ABOUT THE INSTALLATION
From 1610 to 1670 (considered part of the Baroque era), Dutch art flourished in the Netherlands. Artists transformed previous genres of art by investigating how light reflects off different surfaces, revealing the enlivened and true character of their subjects.
(Above): Alanna Airitam, Saint Strivers, The Golden Age, 2017. Photography, archival ink print with painted varnish. Courtesy of and © Alanna Airitam.
The Collection: Dutch Art Expanded pairs landscape, portraiture, interior, and still life paintings with prints and decorative art objects from the collection of Phoenix Art Museum. Alongside these works, the installation features artworks by Arizona-based artists Rachel Bess and Alanna Airitam, whose practices are inspired by hidden histories and aesthetic concerns associated with the 17th century movement. In her Phoenix studio, Bess creates a sense of romantic drama through her intimate portraits and still life vanitas paintings reminiscent of Dutch artists. In photography, Airitam celebrates Black beauty and through her Golden Age series (2017) recalls the sacrifices made by Black men and women during the Dutch Renaissance.
In placing these contemporary works in conversation with artworks from the era, Dutch Art Expanded offers fresh perspectives and challenges preconceived notions on the formerly so-called “Golden Age.”
Rachel Bess, Rotting Apple, Prone, 2015. Oil on panel. Courtesy of the artist and Lisa Sette Gallery.
EXHIBITION SPONSORS
The Collection: Dutch Art Expanded is organized by the Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Rachel Sadvary Zebro, Associate Curator of Collections, with Destiny Montoya, Association of Art Museum Directors Curatorial Intern.
The Collection: Dutch Art Expanded is made possible through the generosity of FOCUS on European Art and an anonymous donor.
All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by The Opatrny Family Foundation with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.
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Featuring more than 20,000 objects, the collection spans the globe, bringing the world to our city, and our city to the world.
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