When Horace C. Henry donated 172 works, he jump started what was to become The Henry Art gallery in 1927. The collections reflect the sensibilities of eight decades of curators and collectors. The new exhibition is the ideal use of the objects in the collection for teaching, research and connoisseurship. Instead of designating permanent collection galleries, the Henry constructs temporary exhibitions with and from its collections, reflecting the desire to use the collection in dynamic ways that parallel the energy and change inherent in contemporary art.
Image to the right: Lee Friedlander. New York City. 1965. Gelatin silver print. Henry Art Gallery, Monsen Study Collection of Photography, gift of Joseph and Elaine Monsen. Courtesy Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco

Annie Han and Daniel Mihalyo, who work under the name Lead Pencil Studio, were invited as partners in rethinking the presentation of these works from the permanent collection. Lead Pencil Studio has developed a bold new conceptual model for organizing diverse objects for exhibition. They have reconsidered how viewers experience art in a space. They investigated such wide-ranging gathering places as warehouses, banquets, fashion shows, and orchestra performance as strategies of how many items can be organized in a single space.
Image to the left: Fairfield Porter. Johnson House – Afternoon. 1968. Oil on masonite. Henry Art Gallery, anonymous gift.

The exhibition title, 150 Works of Art, is descriptive of the estimated number of works that fill the Stroum gallery. The central idea was to present the art in a way that was visually dramatic overall yet allowed the viewer to experience of individual works without a master narrative or theme. You can get an idea of the character of the Henry’s holdings and the manner in which this collection has accumulated over time. 150 Works of Art departs from usual formula of thematic or chronological installations to feature each painting, photograph, and new media as an individual piece that invokes contemplation in its own right.
Image to the right: Ralph Gibson. Hooded Bather. 1972. Gelatin silver print. Henry Art Gallery, Joseph and Elaine Monsen Photography Collection. Photo: Kerry Patton.

Once the presentation parameters were mapped out by Lead Pencil Studio, Chief Curator Elizabeth Brown chose 150 objects from the collection. Her picks were constrained by some basic rules. (1). The works would date from the period of time between the mid-nineteenth century (roughly, from the invention of photography) and the present. (2). The works would be generally representative of the collections. (3). Consideration of the interests and sensibilities of donors was taken into account. (4). Every work selected has the power to attract and engage diverse audiences.
Image to the left: Catherine Wagner. Genetically Engineered Tomatoes. 1994. Gelatin silver print. Henry Art Gallery, gift of Burt and Jane Berman. Image courtesy of the artist and Stephen Wirtz Gallery, San Francisco, CA.

Upon entering the gallery, the nature of the installation suggests an conceptual art installation by Joseph Kosuth. What you view is the textual information about the work. When you proceed to the opposite end of the gallery you view an ocean of images which provides the most innovative opportunity for students to exercise their skills as connoisseurs. For the run of the show, Henry curators, local artists, and educators will be invited to create personal thematic narratives to relate one work to the next. Viewers can find their own way through the exhibition and make connections between the works, the history and the context that precedes newer works. From a small lion painting by Delacroix donated by Horace C. Henry in 1927, to unique new video installations this exhibition highlights some of the strengths of the Henry's permanent collections. Each artwork has the power to attract and engage diverse minds.
Image to the right: Hilja Keading. Goodbye Illusion. 1997. Two-channel laser disc projection media installation. Henry Art Gallery, gift of Rebecca and Alexander Stewart. Images courtesy of the artist.

150 Works of Art runs from October 1, 2005 through February 26, 2006. Visit the Henry Art Gallery on the web at www.henryart.org.
Image to the left: Jennifer and Kevin McCoy. Soft Rains #4 (The Loft). 2003. Mixed media sculpture with DVD. Henry Art Gallery, purchased with funds donated by Natalie and Marc Angelillo, Sarah Barton and Irving Marcus, John and Shari Behnke, Cathy and Michael Casteel, Kimberly and Dennis Daugs, Julienne and Peter Kuttel, Jennifer Middleton, Susan Moseley, Rebecca and Alexander Stewart, William and Ruth True and anonymous donors. Courtesy Postmasters Gallery and the artist.

Audio Tour of 150 works

• 25 Highlights from 150 Works: An Audio Tour
• Index of Entries and Timecodes
• 1) 1850's Delacroix, Lion 1:03
• 2) 1861 Whistler, The Forge 1:55
• 3) 1870 Nadar, Edmond de Goncourt 3:04
• 4) 1878 Tissot, My Garden in St. John's Wood 3:53
• 5) 1886 Bouguereau, Child at Bath 4:33
• 6) 1902 Kasebier, The Picture Book (from Camera Work) 5:19
• 7) 1912-13 Marc, Animal Legend 6:05
• 8) 1915 Cunningham, On Mt. Rainier.5. 6:52
• 9) 1920 Carr, Untitled 7:37
• 10) 1923 Matisse, Odalisque au Collier 8:12
• 11) 1926 Hartley, Cote D'Azur 8:49
• 12) 1935 Graves, Untitled [compote with fruit] 9:22
• 13) 1935 Tobey, Untitled 10:02
• 14) 1939 Weston, Leadfield Death Valley 11:01
• 15) 1943 Weegee, The Bingo Player 11:44
• 16) 1956 Hallsten, Mask 12:24
• 17) 1964 Motherwell, Untitled [10 Works by 10 Painters Portfolio] 13:00
• 18) 1965 Diebenkorn, Untitled #10 13:49
• 19) 1969 Wehr, Cayuse 14:21
• 20) 1972 Arbus, Women in a Bird Mask, N.Y.C. 14:57
• 21) 1988 Kapoor, Untitled 15:39
• 22) 1989 Krafft, Congress of Christs 16:31
• 23) 1993 Smith, Puppet 17:11
• 24) 1996 Ruscha, Sunliners 4 17:50
• 25) 1997 Tuttle, Surface 18:45