Colorbind: The Emily and Zach Smith Collection

28 April - 12 August 2012

Mint Museum Uptown

 

Charles Arnoldi, American, 1946- Bahama 2004 Acrylic on canvas 58 x 43 inches Collection of Emily and Zach Smith Photography by Mitchell Kearney

 

 

 

For over three decades, Charlotte and surrounding communities have benefitted from Emily and Zach Smith’s tireless dedication to the improvement of the cultural infrastructure of our region. Through their patronage and extensive service on various boards including the Arts & Science Council, the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, and The Mint Museum, to name a few, their investment in our community has touched the lives of countless individuals.   

This intimate display of works illuminates a decidedly more personal side of the couple’s relationship to art––one that has enriched and informed their life together since the beginning. In fact, the small landscape painting by North Carolina artist Claude Howell (1915 – 1997) was a wedding gift from Mrs. Smith’s mother, an auspicious beginning for lives that would be bound by a devotion to family, community, and the arts.  

As for their own personal taste in visual art, the Smiths confess a shared love of color. One look around this gallery and it is easy to appreciate their point of view. Works by Pop artists Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, and Wayne Thiebaud play alongside geometric abstractions by Peter Halley, Sol Lewitt, and Sean Scully––vibrant color binding disparate creative voices into the collectors’ unified vision. - Brad Thomas, Curator of Contemporary Art

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Artists Featured in the Exhibition 

Charles Arnoldi (American, 1946- )

• The artist's official website, with a large online gallery, a biography, and a complete exhibition list.
• Charles Arnoldi on Art Net.
• Article on Charles Arnoldi in art ltd. magazine. 

 

Milton Avery (American, 1885-1965)

• Milton Avery's papers in the Archives of American Art. 
• Milton Avery on Artnet - includes examples of his work and selected public collections.
• Biography of Milton Avery from Hollis Taggart Galleries. 

 

Alice Baber (American, 1928-1982)

• 1973 interview with Alice Baber from Archives of American Art.
• Alice Baber's work as part of the Art in American Embassies program. 

 

Georges Braque (French, 1882-1963)

• Biography of Georges Braque on TheArtStory.org. 
• The New York Times review of the Georges Braque show at Acquavella Galleries. 
• Georges Braque at MoMA. 

 

Richard Diebenkorn (American, 1922-1993) 

• Richard Diebenkorn Catalogue Raisonne "The estate-authorized project to create a complete catalogue of Diebenkorn's paintings and works on paper." 
• Transcript of an extensive interview with Diebenkorn conducted by Susan Larsen from the Smithsonian Archives of American Art website.
• Part of SFMOMA's "Voices and Images of California Art," this video segment is devoted to Diebenkorn's life and work. 

 

Maurice Esteve (French, 1904-2001)

• Website of the artist with a biography.

 

Red Grooms (American, 1937- )

• Red Grooms on PBS' Hans Hofmann's Legacy.
• Red Grooms at Marlborough Gallery; includes biography, exhibitions and a bibliography.

 

Peter Halley (American, 1953- )

• Peter Halley's official website.
• Visit to Peter Halley's studio from CoolHunting.com. 
• Peter Halley at MoMA. 
• Brief video interview with Peter Halley. 

 

Patrick Heron (British, 1920-1999)

• Images of Patrick Heron's work at The Tate. 
• Biography of the artist.
• Patrick Heron's obituary in The Independent. 

 

Claude Howell (American, 1915-1997)

• Claude Howell at Gallery C.
• Article on Claude Howell in Wilmington's Star News. 

 

Herb Jackson (American, 1945- )

• Jackson's website featuring examples of his work and a biography. 
• Article from Davidson College's website about Jackson being named the first Houchens Professor in 2003.

