The back area of the Pleasant T. Rowland Gallery has hosted an ongoing recent acquisitions exhibit since July, 2020, featuring additions to the Chazen collection gathered from 2018 to now—and a few new pieces have joined the exhibit. We’ll highlight the new additions online, and encourage you to come see the works in person during a free appointment.
Our first new work is Thin Air, by Hannah van Bart.
Hannah van Bart, (Dutch, b. 1963), Thin Air, 2004, acrylic on linen, 65 1/8 x 43 3/8 x 1 1/8 in., gift of Drs. Joseph Cunningham & Bruce Barnes in honor of Amy Gilman, 2020.19.27
Through portraiture, still life, and landscape, Amsterdam-based artist van Bart explores the relationship between abstraction and figuration as a subjective one. Employing bold contours, fragmentation, pattern, and repetition, van Bart redefines the distinction between a figure and its environment. This method of depiction creates a perceived state of flux between interior and exterior, suggesting a connection between the emotional and physical lives of her subjects. In this work, the artist presents the body of a standing figure of a girl as if it were a cabinet with drawers that open, or as a mechanical doll with component parts that can be disassembled. The repetition of forms creates the illusion of dynamic animation, bringing the girl to life like a marionette.