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Celebrating Modern Art: The Anderson Collection
October 7, 2000 - January 15, 2001

Over the past thirty-five years Harry W. and Mary Margaret Anderson have assembled one of the most important private collections of modern and contemporary art in the United States. Celebrating Modern Art honors the Andersons' remarkable achievement by presenting an overview of the collection to the general public for the first time. This major exhibition, occupying three floors of the Museum, features the preeminent collection of Bay Area residents Harry W. and Mary Margaret Anderson. Including more than 300 paintings, sculptures and drawings by nearly 140 artists of international renown, such as Jackson Pollock, Alberto Giacometti, Richard Diebenkorn and Mark Rothko, Celebrating Modern Art provides an exciting and diverse overview of a century of artistic achievement and features five areas of focus: the New York School, art in California, contemporary art, modern sculpture and twentieth century drawings.

David Hockney
Sprungbrett mit Schatten (Paper Pool #14), 1978
Pigment in paper pulp
Collection of Harry W. and Mary Margaret Anderson



 
This exhibition is divided into five parts that correspond to the areas of specialization within the Anderson collection. The exhibition begins on the fourth floor with galleries devoted to the New York School and to art made in California. Galleries on the fifth floor showcase the Andersons' holdings of contemporary art. Modern sculpture and works on paper are displayed on the third floor.




Public Programs

10.3 TUESDAY
Free Tuesday Program
A Preview of SFMOMA's New Multimedia Programs
Tuesday, October 3
Noon
Phyllis Wattis Theater
Peter Samis, associate curator of education and program manager, interactive educational technologies
Samis presents highlights of Making Sense of Modern Art and Art as Experiment, Art as Experience, a new program about abstract art developed to coincide with SFMOMA's presentation of the Anderson Collection.


10.7 SATURDAY
Symposium*
A Day with Artists and Ideas -- Exploring the Anderson Collection
9 am-4 p.m.
Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, 3301 Lyon Street
Cosponsored by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Welcoming Statements
David A. Ross, SFMOMA director; Harry S. Parker III, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco director
A Conversation on Painting, Printmaking, and Sculpture with Elizabeth Murray, Martin Puryear, David Cateforis, and Faye Hirsch
Elizabeth Murray and Martin Puryear, artists; David Cateforis, associate professor of art history, University of Kansas; Faye Hirsch, editor of Art on Paper Ceremonial Surfaces: California Painting in the Anderson Collection Bill Berkson, poet, critic, and professor of art history, San Francisco Art Institute
Focusing on the rich surfaces typical of Anderson Collection works, Berkson discusses the distinctly evanescent qualities of California painting, from the effects of ever-shifting coastal light to suggestions of ceremony and transubstantiation.
Painters and Printers
Susan Tallman, author of The Contemporary Print: Pre-Pop to Postmodern
Focusing on the work of Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns, Tallman discusses aspects of printmaking that attract and repulse contemporary artists.
A Disturbance in the Field: Philip Guston's Subversive Mutations
Michael Auping, chief curator, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Auping tracks the evolution of Guston's imagery, from the darkly surreal urban scenes of the 1940s and lush, shadowy abstractions of the 1950s and 1960s to the bold, disturbing allegories of the artist's final years.
A Conversation on Painting with Susan Rothenberg, Terry Winters, and Neal Benezra
Susan Rothenberg and Terry Winters, artists; Neal Benezra, deputy director and Frances and Thomas Dittmer Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Art Institute of Chicago
A Conversation with Jim Dine and David A. Ross
Jim Dine, artist; David A. Ross, SFMOMA director

$12 general; $10 SFMOMA and Fine Arts Museums members, students with ID, and seniors


10.13 FRIDAY
Annual Teacher Reception
7-10 p.m.
Museum Atrium
Bay Area teachers are invited to learn about the Museum's exhibitions and permanent collection. Education Department representatives will introduce Celebrating Modern Art: The Anderson Collection and discuss related programs and classroom materials.

Free of charge; galleries and MuseumStore open to educators only


10.14 SATURDAY
The Anderson Collection up Close*
The New York School
The first class in a four-part series, this introduction to the New York School investigates the paintings of Willem de Kooning, Philip Guston, Franz Kline, and Jackson Pollock, as well as their younger colleagues Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, and Frank Stella.
Deborah Loft, professor of art history, College of Marin
11:30 am-1 pm
Phyllis Wattis Theater
Per class: $17 general; $14 SFMOMA Individual, Dual Family, Supporting, and Out-of-Town members; $11 SFMOMA Artist/Teacher members, students with ID, seniors, and docents


10.15 SUNDAY
Family Day*
11 am-4 PM
A day of hands-on art activities, docent-led gallery activities, music, and performances for families.

Admission to Family Day is $2 for adults (includes regular Museum admission; adults must be accompanied by a child) and free for children and high school students with ID.


10.19 THURSDAY
College Night
Celebrating Modern Art
6-8:45 PM
College faculty and students with valid ID receive free admission to Celebrating Modern Art. Professors are invited to a special reception in the Museum's Koret Education Center.


