25 Works You Must See

Frank Stella, b. 1936 Frank Stella first came into prominence in 1959, when his spare, black-and-white canvases were featured in a seminal show at the Museum of Modern Art, and he emerged in the 1960s as one of the leading figures of American Abstraction. In marked contrast to the paradigm of painting as a magic window, Stella advanced a more literal, concrete conception of the painted surface as a pattern bounded by edges. His shaped canvases of concentric black-and-white bands set the stage for the Minimalist movement, but Stella began in the later 1960s to integrate color into his increasingly monumental compositions. One of a series of paintings that explored relationships of color, form and pattern, Flin Flon VIII’s petal-like geometric shapes– made of overlapping protractor outlines– seem to project and recede in a dizzying optical dance.

Flin Flon VII 1970 Size: 108 in. x 108 in. (274.3 cm x 274.3 cm) Museum purchase, 1979:19 Frank Stella, b. 1936 Frank Stella first came into prominence in 1959, when his spare, black-and-white canvases were featured in a seminal show at the Museum of Modern Art, and he emerged in the 1960s as one of the leading figures of American Abstraction. In marked contrast to the paradigm of painting as a magic window, Stella advanced a more literal, concrete conception of the painted surface as a pattern bounded by edges. His shaped canvases of concentric black-and-white bands set the stage for the Minimalist movement, but Stella began in the later 1960s to integrate color into his increasingly monumental compositions. One of a series of paintings that explored relationships of color, form and pattern, Flin Flon VIII’s petal-like geometric shapes– made of overlapping protractor outlines– seem to project and recede in a dizzying optical dance.

La Jolla Cove ca. 1950 Size: 24 in. x 36 in. (60.9 cm x 91.4 cm) Gift of the artist, 1965:26 Alfred R. Mitchell, 1888--1972 After receiving his initial artistic education in San Diego under Maurice Braun, Alfred Mitchell studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and traveled in Europe before returning to California. He would later serve as President of the San Diego Art Guild and was among those who signed the incorporation papers for the Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego, which today is known as The San Diego Museum of Art. Like many of his contemporary artists in Southern California, Mitchell combined in his work the lessons both of Thomas Eakins's American Realism and of French art; the resulting plein air style has come to be known as California Impressionism. Visitors to The San Diego Museum of Art will find on display a group of California Impressionist paintings that includes Mitchell's work alongside that of such artists as Maurice Braun, Nicolai Fechin, Charles Fries, Charles Reiffel, Guy Rose, and Elliott Torrey. www.TheSanDiegoMuseumofArt.org

The Hands of Dr. Moore 1940 Diego Rivera, 1886--1957 Size: 18 in. x 22 in. (45.7 cm x 55.9 cm) Bequest of Mrs. E. Clarence Moore, 1970:20 In this non-traditional portrait, Diego Rivera chose to focus on the doctor's hands instead of creating a more typical image that featured the sitter's face. The inscription reads, "These are the hands of Dr. Clarence Moore of Los Angeles, California. They trim the tree of life so that it is renewed and does not die. Diego Rivera painted them in 1940." With its reference to roots, female anatomy, and blood, and through the use of a ribbon-like banner that includes an inscription, the painting recalls the work of Frida Kahlo, a Mexican artist whom Rivera twice married. The anthropomorphic tree that is transformed from a symbol of the natural world to the female figure reflects the status of the tree as an iconic symbol in Mexican art history from pre-Columbian to contemporary times. Moreover the tree motif appears in the Museum's other painting by Rivera, the Mandrágora of 1939, and in such works as Pan American Unity, also created in 1940, and permanently on view at San Francisco City College. www.TheSanDiegoMuseumofArt.org

The Somnambulist Rufino Tamayo, 1899--1991 1954 Size: 39 1/2 in. x 31 1/2 in. (100.3 cm x 80 cm) Anonymous gift, 1964:130 An avid collector, Tamayo acquired art that today forms the core of two museums in Mexico: one in Oaxaca that displays pre-Columbian art and another in Mexico City that presents modern and contemporary art. These interests are found in his own works, which incorporate traditional Mexican imagery, yet are infused with the spirit of contemporary Surrealism. Tamayo created both easel paintings and large-scale murals. He was a contemporary of the Mexican muralists Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros, but he explored abstraction to an extent not attempted by these others. The Somnambulist reveals Tamayo's interest in developing a highly original style in its rendering of a sleepwalker with angular Cubist shapes and bold hues of orange and blue.

