You are currently subscribed to the PCUSANEWS listserv of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
============================================================
This story available online at: http://www.pcusa.org/ga217/newsandphotos/ga 06004.htm
GA06004
Special treat at the Birmingham Museum of Art Power and Purpose: Art From the Congo by Robert Emerick
BIRMINGHAM, June 15 — One of the cultural treasures waiting to be discovered by those attending the 217th General Assembly of the Presbyteria n Church (U.S.A.) in Birmingham is the stunning Bareiss collection of African art on display at the Birmingham Museum of Art.
This display underscores the ongoing relationship between the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley — the host presbytery for the Assembly — and the peoples of the Congo. The relationship dates to 1890, when a missionary team from Alabama made the journey overseas.
Forty-five works from the total collection of more than 300 objects will be on display until August 17th as part of an exhibit entitled, "Power and Purpose: African Art from the Congo."
This exhibition presents works of art from the Democratic Republic of Congo that include masks, figure-sculpture, textiles, headwear, ceramics, musical instruments and metalwork from numerous ethnic groups, including the Kongo, Kuba, Hemba, Luba and Songye people. Works in the exhibition are drawn from the Walter and Molly Bareiss Collection of African Art, which is on long-term loan at the Birmingham Museum of Art.
American businessman and art collector Walter Bareiss, now in his 80s, initially became interested in African art in 1948. Ren* d'Harnoncourt, then the director of Museum of Modern Art in New York, asked Bareiss to attend an auction in Stuttgart to purchase African art on behalf of the museum. Already a collector of modern art, Bareiss was aware of African art as a source for developments in European modernism, and was determined to learn more. He studied African art for the next 20 years, coming to appreciate it in its own right and championing its place among the greatest artistic traditions of the world.
He and his wife, Molly, began collecting African art in the 1970s and continued for 20 years. Their collection has been exhibited in both Europe and the United States. In later years, Bareiss served as interim director for the Museum of Modern Art.
The Birmingham Museum of Art is the largest municipal art museum in the southern United States. The museum’s collection encompasses more than 21,000 objects dating from ancient to modern times, including paintings, sculpture, graphic arts and decorative arts from many diverse cultures.
============================================================
You are currently subscribed to the PCUSANEWS listserv of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
To unsubscribe, send a blank message to
mailto:PCUSANEWS-unsubscribe-request@halak.pcusa.org.
To update your email address, send your old email address and your new one to mailto:PCUSANEWS-owner@halak.pcusa.org.
For questions or comments, send an email to mailto:PCUSANEWS-owner@halak.pcusa.org.
To learn more, visit http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 100 Witherspoon Street Louisville, KY 40202 (888) 728-7228