| In Review: Des Moines Art Center |
| Written by Ken Hamel | |
| Wednesday, 06 February 2008 | |
 As a NY transplant living in Denver for a number of years now, I am accustomed to the occasional feeling of remoteness, both emotional and cultural, that floating between the coasts brings. After getting a recent glimpse of the magnificent Des Moines Art Center, I'm feeling a bit less urbane here in the Mile-High city, and a bit miffed at how tiny Des Moines can play host to what is among one of the preeminent collections of 20th century art in the US, eclipsing the gravitas of Denver as the cultural pitstop between Chicago and LA. And it's not just the art of the DAC that enchants: the collection is housed in a rambling, peaceful setting designed by a trio of world renowned architects over the course of a half-century, beginning with Eliel Saarinen's 1922 core, augmented by I.M Pei's threatening concrete hall (1966), flowing into Richard Meier's gracefully curved and sweeping 1985 finale (right). For all the local Libeskind (DAM) and Adjaye (MCA Denver) hubbub, I can attest to a subtle power and emotion within Pei's epic space that rivals either of Denver's recent additions. Each wing of the DAC plays host to a veritable trove of critically acclaimed artists from around the world, starting from the moment you enter with "House of Cards: Picasso and Cubism," an exhibit culled from the permanent collection which includes a beautiful Agnes Weinrich oil "Woman with Flowers" (1920), alongside paintings by George Braque ("Glass, Pipe and Playing Cards") and John Marin ("Mid-Manhattan #1"). Making my way through the Saarinen wing revealed significant works by a variety of women artists including Eva Hesse, Agnes Martin and Louise Bourgeois' 1968 "Clamart," a smooth, sculpted marble basket of pill and bullet-like cylinders on massive wood blocks. Pulling me in like a magnet was Francis Bacon's commanding 1953 screaming Pope: "Study After Velasquez, Portrait of Pope Innocent X." Seeing Innocent X reminded me why Bacon's work brings in earth shattering prices on the auction scene. Moving on from the lower ceilings of the Saarinen building, the collection inside the I.M. Pei wing has plenty of room to relax: the spacious ribbed concrete structure exudes a bunker-like permanence that is offset by narrow glass views into what was for me a snowy vista of rolling hills and barren trees. (Unfortunately, the snow obscured the prominent sculptures that dot the grounds around the museum and made exploring the works a chilly and unlikely possibility.) And the collection within the Pei building deserves the space, with stately works by David Smith, Donald Judd, Frank Stella, Don Flavin, more Louise Bourgeois, a classic Sol LeWitt wall drawing meandering over 20x20 feet, and a signature George Segal installation tucked away in a delicate corner of the wing featuring white cast figures moving through a mock air terminal ("To All Gates" 1971). The magic of the DAC is that there's even more. Richard Meier's 28,000 sq ft building hosts a wonderful collection of later 20th Century pieces from the usual suspects (Rauschenberg, Johns, Diebenkorn, Oldenburg, Motherwell) and I was pleasantly surprised to find more offbeat works from Julian Schnabel ("Death of Fashion" 1978), Jeff Koons (a 1981 tower of vacuum cleaners in Plexiglas "The New Shelton Wet/Dry Triple Decker"), a 1985 Gerhard Richter landscape, and the highlight of my visit, a stunning large Vik Muniz take on the signature Chuck Close self-portrait, built up from a variety of Pantone color swatches ("Chuck" 2001). I had made several trips to the recently closed "Color as Field" show at the DAM so it was comforting to take in the bold, poured stain of a Morris Louis piece not far from works by Sam Francis (1957 "Summer No. 2") and Sean Scully, who offered up a more contemporary, muted take on the color field with his 2004 "Wall of Light Red Night." At some 675 miles from Denver, Des Moines makes for a time consuming roadtrip (but then again, short of the Springs, what ISN'T a hike from Denver), however should fate find you within the magnet of Iowa's capital city, don't miss the opportunity to take in a true treasure of the visual arts in the Midwest. - KLH |
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