Eastman Johnson, 1824--1906 Woman Reading ca. 1874 Size: 25 1/8 in. x 18 5/8 in. (63.8 cm x 47.3 cm) Museum purchase with funds provided by the Gerald and Inez Grant Parker Foundation, 1977:9 Eastman Johnson created intimate scenes of daily life that contribute to our understanding of the American cultural landscape during his lifetime. Born in Lovell, Maine, Johnson lived mostly in New England, and this painting is likely one of the many works that were inspired by the landscape of Nantucket, Massachusetts. Women figured prominently in Johnson's work, and he frequently painted them alone and often engaged in tasks that were popular activities for women in the late 19th century, such as reading or walking outdoors.

Frank Stella, b. 1936 Flin Flon VII 1970 Size: 108 in. x 108 in. (274.3 cm x 274.3 cm) Museum purchase, 1979:19 Frank Stella first came into prominence in 1959, when his spare, black-and-white canvases were featured in a seminal show at the Museum of Modern Art, and he emerged in the 1960s as one of the leading figures of American Abstraction. In marked contrast to the paradigm of painting as a magic window, Stella advanced a more literal, concrete conception of the painted surface as a pattern bounded by edges. His shaped canvases of concentric black-and-white bands set the stage for the Minimalist movement, but Stella began in the later 1960s to integrate color into his increasingly monumental compositions. One of a series of paintings that explored relationships of color, form and pattern, Flin Flon VIII’s petal-like geometric shapes– made of overlapping protractor outlines– seem to project and recede in a dizzying optical dance.

Maria at La Granja, 1907 Size: 67 1/8 in. x 33 1/2 in. (170.5 cm x 85.1 cm) Gift of Mr. Archer M. Huntington in memory of his mother, Arabella D. Huntington, 1925:1 Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida Sorolla was the most internationally famous Spanish artist of his day. Early in his career, he was greatly influenced by the realism of Velázquez and other artists of the 17th-century Spanish Golden Age, but he spent much time in Paris in the years around 1900 and developed a particular talent for combining traditional Spanish painting with the new approaches of French Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. Sorolla painted plein air portraits with great skill and success, starting with his family and later portraying even the king and queen of Spain. This portrait is of the artist’s daughter at age 17, when she had recently recovered from tuberculosis. She is shaded by trees that are not shown in the painting, but the juxtaposition of cool shadows with glowing patches of light is one of the artist’s trademarks, as is the deft manipulation of paint into thick impasto highlights.

Quince, Cabbage, Melon, and Cucumber ca. 1602 Size: 27 1/8 in. x 33 1/4 in. (68.9 cm x 84.5 cm) Gift of Anne R. and Amy Putnam, 1945:43 Juan Sánchez Cotán, 1560–1627 Still-life painting was virtually nonexistent in European art before the 1590s, and Sánchez Cotán is considered not only among the first practitioners of the genre, but also arguably the greatest. This work, moreover, is universally acclaimed as his masterpiece. Brilliantly executed, the painting is unflinching in its naturalism and simplicity. The mysterious serenity of the composition, in which the objects are positioned in a perfect curve against the deep black background, has led many to question the meaning or function of the image. For some, the work is an exercise in pure painting, the straightforward depiction of vegetables in a cold cellar. Others, however, believe that the picture may have religious overtones, and that it should be understood as a celebration of God’s most humble creations. In support of the latter reading, it is often noted that Sánchez Cotán gave up his possessions and entered a Carthusian monastery soon after painting this canvas.