 

Paul Jenkins (American, 1923-2012)

• Paul Jenkins' official website. 
• Hofstra University Museum's 1999 exhibition Paul Jenkins 1954-1960, The Early Years in New York and Paris.
• New York Times obituary after the artist's recent death

 

Jasper Johns (American, 1930- )

• Jasper Johns on PBS American Masters. 
• MOMA's 1996 exhibition Jasper Johns: A Retrospective.
• In depth study on the prints and paintings of Jasper Johns by The National Gallery of Art.

 

Sol Lewitt (American, 1928-2007)

• Sol Lewitt on The Creators Project blog.
• How you can recreate Sol Lewitt's Wall Drawings, on view at Mass MOCA in 2008. 
• The artist's obituary in The New York Times.

 

Clarence Morgan (American, 1950- )

• Clarence Morgan's website with biography and selected works. 
• The artist's faculty page from The University of Minnesota website. 

 

Kenneth Noland (American, 1924-2010)

• Kenneth Noland's homepage With works ranging from the 1940s to the present, biography, and selected exhibits.
• Kenneth Noland: Master of Color Abstraction Comprehensive website includes essays and artworks.
• The artist's obituary in The New York Times. 

 

Robert Rauschenberg (American, 1925-2008)

• The Art Story includes Rauschenberg's biography, major works, and links to articles, transcripts, and videos.
• Rauschenberg's biography from the Guggenheim Museum website. 

 

James Rosenquist (American, 1933- )

photo of James Rosenquist by Suzanne Plunkett (2006)

• Rosenquist's website featuring a large online gallery, biography, and exhibition list.
• 110 Minutes with James Rosenquist In this short article from New York Magazine, Rosenquist reflects on how he had once "painted the town," and how the city has changed since then.
• In the Studio: James Rosenquist An article from ARTINFO. 

 

Sean Scully (American, born in Ireland 1945)

• Sean Scully's official website.
• New York Times review of the 2006 Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition Sean Scully: Wall of Light. 
• In this video, Sean Scully talks about the power of abstract art. 

 

Wayne Thiebaud (American, 1920- )

  

• A video from CBS Sunday Morning about a retrospective of Wayne Thiebaud's work. 
• An interview with Thiebaud conducted by Susan Larsen for the Archives of American Art.
• NGA Classrooom's Ten Things About Thiebaud. 

 

Selected Print Resources from the Mint Museum Library

• Allara, Pamela. Herb Jackson, Drawings: An Exhibition. Charlotte, N.C.: Mint Museum, 1983.

• Bernstein, Roberta. Jasper Johns. New York: Rizzoli, 1992.

• Braque, Georges. G. Braque. New York: H. N. Abrams, 1971. 

• Buck, Robert T., Jr. et al. Richard Diebenkorn: Paintings and Drawings, 1943-1976. Buffalo, NY: Albright-Knox Art Gallery, 1976. 

• D. Wigmore Fine Art, Inc. Paul Jenkins in the 1960s and 1970s: Space, Color, and Light. New York: D. Wigmore Fine Art, Inc., 2009. 

• Grooms, Red. Red Grooms: A Retrospective. Philadelphia: Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, 1985.

• Hobbs, Robert Carleton. Milton Avery. New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1990.

• Howell, Claude. Claude Howell: Carolina Interpreter. Wilmington, N.C.: St John's Museum of Art, 1995.

• Lewitt, Sol. Sol Lewitt, Structures, 1962-2003. New York: PaceWildenstein, 2004.

• Noland, Kenneth. Doors and Ghosts: Painted Monotypes March 6-30, 1985. New York: Andre Emmerich Gallery, 1985. 

• Nash, Steven A. Wayne Thiebaud: 70 Years of Painting. Palm Springs, CA: Palm Springs Art Museum, 2009.  

• National Collection of Fine Arts. Robert Rauschenberg. Washington: National Collection of Fine Arts, Smithsonian Institution, 1976. 

• Rifkin, Ned. Sean Scully: Twenty Years, 1976-1995. New York, NY: Thames and Hudson; Atlanta, GA: High Museum of Art, 1995.

 

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Created by Sarah Bost, Mint Museum Library Intern