Fait Accompli, Adrienne Farb
The Spiritual Landscapes of Adrienne Farb, 1980 - 2006
Exhibition Curators: Jay A. Clarke, Roger Hankins, and Joanna E. Ziegler
August 30 – December 16, 2006
The Spiritual Landscapes of Adrienne Farb, 1980- 2006 is the first survey exhibition of Adrienne Farb, who was born (1956) and raised in Chicago. Farb’s exposure to art began at an early age, as her mother was a pianist and her father was an artist. Her father, Leonard Farb (1915-2005), was a Chicago-based designer and graphic artist who studied at the Institute of Design (formerly the New Bauhaus) evening program with Gyorgy Kepes, László Moholy-Nagy, and Harold Cohen. Farb’s mother, Leanora Kohn Farb (1917-2001), was a professional pianist. Her uncle, Misch Kohn (1916-2002), was one of America’s foremost mid 20th century printmakers; and another uncle, Harold Cohen, is a practicing graphic artist. A great-aunt, Ann Medalie (1896-1991), was a painter whose career spanned many countries – the United States, Mexico, South Africa, and Israel. Medalie became friends with renowned Mexican artists Diego Rivera (1886-1957) and Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) while assisting Rivera on a mural at the 1939 San Francisco’s World Fair. Farb cites her great-aunt’s determination and conviction as some of her most important influences.
As a young adult, Farb studied art history at Brown University. The esteemed art historian, Kermit Champa (1939-2004), had a tremendous impact on Farb’s direction and development and was the first critic to recognize and champion her painting. Champa’s articles and critical essays on Farb’s work began in 1981 and ended shortly before his death in 2004. After graduation, she moved to Paris to pursue painting full time. She remained in Paris until moving to London with her husband Clément Bernard in the late 1990s. In 2001, she moved to New York City where she currently resides, although she still maintains a studio in Paris. Her work is in public and private collections internationally.
The Spiritual Landscapes of Adrienne Farb 1980- 2006 consists of 29 paintings tracing the geographical places in the making of these works and that of the physical, internal characteristics of the paintings themselves. The issues of place have been central to the work of Adrienne Farb. The exhibition groups objects based on their cities of production: Paris, London, and New York.
EVENTS
Gallery Talk by Adrienne Farb
September 12; 5:00 p.m.
Reception
October 13, 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
Symposium
October 13, 2:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Hogan Campus Center, Room 519
Contemporary Art and the Future of Abstraction
Moderators: Joanna E. Ziegler and Christopher A. Dustin
Guest Speakers:
Charlotte N. Eyerman, Ph. D. Curator of Modern Art, Saint Louis Museum
Carter Foster, Curator of Drawings, Whitney Museum of American Art
James Panero, Managing Editor, The New Criterion, New York
Judith Tannenbaum, Ph. D. Richard Brown Baker Curator of Contemporary Art
Allyson Spellacy, Director, Angela Hanley, Los Angeles, and former Co-Director, Parkers Box, Brooklyn
Museum of Art Rhode Island School of Design
Karen Wilkin, writer and frequent contributor to The New Criterion, Partisan Review, and Hudson Review
Co-Sponsored by the Dean of the College, Philosophy Department, Visual Arts Department, and the Cantor Art Gallery and private donations.
Round Table Discussion
The Act of Looking: The Paintings of Adrienne Farb
November 14, 5:00 p.m.
Stein Hall, Room TBA
An interdisciplinary discussion with Holy Cross faculty members, , Christopher A. Dustin, Mark Freeman, Maurice A. Geracht, Cristi Rinklin, and Joanna E. Ziegler
