Labels

Hammer Debuts Bontecou Gift

Lee Bontecou, untitled, 1958. Hammer Museum

The Hammer Museum is showing a classic 1958 Lee Bontecou sculpture that was donated last year by Chara Schreyer. It becomes the only large (60-1/2 in. wide) steel and canvas sculpture by the artist in a Los Angeles museum. The Hammer co-organized the pivotal 2003-04 Bontecou retrospective that introduced the artist to new generations. The donated sculpture was in it (center background below). The gift is now in "Head for the Hills!," an installation of the Hammer Contemporary Collection, that remains on view through Aug. 24, 2025.

Schreyer (1947-2023) was rated one of the "top 200 collectors" by ARTnews and was a trustee of the Hammer, MOCA, and SFMOMA. She made a number of gifts to MOCA, including three Lauren Halsey sculptures, a Robert Morris felt piece, and Anika Yi's Le Pain Symbiotique. 

Installation view of "Lee Bontecou: A Retrospective" at the Hammer, 2003
Email Post
Labels:

Comments

Ted Gallagher NYC said…
Her work appears in most important public collections here and internationally.
But hers is the only output that I steadfastly avoid: I'm afraid her works will eat me alive.
If great artists' works are supposed to make us feel something, she's a master.
February 17, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Anonymous said…
The photorealism show currently at MOCA can be graded based on technical skill, whereas Bontecou can be judged based on more aesthetic capability. With so many talented artists existing at any given time, going back centuries, why some of them become household names while others fade into obscurity very much depends on gatekeepers of taste, money, power, politics, geography and publicity.
February 17, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Post a Comment