Nashua Telegraph
Sept 20 2009
Work of Arshile Gorky comes to Whistler Museum
By KELLY McGRATH, Staff Writer
When it comes to art, passion plays a significant role ` passion from
the artists who create the pieces and passion from those who display
the works in their homes and local museums.
Because of the passion in two Lowell, Mass., museum members, Sara
M. Bogosian and Michael H. Lally, an anonymous donor provided them
with 28 pieces of Arshile Gorky’s work on a permanent loan basis.
The Whistler House Museum of Art, built in 1823 on Worthen Street in
Lowell, is the previous home of the famous American artist James
McNeill Whistler and the current home for dozens of pieces of
art. Best known for its 19th century and early 20th century New
England representational art, the museum also contains a replica of
Whistler’s famous painting `Whistler’s Mother.’
`Most people don’t realize how large it actually is,’ the museum’s
executive director Lally said with a laugh.
The museum opened its doors to `The Drawings and Paintings by Arshile
Gorky ` Mina Boehm Metzger Collection’ after five years of
planning. The collection is named after one of Gorky’s art students,
Mina Boehm Metzger, whom he drew for most of his portraits on display
in the gallery exhibition.
Bogosian said the collection will be on display in the Parker Gallery
until Nov. 7 before it relocates into the Whistler House. Because of
the limited space in the Whistler House, his artwork will be rotated
to give viewers fresh work to view with each visit.
The unveiling of the collection took place at the Sept. 13 preview
party with 250 people in attendance. Guests spent roughly an hour
listening to relaxing music and sampling Armenian food, based on
Gorky’s heritage, before rushing into the Parker Gallery.
These guests were the first to view some of Gorky’s never-before-seen
and rarely ever-seen works at their new location. They were also part
of one of the largest events put on the Whistler House Museum.
`It was a spectacular evening. Thepark never looked better; everything
just was perfect,’ Lally said of the outdoor event.
This isn’t the first time Gorky’s work relocated to the Whistler
House. In 1976, Katherine O’Donnell Murphy, a former trustee and art
student of Gorky’s in Boston, gave the `Park Street Church, Boston
1924′ painting to the museum.
It’s the first known signed painting by Gorky, and although it’s on
display in the exhibit with the rest of Gorky’s works, it will travel
temporarily to the Philadelphia Museum of Art for an exhibition and
study titled `Arshile Gorky: A Retrospective.’
`Park Street Church, Boston 1924′ was painted `in a
post-impressionistic style, and Gorky changed his whole style shortly
after, so it really is a very significant and important piece,’ Lally
said.
Gorky was born in 1904 in the Van Province of Armenia. As a mainly
self-taught artist, he enhanced his knowledge through visits to
museums and galleries and by reading art books and publications.
In 1920, Gorky and his sister arrived at Ellis Island. He spent his
early years in the United States living in Watertown, Mass., and
throughout other towns across New England. He took his own life in
1948 at age 44.
Gorky created only two known sculptures, one of which he destroyed and
one, sometimes referred to as `The Head,’ which is in the `Arshile
Gorky ` Mina Boehm Metzger Collection.’
One of the most interesting parts of Gorky’s work is the recto-verso
pieces. As a struggling artist, Gorky would save money by creating
drawings on both sides of a paper. The museum selected one side of the
original work to show and displayed a copy of the back.
He also created a recto-verso painting, which is on display, but the
museum had to select only one side to display.
Other ways he saved money, which are on display in the exhibit, were
by creating portraits on brown paper bags. He also used crayons when
developing his drawings titled `Crayon Drawing No. 1′ and `Crayon
Drawing No. 2.’ Both were done on wove paper.
The museum plans to use money raised from the preview party for
educational purposes.
`Not only will (the collection) be displayed here, but we’re going to
have special programs for student of all ages,’ Bogosian said. `There
are going to be different lectures and special events tied into the
exhibit. There are so many other components to this exhibit.’
School teacher Michelle Ritchotte, of Lowell, one of the 250
attendees, said that she would recommend that anyone interested in art
or the collection take the time to visit the museum.
`Some are simple portraits, where others are kind of funky still
lives,’ Ritchotte said. `It’s one of those things that will appeal to
a lot of people.’
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