In response to the successful installation of this work (Karen LaMonte, Reclining Drapery Impression, 2009. Cast glass. H 18, W 61 1/2, D 22 3/4 in. photo: ed pollard) the museum has purchased a recasting to be installed in the same location in the Greco-Roman Gallery.
During this past summer’s “Art of Glass 2“ event, glass sculptures took over the major art museums in and around Hampton Roads, Virginia. At the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia, among the many exhibitions and events celebrating glass, a Karen Lamonte cast glass reclining figure was installed just off the main stairway in the entrance to the Greco-Roman Gallery, where it was visually juxtaposed with an ancient Greek statue. The piece was such a hit, and the installation considered so perfect, that a very similar work has been purchased by the museum for its permanent collection.
The decision to acquire the piece was made during the annual December “art selection dinner” hosted by the Chrysler’s Mowbray Arch Society, a group of museum patrons who vote on new museum acquisitions after they are presented with suggestions by the museum’s curators.
“We had five pieces selected for consideration this year,” museum director William Hennessey said in a written announcement. “We consider it gladiatorial combat for the curators to come up with the most interesting and enticing pieces of art to add to the collection.”
Kelly Conway, the Chrysler’s curator of glass, proposed commissioning Karen Lamonte to recast her Reclining Drapery Impression (2009) that had graced the museum’s stairwell during the “Art of Glass 2” and this proposal received the most votes.
“This striking piece is firmly situated within a narrative arc of art history,” Conway said in a written announcement. “The use of glass gives the piece a completely modern and fresh take on the classical tradition.”
The newly-cast draped figure will be exhibited in the same location in the museum’s Greco-Roman gallery, as per the artist’s request. Explains Conway: “When Karen was here for the opening of ‘Art of Glass 2,’ she was struck by the insightful and meaningful placements of her work within the museum, but the one that resonated more than the rest was this piece.”
For more information on the museum’s hours and exhibition program, visit their website at www.chrysler.org.
Editor’s Note: In the original version of this posting, the headline read: “Recasting of a Karen LaMonte work commissioned by Chrysler Museum.” On 12/22/09, the headline was changed slightly from “commissioned” to “purchased” to reflect a new understanding of the acquisition after a conversation with Chrysler curator of glass Kelly Conway.