Forain is Open!

After months and months of hard work and excitement, Jean-Louis Forain: La Comedie parisienne finally opened to the public a couple of weeks ago on June 26.  As we have been saying for a while, this is the most ambitious exhibition in the history of the Dixon Gallery and Gardens, and it has been such a thrill to see it come to life.  If you've been to see the show, you can't help but notice how the Dixon's galleries have been transformed to accentuate Forain's inimitable work. 
The installation of this show was a production in and of itself and was in many ways an all-staff effort.  People from every department chipped in to help make the transition of the show from Paris to Memphis an easy and seamless one.  

The Dixon installation team (including director Kevin Sharp!) install one of the mosaics featured in Jean-Louis Forain: La Comedie parisienne.

Lots of blood, sweat, and tears were shed during the two week installation, but it was all worth it in the end when we unveiled the most beautiful and breathtaking exhibition we've ever produced!

Plough Gallery and title wall for Jean-Louis Forain: La Comedie parisienne

 As many of you may know, the Dixon has a deep connection to Forain and his work, as we are the major repository for his work in the United States.   Starting in 1987 with our first Forain acquisition, Woman Breathing in Flowers, we have continued to collect and promote the work of this essential Impressionist here in the Memphis and around the United States.

Jean-Louis Forain, Woman Breathing in Flowers, Collection of the Dixon Gallery and Gardens

 In 1993, the Dixon acquired around 55 of Forain's paintings and works on paper in a move that was described by the International Herald Tribune as a "masterstroke."  When that purchase was made, the Dixon began a unique friendship with the artist's great-granddaughter, Florence Valdes-Forain.  Nearly 20 years later, we have collaborated with Florence and her colleagues at Paris' Petit Palais to produce this landmark retrospective exhibition. 

Florence Valdes-Forain and me at the Sunday all-members opening on June 26.

As a young curator, it has been the experience of a lifetime being part of this exhibition.  I can't tell you how much I have learned and I feel privileged to be part of the team that helps re-introduce Jean-Louis Forain and his work to the United States.  This exhibition has been such a blast from the very beginning, and now that it's officially open, the real fun has started!

If you haven't stopped by to see the show, I invite you to come to the Dixon this weekend to check it out.  Throughout the run of the show, there will be several fun and informal tours and lectures that tie into Forain, his work, and his legacy.  I don't think the galleries at the Dixon have ever been more beautiful or more alive.  I promise you won't be disappointed! 
Thanks to everyone in the community for their outpouring of support and enthusiasm--without you this exhibition would never take place!
Hope to see everyone around the Dixon soon.

Julie Pierotti
Associate Curator

Last Weekend for Joe Jones

Hi everyone!

My name is Julie Pierotti, I am the Assistant Curator here at the Dixon.  I am thrilled to be sharing with all of you the exciting and fun things going on in the Dixon's Curatorial department.

Now that the bad weather has come and gone today, it's going to be a great weekend to visit the Dixon.  As you may know, April 16 and 17 are the final two days for our current exhibition, Joe Jones: Radical Painter of the American Scene.  This show, organized by the St. Louis Art Museum, has been so much fun for us--we have all loved exploring the art created by this incredibly passionate self-taught artist during America's darkest years, the Great Depression.  

Joe Jones, American, 1909–1963; We Demand, 1934; oil on masonite; 48 x 36 in.; Collection of The Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio. Gift of Sidney Freedman 1948; © Heirs of Joe Jones

After having started his career as an artist painting Art Deco-style portraits and cityscapes, in the summer of 1933, Joe Jones decided to dedicate his career to creating art with a social message when he joined the American Communist Party.  From that point on, Jones created canvases that gave a visual voice to the men and women struggling to survive in the grips of the Depression.

If you haven't seen Joe Jones yet, there is still time!  I know once you see the show, you will love it just as much as we do.  In the curatorial department, we tend to get attached to the works of art that visit us for special exhibitions, and when they leave, it's a bit like sending your kid away to college.  So we're sad to see everything go!  It truly has been a privilege to reintroduce this amazing artist to the Memphis public.

Over the next two weeks, starting this coming Monday, April 18 through Saturday, April 30, the Curatorial department will be busy changing out exhibitions, sending the paintings in Joe Jones back to their owners and then installing our next exhibition, Private Memphis. 

Dixon Registrar, Neil O'Brien, and Assistant Preparator, Eric Bork, hanging a painting from Joe Jones

The installation process of an exhibition is always hectic, complicated, and stressful, but it's also a lot of fun.  For security purposes, we have to keep the galleries closed, but I've included a picture of our Registrar, Neil O'Brien, and Assistant Preparator, Eric Bork, hanging a painting during the installation of Joe Jones for a behind-the-scenes sneak peek.  

For Private Memphis, we will be installing nearly 100 objects from private collections around Memphis.  With works by artists as diverse as Camille Pissarro, William Merrit Chase, Damien Hirst, Milton Avery, and many many others, I know there's something for everyone in this show!  There really is a lot of exciting and colorful work in Private Memphis by some of the most important artists of the last four centuries, I hope you'll come check it out when it officially opens on May 1.

Paul Camille Guigou, Environs of Martigues, 1869; Oil on board; Collection of the Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Bequest of Mr. and Mrs. Hugo Dixon, 1975.27

Until then, please remember that the residence will be open featuring some rarely-seen works in our permanent collection (including one of my personal faves, Paul Camille Guigou's Environs of Martigues--LOVE that painting!), and the Dixon's Mallory and Wurtzburger galleries are filled to the brim with work produced in our many education programs in the 2nd annual Made in Dixon exhibition.  And of course Dale and the gang in the gardens are keeping everything looking GORGEOUS outside.  The azaleas are really beautiful right now!

Hope to see all of you in the galleries soon!

Julie Pierotti

Assistant Curator