Big Silver Bird for LACMA
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| Unidentified artists, Bolivia (Potosi), Eucharistic Urn in the Form of a Pelican, about 1760. LACMA, purchased with funds provided by the Bernard and Edith Lewin Mexican Art Deaccession Fund in honor of Julian Sands |
In LACMA's Unframed blog, curator Ilona Katzew introduces a recently acquired Eucharistic Urn in the Form of a Pelican from 18th-century Bolivia. Despite the precious material, it's over 42 in. high and 35 in wide—the largest object of its kind known. The interior would have held communion wafers or a chalice.
The pelican is a symbol of Christian sacrifice, but the bird was apparently unfamiliar in landlocked Bolivia. The urn more resembles a Southern Screamer, a large wetland bird found from eastern Bolivia to Uruguay.
Also new to the Latin American collection are two sleek examples of Brazilian modern design: a tea cart in jacaranda wood by Warsaw-born, São Paulo-based architect Jorge Zalszupin and an Esfera (Sphere) chair by Ricardo Fasanello.
All three objects were purchased with deaccession funds from the Bernard and Edith Lewin collection. Over the past 20 years LACMA has culled lesser works from that large but middling trove of Mexican art to build a choice collection of colonial art and modern design from throughout Latin America.
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| Jorge Zalszupin, Tea Cart, 1959 design, manufactured 1966. LACMA |
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| Ricardo Fasanello, Esfera Lounge Armchair, 1968 design, manufactured 1974. LACMA |
Comments
> collection are two sleek examples
> of Brazilian modern design:
Works like those had better be displayed in the Broad building, where modern and contemporary is placed, and not segregated in the Geffen with other objects from South America. As it is, Zumthor's building won't exactly have the greatest amount of gallery space imaginable. So if 1900's-2000's (even late 1800's) modern-contemporary is already in the Broad and special exhibits in the Resnick, and then also in the Geffen, that will be excessive.
As for the silver work from the 1700s, that presumably shouldn't be damaged by all the sunlight pouring in from the new building's many windows. Which further reduce suitable exhibit space in the Geffen/Zumthor/Govan.
The technical - much less creative - skill set required to create the silver bird from Bolivia never ceases to amaze.
Also, I'm no metallurgist, but I fail to see how sunlight would damage this silver object.
To reiterate, the silver object from 1700's Bolivia is technically impressive. Since it's an item in the category of tableware or decorative arts, the logistical skills of the creator stand out to me first. Than comes the creative skills. But the Eucharistic Urn looks artistically good too. And unlike drawings or other objects susceptible to fading (eg, tapestries), the silver bird obviously won't be harmed by sunlight.
Speaking of tapestries, LACMA has works from Aubusson that are rarely displayed. Although they're light sensitive, I suspect the main reason they're always stored away is the museum has never had enough gallery space. By contrast, the period rooms in the Getty have always exhibited such items.
That's another reason why LACMA turning over way too much space to contemporary art (such as the hanging objects, reminiscent of chandeliers in NYC's Met, they recently had in the Resnick) is a case of overkill and "been there, done that."
Now I believe you to mean "The technical - no less creative - skill".
If this is so, then we agree.