Gordon M. Smith served as the eighth Director of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery (1955-1973).
Fifty years ago this month, Smith wrote a brief yet compelling article for ArtNews titled, "The Brave Buffalo," in which he clearly asserted the core mission of the Gallery to be one of the most daring and enthusiastic collections of contemporary art.
Smith announced publicly his position that contemporary art had its place in American museums when he stated the following:
"The vitality, the intensity, the power, and the range of expression in this mid-century art of ours is the most exciting development in the art world today, and it deserves, I feel, serious recognition as such. The museum of today has more than ever before a duty to act as patron to these artists who are making history--not after they have made it, but while they are making it."
To read the original article:
Smith, Gordon M. "The Brave Buffalo." ArtNews 56 (May 1957): p. 32-3; 70.
A brief reprint of a portion of this article may also be found in the most recent issue of ArtNews:
"Art Talk: ArtNews Retrospective: 50 Years Ago." ArtNews 106 (May 2007): p. 54.
Monday, May 7, 2007
Friday, April 27, 2007
Some tips on using AKAT, the online library catalog
Visit our online catalog AKAT at http://akat.albrightknox.org to search the collections of the G. Robert Strauss Jr. Memorial Library.
The catalog includes records for exhibition catalogs, monographs, periodicals, artists' files, artists' books, and coming soon, items in our Special Ephemera collection of exhibition invitations and announcements, publication announcements, and other visually-compelling printed ephemera produced by art galleries and museums!
Scroll down to the bottom of the AKAT home page to get tips on searching the catalog.
Here are some additional tips to find particular types of resources:
New Books
To browse through a constantly-updating list of the newest titles added to our collection, go to the AKAT home page and click on the New Books tab (directly above the search box).
Artists' Files
On the AKAT home page, enter the artist's name (Last Name, First Name) in the search box, and select Pamphlet Files from the drop-down list in the Limit: box.
Artists' Books
On the AKAT home page, click on the Advanced search tab.
Click on Set Limits in the lower-right hand corner.
On the next page, select ARTISTS' BOOKS in the location list, then click on Apply Limits. Now you can enter your search terms on the Advanced Search page, and your search will be limited to artists' books only.
History of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the Buffalo Art School
The Albright-Knox Art Gallery has had several names during its long history, as has the art school that was affiliated with the Gallery until the 1950s. Searching for works by or about the Gallery and the art school can be tricky if you don't know the exact name that was in use during a particular moment in history. Fortunately, cross-references among different names are built into the catalog to help you.
For instance, if you do an author search for "Albright-Knox Art Gallery," you can click on the Info button to learn about earlier names by which the Gallery was known. Then click on the linked version of the earlier (or later) name to find all the works produced by the Gallery when it was known by its earlier name. This way, your search will not be limited to just those works produced by the Gallery since its name officially became the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in 1961!
The catalog includes records for exhibition catalogs, monographs, periodicals, artists' files, artists' books, and coming soon, items in our Special Ephemera collection of exhibition invitations and announcements, publication announcements, and other visually-compelling printed ephemera produced by art galleries and museums!
Scroll down to the bottom of the AKAT home page to get tips on searching the catalog.
Here are some additional tips to find particular types of resources:
New Books
To browse through a constantly-updating list of the newest titles added to our collection, go to the AKAT home page and click on the New Books tab (directly above the search box).
Artists' Files
On the AKAT home page, enter the artist's name (Last Name, First Name) in the search box, and select Pamphlet Files from the drop-down list in the Limit: box.
Artists' Books
On the AKAT home page, click on the Advanced search tab.
Click on Set Limits in the lower-right hand corner.
On the next page, select ARTISTS' BOOKS in the location list, then click on Apply Limits. Now you can enter your search terms on the Advanced Search page, and your search will be limited to artists' books only.
History of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the Buffalo Art School
The Albright-Knox Art Gallery has had several names during its long history, as has the art school that was affiliated with the Gallery until the 1950s. Searching for works by or about the Gallery and the art school can be tricky if you don't know the exact name that was in use during a particular moment in history. Fortunately, cross-references among different names are built into the catalog to help you.
For instance, if you do an author search for "Albright-Knox Art Gallery," you can click on the Info button to learn about earlier names by which the Gallery was known. Then click on the linked version of the earlier (or later) name to find all the works produced by the Gallery when it was known by its earlier name. This way, your search will not be limited to just those works produced by the Gallery since its name officially became the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in 1961!
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Francis Bacon: Recommended Readings
In conjunction with the forthcoming exhibition, Francis Bacon: Paintings from the 1950s, (May 4 - July 29, 2007), Research Resources recommends the following selected readings on the artist, his life, and his work:
Cappock, Margarita. Francis Bacon's Studio. London : Merrell, 2005.
Harrison, Martin. In Camera: Francis Bacon: Photography, Film, and the Practice of Painting. London : Thames & Hudson, 2005.
Ogden, Perry and John Edwards. 7 Reece Mews: Francis Bacon's Studio. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2001.
Peppiatt, Michael. Francis Bacon: Anatomy of an Enigma. London : Phoenix, 1997.
These titles are held within the collections of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, G. Robert Strauss, Jr. Memorial Library, and are available for consultation by appointment for museum affiliates and members.
Cappock, Margarita. Francis Bacon's Studio. London : Merrell, 2005.
Harrison, Martin. In Camera: Francis Bacon: Photography, Film, and the Practice of Painting. London : Thames & Hudson, 2005.
Ogden, Perry and John Edwards. 7 Reece Mews: Francis Bacon's Studio. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2001.
Peppiatt, Michael. Francis Bacon: Anatomy of an Enigma. London : Phoenix, 1997.
These titles are held within the collections of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, G. Robert Strauss, Jr. Memorial Library, and are available for consultation by appointment for museum affiliates and members.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Recent Acquisition: Gallery Archives
A major collection of photographs documenting Jim Hodges’ monumental sculpture, look and see (2004), has been donated by the photographer, Tim Hailand, to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery Archives. The gift serves as an important visual record on the production and initial installation, at Battery Park City in Lower Manhattan, of this bold and powerful work, which now resides within the Gallery’s Sculpture Garden. It also complements additional research resources on the artist Jim Hodges, which form part of the holdings of the Gallery’s G. Robert Strauss, Jr. Memorial Library.
Born in Buffalo in 1965, Tim Hailand currently lives and works in New York City. His work has appeared in Visionaire, The New Yorker, Paper, Playgirl, Frieze, Artforum, W, Time Out London, Dutch, HX, Aspen, and V magazines, and is also in the public collections of The Guggenheim Museum, The Museum of Modern Art, and The Progressive Collection, as well as the private collections of Elton John, Chaka Khan, Rufus Wainwright, Hilla and Bernd Becher, Isaac Mizrahi, Mario Testino, Tracy Chapman, Danielle Steele, Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman, The Scissor Sisters, Vivienne Westwood, Stevie Nicks, Patti Lupone, and Justin Bond.
Born in Buffalo in 1965, Tim Hailand currently lives and works in New York City. His work has appeared in Visionaire, The New Yorker, Paper, Playgirl, Frieze, Artforum, W, Time Out London, Dutch, HX, Aspen, and V magazines, and is also in the public collections of The Guggenheim Museum, The Museum of Modern Art, and The Progressive Collection, as well as the private collections of Elton John, Chaka Khan, Rufus Wainwright, Hilla and Bernd Becher, Isaac Mizrahi, Mario Testino, Tracy Chapman, Danielle Steele, Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman, The Scissor Sisters, Vivienne Westwood, Stevie Nicks, Patti Lupone, and Justin Bond.
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