americas, and the Pacific, looks forward to the
addition of a Chokwe scepter from Angola for
a variety of reasons. “The scepter comple-
ments the collection of royal regalia from
modern Ghana, Nigeria, and the Democratic
Republic of the Congo,” she says. Walker
is equally enthusiastic to explore how these
works can provide a deeper understanding of
the communities in which they were created.
She adds, “I am especially excited about the
Yoruba Geledeheaddress from Nigeria. It is
clearly by a different artist than one already
in the collection. It proves a point about how
artists execute the established canon, i.e.,
they give it their own ‘aesthetic spin.’”
In addition to her collection, Fichtenbaum leaves
behind the good feelings of DMA board mem-
bers, docents and friends. Meslay calls her gift
“the ultimate generosity.” Unlike many collec-
tors, Fichtenbaum lived quietly among her
treasures. For Meslay, it was a revelation that a
local collector lived under the radar and amassed
such an important body of work. He concludes,
“For me, what is most exciting about this be-
quest is the human aspect of it: someone who
collected these works, loved them and gave
them to us. We are all deeply grateful.”
—NANCY COHEN ISRAEL
Opposite left to right:
Woman at the studio window
(Weiblicher Akt beim Studiofenster), 1913
Erich Heckel
Watercolor and charcoal on paper
185 ⁄ 8 " x 15^1 ⁄ 2 "
Dallas Museum of Art,
bequest of Dorace M. Fichtenbaum
Gelede headdress (ere Gelede),
Early 20th century
Yoruba peoples, Nigeria, Africa
Wood, leather and pigment
Overall: 9^1 ⁄ 2 " x 8^1 ⁄ 2 " x 9^1 ⁄ 2 "
Courtesy Dallas Museum of Art,
bequest of Dorace M. Fichtenbaum