Cross-posted; please forgive any duplication
Dear colleagues: The following is an announcement of a new exhibition and
catalog at the Menil Collection, Houston. As we traditionally do not
utilize outside distributors for our exhibition catalogs (e.g. recent
catalogs on Mark Rothko, Georges Rouault, Edward Kienholz, Paul Klee, and
Greek icons) nor announce our publications through store catalogs, I am
taking this opportunity to announce our latest publication. A full listing
of available publications may be viewed at our website:
www.menil.org/~menil/publications.html
Publications may be ordered at this site, or our Bookstore may be reached
at (713) 521-9148.
Phil Heagy
Menil Collection Library
1511 Branard St. Houston, TX 77006
PH: (713) 525-9426
FAX: (713) 525-9444
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
THE MENIL COLLECTION 1515 Sul Ross Houston Texas 77006
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 20, 1997
MEDIA CONTACT: Bill Thompson (713-525-9404)
THE MENIL COLLECTION PRESENTS THE FIRST EXHIBITION
OF VISIONARY DRAWINGS BY FRENCH ARTIST THÉOPHILE BRA
The Drawing Speaks: Théophile Bra, Works 1826-1855
December 12, 1997 - March 29, 1998
introductory talk by Jacques de Caso
Thursday, December 11, 1997, 7:00 pm
followed by a preview from 7:30 to 9:00 pm
OVERVIEW
Théophile Bra (1797-1863) was a renowned sculptor in nineteenth century
France. Unknown to most, Bra also created thousands of visionary drawings
that expressed his dreams and mystical experiences. Bra's drawings
combined abstract imagery with words and radically broke with the
traditions of Western art. Through their exploration of abstraction and
the subconscious mind, these drawings anticipate the work of the
Surrealists and Abstract Expressionists, who, while unaware of Bra's
achievements, were engaged with similar ideas nearly a century later.
Since 1851, Bra's drawings have been preserved in the Municipal Library of
Douai, France, the city of his birthplace, but they were never revealed to
the public, until now. For the first time, fifty of these remarkable works
of art will be exhibited at The Menil Collection in The Drawing Speaks:
Théophile Bra, Works 1826-1855, on view from December 12, 1997 through
March 29, 1998. Following its presentation in Houston, the exhibition will
travel to museums in Iowa City and Douai, France.
This exhibition has been organized by The Menil Collection and is made
possible through the generous support of Menil Foundation, Inc. and Louise
Ferrari.
THE EXHIBITION
"Bra's drawings are unprecedented in the nineteenth century--'abstract'
compositions and unrelated to his sculpted oeuvre, they designate Bra as
one of the most original minds of the Romantic era," wrote exhibition
curator Jacques de Caso, professor of art history in the Graduate School of
the University of California, Berkeley. "Bra returned drawing to a state
of uncurbed expression, a state inherent to drawing when line seeks to
evoke an idea rather than an illusionistic recreation of the world," de
Caso added.
The Drawing Speaks: Théophile Bra, Works 1826-1855 features fifty drawings
never before shown to the public. While doing research in 1975, de Caso
discovered Bra's drawings in the Municipal Library of Douai. De Caso
became intrigued with Bra's life and work, particularly the artist's
concerns with mysticism and theory, and he encouraged Dominique de Menil
and The Menil Collection to exhibit and publish a selection of these
extraordinary drawings.
Chosen from the thousands of Bra's drawings housed in the Municipal Library
of Douai, the works of art in the exhibition were made between 1826 and
1855, decades before pioneering artists such as Picasso and Kandinsky began
to explore abstraction in the early twentieth century. Sketched with pen
and ink on sheets of paper, Bra's drawings possess a sense of immediacy,
gesture, and experimentation uncharacteristic of most nineteenth-century
art, particularly that produced by students of traditional art academies.
Bra conceived of his drawings as prophetic works and many of them contain
sacred inscriptions and notes concerning his philosophical and mystical
beliefs. Often, the drawings appear unfinished--images sometimes merge
into written texts, which forces the viewer to stop looking and begin
reading, or vice versa. When compared to Bra's sculpture--mostly
traditional public commissions--the artist's drawings stand out for their
innovation and originality. Bra's drawings are much closer in spirit to
the
work of modern artists like Jackson Pollock and Max Ernst than to that of
Bra's contemporaries.
Among the highlights of the exhibition is Untitled [The Virgin of the
Rocks...], a collage, embellished with ink, made from a lithographic
reproduction affixed with wax to a page from a Bible. Bra's figurative
drawings, such as Untitled [unity synthesized iconography...], demonstrate
how the artist chose not to represent nature and the human body with
clinical accuracy, as was commonly practiced in the nineteenth century.
Other drawings, such as Untitled [the mysterious cross...] and Untitled
[The planetary Dredger...], are completely abstract and anticipate works
made with the technique of "automatism," a term coined in the twentieth
century and associated with the Surrealists that describes the creation of
images using the subconscious mind.
THÉOPHILE BRA--BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Théophile Bra was born on June 23, 1797 in Douai, France, a part of
Flanders now in northeastern France. As a young man he worked as an
apprentice in the studios of his father and grandfather, both of whom were
sculptors. In Paris, Bra studied art at the École des Beaux Arts and
anatomy at Bicêtre and La Salpétrière hospitals. In 1818, Bra won the
coveted Second Roman Prize in sculpture, and the following year he embarked
upon a thirty-five year career as a sculptor, earning acclaim for his many
portraits and civic and religious monuments. In 1825, Bra received the
prestigious Legion of Honor award.