10.21 SATURDAY
The Anderson Collection up Close*
California Art
This class explores work by Robert Arneson, Bruce Conner, Richard Diebenkorn, Ed Ruscha, Peter Voulkos, and William T. Wiley, and other California artists.
Deborah Loft, professor of art history, College of Marin
11:30 am-1 PM
Phyllis Wattis Theater
Per class: $17 general; $14 SFMOMA Individual, Dual Family, Supporting, and Out-of-town members; $11 SFMOMA Artist/Teacher members, students with ID, seniors, and docents

10.27 FRIDAY
Art and Conversation
Celebrating Modern Art: The Anderson Collection
William T. Wiley, Artist
11 am
Phyllis Wattis Theater
Senior citizens and other visitors interested in modern art are invited to attend this free slide lecture and docent-led gallery tour. Light refreshments will be served.


10.28 SATURDAY
Teacher Institute*
American Art Stars: The Anderson Collection
9:30 am-3 PM
Lower level lecture room
This introduction to twentieth-century art uses key works in Celebrating Modern Art: The Anderson Collection to explore the development of modern sculpture, the New York School, and art in California.

$35 general; $30 SFMOMA members (fee includes educational packet containing slides and other materials). Advance registration required; call 415.357.4105.

The Anderson Collection up Close*
Contemporary Art
Introducing a diverse group of contemporary artists--including Jennifer Bartlett, Vija Celmins, Susan Rothenberg, and Terry Winters--this session covers key issues in art of the 1980s and 1990s.
Deborah Loft, professor of art history, College of Marin
11:30 am-1 PM
Phyllis Wattis Theater
Per class: $17 general; $14 SFMOMA Individual, Dual Family, Supporting, and Out-of-town members; $11 SFMOMA Artist/Teacher members, students with ID, seniors, and docents


11.4 SATURDAY
The Anderson Collection up Close*
Modern Sculpture
Deborah Loft, professor of art history, College of Marin
11:30 am-1 PM
Phyllis Wattis Theater
Per class: $17 general; $14 SFMOMA Individual, Dual Family, Supporting, and Out-of-town members; $11 SFMOMA Artist/Teacher members, students with ID, seniors, and docents


11.17 FRIDAY
Art and Conversation
Celebrating Modern Art: The Anderson Collection
Rachel Teagle, former curator of the Anderson Collection
Lower level lecture room
11 am
Free with Museum admission

Senior citizens and other visitors interested in modern art are invited to attend this free slide lecture and docent-led gallery tour. Light refreshments will be served.


11.19 SUNDAY
Family Studio
Noon­3 PM
Koret Education Center
Free with Museum admission
On the third Sunday of every month families are invited to drop-in for a hands-on art studio directed by a guest artist. Activities may include drawing, painting, collage, printmaking, and assemblage. Ideal for children ten and under.


12.5 TUESDAY
Free Tuesday Program
Ceremonial Surfaces: California Painting in the Anderson Collection
Bill Berkson, poet, critic, and professor of art history, San Francisco Art Institute
Noon
Phyllis Wattis Theater
Free
Focusing on the rich surfaces typical of Anderson Collection works, Berkson discusses the distinctly evanescent qualities of California painting, from the effects of ever-shifting coastal light to suggestions of ceremony and transubstantiation.


12.15 FRIDAY
Art and Conversation
Celebrating Modern Art: The Anderson Collection
Christopher Brown, artist
Phyllis Wattis Theater
11 am
Free with Museum admission
Senior citizens and other visitors interested in modern art are invited to attend this free slide lecture and docent-led gallery tour. Light refreshments will be served.


12.17 SUNDAY
Family Studio
Noon­3 PM
Koret Education Center
Free with Museum admission
On the third Sunday of every month families are invited to drop-in for a hands-on art studio directed by a guest artist. Activities may include drawing, painting, collage, printmaking, and assemblage. Ideal for children ten and under.


1.21.01 SUNDAY
Family Studio
Noon­3 PM
Koret Education Center
Free with Museum admission
On the third Sunday of every month families are invited to drop-in for a hands-on art studio directed by a guest artist. Activities may include drawing, painting, collage, printmaking, and assemblage. Ideal for children ten and under.


CATALOGUE
Celebrating Modern Art: The Anderson Collection
With over two hundred color plates and numerous essays by leading art critics and scholars, this catalogue documents the evolution of one of the preeminent private collections in the United States, providing an in-depth exploration of the Andersons' holdings. Hardcover: $75 Softcover: $39.95
Both editions are available in the SFMOMA MuseumStore.

Celebrating Modern Art: Highlights of the Anderson Collection
A brief look at Celebrating Modern Art, this affordable volume -- featuring over fifty color plates -- offers a lively introduction to key works in the collection. Softcove: $19.95
Available in the SFMOMA MuseumStore.

 
  
Andy Warhol
Self-Portrait, 1967
acrylic and silkscreen enamel on canvas
SFMOMA collection
Gift of Harry W. and Mary Margaret Anderson

Celebrating Modern Art: The Anderson Collection is organized by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The exhibition is supported by the Board of Trustees of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Modern Art Council, a Museum auxiliary. Additional generous support is provided by Doris and Donald Fisher, Helen and Charles Schwab, Evelyn D. Haas, Phyllis Wattis, Mimi and Peter Haas, Patricia and William Wilson III, and Elaine McKeon. Media Sponsors: KRON-TV4, BayTV, and SF Gate

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