Andrew Hunter, Ann Philbin, Steve Martin, Cynthia Burlingham
The AGO is all abuzz about the upcoming Lawren Harris show curated by actor/art collector Steve Martin and our own Andrew Hunter. While the show has been in the works for several years, the recent announcement that Martin would be in Toronto in June for a “conversation” at Roy Thomson Hall with Hunter brings the exhibition to the fore. We recently sat down with Hunter to find out more about the show, how it was put it together, and how it will be geared for the AGO’s audience.
Steve Martin was initially contacted by LA’s Hammer Museum to curate a show after Cynthia Burlingham (Hammer Museum’s Deputy Director, Curatorial Affairs) had seen Harris’s works at Martin’s house. Burlingham knew AGO director Matthew Teitelbaum at AGO and reached out for assistance. Teitelbaum knew Hunter had had experience putting together Harris shows previously, so he was paired with Martin to select pieces for the new show.
According to Hunter, the selection was a very organic process, with Martin checking out every piece Hunter suggested (which involved a fair amount of travel around the country) and picking those he liked as art. In this way it was different than working with Canadians, who Hunter feels would have had a greater sense of “iconic” pieces, which end up getting included in shows because they always are. Martin brought a different “filter”: his interest was in Harris as a great painter. He provided a tough, unsentimental look, and Hunter appreciated being able to see Harris’s work through new eyes. Additionally, although most Americans are unfamiliar with the works, the pair determined that the exhibition would not necessarily be a retrospective showing “Harris for newbies”, but rather a selection showing Harris as an powerful artist. There would be no need to be protective of Harris as a Canadian icon; instead Martin felt he would stand up under scrutiny.
Martin acted as lead throughout, being quite knowledgeable on American Modernism. According to recent articles, when Martin encountered a Harris painting for the first time, he thought it was a Rockwell Kent, another artist he collects. He soon fell in love with Harris’s work, particularly the artist’s ability to strike a dichotomy between the abstract and the real.
Works will come from a number of public collections, as well as a couple of private and corporate ones. Each of the three exhibiting museums provides its own context – Boston will feature US artists of the period, including Georgia O’Keeffe; the AGO will have other Harris pieces, but will focus on his time in Toronto and the impact of the city on his art, such as his time in the Ward, as well as his post-war period.
The fruits of Martin’s labour were at the Hammer from November 2105 to January 2016. They will travel to Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts (March 12 to June 12), where the Group of Seven had one of its first U.S. showcases in 1920, and where Matthew Teitelbaum, who earlier played a key role in realizing the Martin project when he was head of the AGO, is now current director. Our gallery is the last stop on the tour, with a two-month run starting July 1, 2016.
For info on the Martin/Hunter talk at Roy Thomson Hall on June 22 see:
http://www.ago.net/steve-martin
For further write-ups see:
http://hammer.ucla.edu/exhibitions/2015/the-idea-of-north-the-paintings-of-lawren-harris/
http://www.mfa.org/exhibitions/the-idea-of-north-lawren-harris
Volunteers please note: the Gallery is currently working on a discount code for AGO staff and volunteers regarding the Ballet performance – this will be shared in advance of going on sale in late March. When we know, you’ll know! We’ll be sure to advise as soon as the details are finalized.
As with all ticketed exhibitions, AGO staff and volunteers will receive a pair of complimentary exhibition tickets to share with family and friends.
We do not have any special access/ codes/ coupons to the Steve Martin Talk at Roy Thomson Hall.