(AAPNW-MI) – First time ever shown at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, “A Passion for Collecting: Prints of the 1960s and ‘70s from the Collins Collection” opens on Saturday, November 13 and remains on view through January 2, 2011.
This exhibition, guest curated by Joisan Decker of Mattawan, features 50 of the 80 prints from a collection assembled over two decades through the devotion of a Charles and Charlotte Collins, a working class couple from Michigan, who discovered a passion for contemporary art and through careful budgeting, gradually surrounded themselves with works on paper by artists now widely recognized as giants of 20th century art: Josef Albers, Helen Frankenthaler, Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg, Frank Stella, and others.
The Collins, themselves are works of art, who serve as a testament for the art of their time. The works in the show capture the vibrancy of the emerging abstract movements during this time, including Minimalism, Op Art, and Expressionism.
For more information, stop by in person at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, located at 314 South Park Street in Kalamazoo, Michigan, or call 269.349.7775 or see www.kiarts.org.
Upcoming at KIA on Saturday, December 11, “Ukiyo-e Redux: Contemporary Japanese Prints” is an exhibition of color woodblock prints to be featured in the new Joy Light Gallery of Asian Art. On Saturday, December 18, “Familiar Surroundings” is show highlighting others who ignored the dictates of modern art and developed personal styles rooted in their local environment. Included are works by John Marin, Charles Burchfield, and Reginald Marsh.