An eccentric, spiritual, and introspective man, Bra experienced a severe
psychological collapse and a series of personal tragedies beginning in
1826, the same year he began to make his drawings. During this time, Bra
experienced repeated episodes of mental disorientation and his personal
life
crumbled around him. Bra's first two wives died within a short time of one
another and the in-laws from his first marriage sought legal custody of his
children. These crises would profoundly effect Bra for the rest of his
life. Using his drawings, Bra documented and explored the significance of
his mystical experiences and personal tragedies. Bra's drawings read like
a private diary, filled with his feelings and observations about God, the
relationship between body and soul, and other spiritual matters.
While Bra was a member of the intellectual circles of Paris in the 1830s
and 1840s, and he was acquainted with such writers as Cousin, Guizot,
Broussais, and Balzac, virtually no one knew of the mysterious drawings he
was producing. In Paris, Bra achieved respect and prominence for his work
as a sculptor, but in 1850 he returned to Douai, where he would remain for
the rest of his life. In September 1851, Bra donated his manuscripts and
models of sculptures to Douai's Municipal Library, where they have been
preserved for more than one hundred years, unknown to all but a handful of
people. Bra died on May 2, 1863 in Douai, France.
PUBLICATION
In conjunction with the exhibition, The Menil Collection has published The
Drawing Speaks: Théophile Bra, Works 1826-1855. This 120-page, bilingual
catalogue is fully illustrated and features a statement by Jacques Vernier,
Mayor of Douai; a preface by Dominique de Menil, The Menil Collection's
founding patron; a forward by Hubert Damisch, Professor at the École des
hautes études en sciences sociales, Paris; and essays by Jacques de Caso
and André Bigotte, librarian at Douai. The catalogue has been translated
by Erika Naginski, Society of Fellows, Harvard University. The Drawing
Speaks: Théophile Bra, Works 1826-1855 is available for purchase at The
Menil Collection Bookstore (713-521 3814).
SPECIAL EVENTS
Jacques de Caso will present an introductory talk about Théophile Bra at
The Menil Collection on Thursday, December 11, 1997 at 7:00 pm. The talk
will be followed by a reception from 7:30 to 9:00 pm. Both events are free
and open to the public.
ORGANIZATION AND SPONSORSHIP
This exhibition has been organized by The Menil Collection and is made
possible through the generous support of Menil Foundation, Inc. and Louise
Ferrari.
EXHIBITION TOUR
Following its presentation in Houston, The Drawing Speaks: Théophile Bra,
Works 1826-1855 will travel to museums in the United States and Europe,
including the University of Iowa Museum of Art, Iowa City and Musée de la
Chartreuse, Douai, France, in 1999.
THE MENIL COLLECTION
The Menil Collection opened in 1987 to house, preserve, and exhibit the art
collection of Houston residents John and Dominique de Menil. Considered
one of the most important privately-assembled collections of the twentieth
century, The Menil Collection includes approximately 15,000 paintings,
sculptures, prints, drawings, photographs, and rare books. Masterpieces
from antiquity; the Byzantine and medieval worlds; the tribal cultures of
Africa, Oceania, and the American Pacific Northwest; and the twentieth
century are particularly well-represented. Designed by Piano & Fitzgerald
Architects, Houston, a joint venture of Renzo Piano/Building Workshop,
Genoa, Italy and Richard Fitzgerald & Partners, Houston, the museum is also
renowned for its innovative architecture and the contemplative beauty of
its naturally-illuminated galleries.
In keeping with the de Menils' collecting practices, The Menil Collection
continues to acquire in-depth holdings of works by selected artists and to
create special environments for their display. In February 1995, The Menil
Collection, in collaboration with the artist Cy Twombly and Dia Center for
the Arts, New York, opened the Cy Twombly Gallery, an exhibition space
designed by Renzo Piano that houses a permanent installation devoted to
Twombly's work. The Menil Collection is currently preparing its exhibition
annex Richmond Hall for the installation of the last major light sculpture
by Dan Flavin.
GENERAL INFORMATION
The Menil Collection is located in Houston's Museum District at 1515 Sul
Ross. The Cy Twombly Gallery is located across the street from the museum
at 1501 Branard. Both are open to the public free-of-charge Wednesday
through Sunday, 11:00 am to 7:00 pm. The Menil Collection Bookstore,
located at 1520 Sul Ross, is open Wednesday through Friday, 11:00 am to
6:00 pm, and Saturday through Sunday, 11:00 am to 6:45 pm. For further
information about The Menil Collection please call 713-525 9400 or visit
the museum's website: www. menil.org.
Within immediate walking distance of The Menil Collection are two
independent institutions of interest to visitors--the Rothko Chapel and
Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum. The Rothko Chapel is located at 3900 Yupon
at Sul Ross and is open to the public free-of-charge every day from 10:00
am to 6:00 pm. For further information or to schedule a group tour please
call 713-524-9839. The Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum is located at 4011
Yupon and is open to the public free-of-charge Wednesday through Sunday,
11:00 am to 6:00 pm.
MEDIA CONTACT: Bill Thompson
Development & Public Affairs Associate, The
Menil Collection
phone: 713-525-9404
fax: 713-525-9444
email: [log in to unmask]
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