Galleries at Kykuit Mark the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Nelson A. Rockefeller
NEW YORK, NY (June 26, 2008) - The Pocantico Center of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund will mark the 100th anniversary of Nelson A. Rockefeller's birthday with a special exhibit in the galleries at Kykuit. The exhibition, which will run until November 2, 2008, features three sculptures by Alexander Calder, Julio González, and Naum Gabo. The sculptures, on loan from the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, were bequeathed to MoMA by Governor Rockefeller in 1979.
"The late Nelson Rockefeller had a sincere appreciation of art that went beyond its aesthetic beauty. He believed in the transformative power of art. The galleries at Kykuit reflect many of the major movements of the mid-20thcentury," said Cynthia Altman, curator at Kykuit.
The special exhibition includes Linear Construction in Space No3, with Red, (CR62.39) by Naum Gabo, Reclining Figure by Julio González, and Spiny by Alexander Calder. A complete description of the sculptures can be found below.
Guided tours of Kykuit and the galleries are available daily except Tuesdays from 9:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. and weekends from 9:45 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Kykuit tours are conducted by Historic Hudson Valley. Kykuit, the historic Rockefeller estate and the property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, is maintained and administered by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
About the Sculptures
Linear Construction in Space No3, with Red, (CR62.3) 1952-53, was created by Naum Gabo (1890-1977) in the Constructivist tradition, a movement which began in Russia in the early part of the century. Constructivism responded to the demands of the new Utopian society for a new art, using modern materials and drawing on the scientific theory of the day. Naum Gabo and his brother, Anton Pevsner, issued their Realistic Manifesto in 1920 espousing the tenets of Constructivism: "The work is ‘realistic', based on the realities of time and space; ‘dynamic', because by ‘the flow of lines and shapes' it includes kinetic rhythms; and ‘objective' reflecting the true nature of the universe." Forms of varying degrees of transparency and translucency seem to revolve in space. Made of modern materials-plexiglass and nylon wire, with a base of aluminum-the arc-shaped forms turn on a central axis around triangular forms in the still center; taut nylon wire fans and twists to define and encompass space.
Julio González's (1876-1942) Reclining Figure is a wrought iron sculpture from 1934. Through his pioneering work with welded metal González was an important influence to many 20th-century sculptors, including several represented in Kykuit's collections-Butler, Chadwick, Smith, Lipton, and Ferber. González made his first sculptures in iron in 1927, and in the late 1920s and early 1930s gave technical assistance to Picasso in executing work in this medium. González's work of the 1930s is abstract in form but reference to the human figure is always clear.
The fanciful and lively stabile, Spiny, 1942, by Alexander Calder (1898-1976) was acquired by Nelson Rockefeller in 1951. This sculpture served as the model for the Large Spiny of 1964 on the edge of the golf course, one of the few sculptures actually commissioned for the gardens, and thus crucial to the development of the collections. Calder was working in Roxbury, Connecticut, from 1937 to 1945, particularly prolific years during which he completed over 400 mobiles and stabiles. The titles Calder chose for his works of the late 1930s and early 1940s indicate the inspiration of the plant and animal world: Whale, Big Bird, Black Beast, Apple Monster, Leaves and Petals, The Spider, Red Petals, Black Clouds. The sculpture, Spiny, is no exception, its forms resembling the long necks of llama or giraffes jockeying in a herd. James Johnson Sweeney wrote in 1934: Calder "leans on shapes of the natural world only as a source from which to abstract the elements of form." During the years in Roxbury, the works he created grew in dimension and he oversaw the execution of a number of large stabiles based on his models. The Whale and Big Bird from 1936 and '37 were the precursors of the larger pieces. Black Beast of 1940 was more than 13 feet in width. Large Spiny, which Calder executed for the lawns of Kykuit, is 17 ½ feet in width.
About Pocantico
In 1979, Nelson Rockefeller bequeathed 86 acres of the Rockefeller family estate to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which subsequently leased the property to the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. As part of its agreement with the Trust, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund assumed stewardship of the property and the responsibility of providing public access, in addition to its educational and philanthropic programs on the estate. The Fund oversees the maintenance, care, conservation and restoration of the estate's historic buildings, gardens and collections of decorative and fine art. The property includes the family house, Kykuit, built in 1909 and 1913; the Orangerie of 1908; the Coach Barn of 1902 and 1913; and the Marcel Breuer House at Pocantico, built in 1949.
About the Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Founded in 1940, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund encourages social change that contributes to a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world. The RBF's grantmaking is organized around four themes: Democratic Practice, Sustainable Development, Peace and Security, and Human Advancement and four pivotal places: New York City, South Africa, Western Balkans, and Southern China. On October 12, 2006, the RBF trustees approved a new cross-programmatic grantmaking initiative on energy.
For more information, contact: Gail L. Fuller, 212-812-4242 or gfuller@rbf.org