Guanyin Bodhisattva China, Yunnan province Size: 9 1/4 in. x 4 11/16 in. x 2 5/8 in. (48.9 cm x 11.91 cm x 6.67 cm) Museum purchase with funds provided by the Helen M. Towle Bequest 1941:83 Buddhist sculptures from southwestern China, like this example in the Museum’s collection, are exceptionally rare, especially when datable by inscription. The graceful standing figure can be identified as Guanyin, the bodhisattva of compassion, because of the figure of the Buddha Amitabha in the crown. The character “Da” has been carved on each foot, which indicates that it was made for the royal family of the Dali Kingdom. The extensive inscription on the back of the garment reveals that the Emperor Duan Zhengxing paid for this sculpture to be made for his sons, to ensure their prosperity and the continuation of the family line. It is interesting to note that no esoteric or philosophical ideas of Buddhism were invoked by these patrons.

Hayagriva 15th century, Tibet Size: 16 1/4 in. x 12 1/2 in. x 5 3/4 in. (41.28 cm x 31.75 cm x 14.61 cm) Museum purchase with funds provided by the Elsie S. Kimberly Bequest, 1968:17 In the Tibetan Buddhist context, Hayagriva is one of eight major bodhisattvas who take on the wrathful form of a guardian of sacred knowledge. Through rituals and prayer, Buddhists can invoke Hayagriva and use his power to help them conquer obstacles to enlightenment. The name Hayagriva means “He who has the Neck of a Horse;” accordingly, he has three diminutive horses’ necks and heads emerging from his hair. His mouth is open, because it is through sound – his terrifying neigh – that Hayagriva dispels demons and afflictions. Under his feet he tramples either snakes or personifications of the causes of mental suffering. The garland of multi-colored severed heads (symbolizing the eradication of one's deluded sense of self) and inset jewels are typical of sculptures associated with the Indian tantric tradition.

The Penitent Saint Peter ca. 1590-1595 Size: 49 1/4 in. x 42 3/8 in. (125.1 cm x 107.6 cm) Gift of Anne R. and Amy Putnam, 1940:76 El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos), 1541–1614 One of El Greco’s most enduring devotional images, The Penitent Saint Peter was a subject to which the painter often returned, and this is one of at least six known versions of the composition. The painting depicts the repentant Saint Peter, distraught at having denied that he knew Christ when questioned on the eve of the crucifixion. The saint is dramatically isolated, set against the dark trunk of a tree and lit by an ethereal light that emphasizes his soulful expression and posture. The scene in the background at left shows Mary Magdalene returning from Christ’s tomb: having received the news of Christ’s resurrection from an angel, she runs to tell Saint Peter. This work is marked by a religious intensity that can be related to the concerns of the Counter-Reformation church. The biblical description of Saint Peter’s penitence in the days after the crucifixion was used by Counter-Reformation Catholics to justify the sacrament of penance or confession, which had been challenged by Protestantism. Devotional concerns aside, the canvas is a quintessential example of El Greco’s painterly virtuosity and of the poignant humanity of his figures.

The Young Shepherdess 1885 Size: 62 in. x 28 1/2 in. (157.5 cm x 72.4 cm) Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin S. Larsen, 1968:82 William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1825–1905 Trained at the Royal Academy in Paris, Bouguereau became one of the most prolific and successful exhibitors at the Parisian Salon in the later 19th century. Like Realist painters including Courbet or Millet, he shared a passion for subjects drawn from rural life. Bouguereau’s rural figures, however, are always closer to the idealized shepherds and shepherdesses of classical pastoral poetry than to the earthy farmers more often depicted by the Realists. Moreover, during the decades when the Realists and Impressionists developed their bold anti-academic styles, Bouguereau remained the principal proponent of traditional painting, and his works are characterized by the superbly drawn anatomy and high degree of finish seen here.

