We invite you to join us as each curator focuses on a single work of art, exploring both that object and how the object speaks to the collection as a whole, as well as to the chosen theme in particular.
In this first iteration, we examine the notion of still life as it has been treated in artwork across time.
The last Collection Reflection video featured associate curator Nikki Otten on Odilon Redon’s Vase of Flowers, a lush arrangement in pastel. Lisa Sutcliffe continues the conversation around still life with the work that she has selected to discuss, First Set by John Houck.
A museum’s collection is, by its very nature, carefully organized, its objects categorized by geographic origin, medium, chronology, and other defining characteristics. However, works of art have many qualities that defy these traditional institutional divisions. Through this series of videos, we are examining these broader elements, seeking commonalities and new ways of connecting the works in the Museum’s collection.
See the videos on the other works in this series here.
Lisa Sutcliffe is the Herzfeld Curator of Photography and Media Arts. She oversees the research, exhibition, and acquisition of photography and media arts at the Museum.