Night Presence II 1976 Size: 155 5/8 in. x 95 3/4 in. x 55 1/4 in. (395.3 cm x 243.2 cm x 140.3 cm) Museum purchase through the Earle W. Grant Endowment Fund, 1976:137 Louise Nevelson, 1899–1988 The outdoor May S. Marcy Sculpture Court, adjacent the Museum’s main building, is a must-see for monumental art. Under cover of the Sculpture Court Café stands Louise Nevelson’s Night Presence II of 1976, an arresting meditation on architecture composed of columns, finials and scroll-sawed steel offcuts. Experimenting first with wall-mounted assemblages of found objects, mostly wood, which the artist painted either all black or all white to unify her three-dimensional compositions, Nevelson began in the 1960s to translate these reliefs into freestanding sculptures. The use of welded Cor-Ten steel, its oxidized patina a rusty red, allowed Nevelson to install her work outdoors, her boxy abstractions recalling oversized Cubist collages. In contrast to Night Presence II’s forest of standing forms, the sculpture court also showcases Henry Moore’s Reclining Figure: Arch Leg of 1969, alongside works by such sculptors as Barbara Hepworth and David Smith.

Portrait of Mrs. Robert Henri August 1914 Size: 24 in. x 20 in. (60.9 cm x 50.8 cm) Gift of Mrs. George Heyneman, 1959:7 Robert Henri, 1865–1929 Robert Henri studied at both the Académie Julian and the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Though Thomas Eakins was no longer teaching at the Academy when Henri arrived, Eakins was immensely influential for Henri, who regarded him as the superior portrait painter in the United States and followed Eakins’s bluntly realist style. This painting of Robert Henri’s second wife, Marjorie Organ Henri, was given by the artist to Alice Klauber, who studied with Henri in Spain in 1907. Klauber invited Henri to San Diego in 1914, and he assisted her with the organization of an exhibition of American painting for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, which was held in what became Balboa Park. The exhibition brought the work of George Bellows, William Glackens, Childe Hassam, John Sloan, and Henri to San Diego.

Arnold Newman, 1918–2006 One of the twentieth century’s most renowned portrait photographers, Arnold Newman is best known for his series of environmental portraits, in which the photographer captured his subjects in settings that expressed their life and work. His most famous images are of artists, writers, and politicians, but Newman was insistent that his compositions be interesting photographs and not merely records of celebrities’ appearances. In these typical examples of Newman’s work, some of many Newman portraits in the Museum’s collection. Given the light-sensitive nature of photographic prints, The San Diego Museum of Art displays the collection of photography in rotating displays that change every few months. Visitors can, nonetheless, always find an installation of photography on view – either works from the collection or a loan exhibition.

Female Nude Reading 1915 Size: 54 in. x 42 3/8 in. (137.2 cm x 107.6 cm) Museum purchase through the Earle W. Grant Acquisition Fund, 1979:20 Robert Delaunay, 1885–1941 Single-minded in his pursuit of a pure pictorial language based on bold chromatic contrasts, Delaunay turned away from the muted Cubist palette of Picasso and Braque and looked instead to the lessons of Matisse and his followers, who had pioneered an expressive and deliberately dissonant use of color. The critic Guillaume Apollinaire used the term “Orphic,” a poetic label meant to evoke the work’s “cosmic” character, to describe Delaunay’s language of luminous, abstract forms. Much of Delaunay’s work is more purely abstract, but this painting belongs to the series of female nudes – exceptional among Delaunay’s oeuvre – executed in Spain and Portugal, where the artist and his wife had withdrawn during World War I. The overlapping constellation of circular motifs at the edges of the composition are more typical of his work and recalls the so-called color wheels of Michel Eugène Chevreul, the nineteenth century chemist whose theory of simultaneous color contrasts had also been a touchstone of Impressionism.