Its primary aim is to encourage public access to the various manifestations
of modern and contemporary art in order to increase knowledge, promote education and foster social communication of the plastic arts.
«From Thornton Dial's magisterial constructions to the emblematic compositions by the Gee's Bend quilters from the 1930s onwards, this extraordinary group of works contributes immeasurably to the Museum's representation of works by contemporary American artists and augments on a historic scale its holdings of contemporary art,» said Sheena Wagstaff, Leonard A. Lauder Chairman of the
Department of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Metropolitan Museum, in a museum press release.
Each of the artists selected have well - established practices, making work of quality and rigour which has received considerable critical acknowledgment and are not yet represented in the IMMA National
Collection of Modern and Contemporary Art.
«The notion of looking at any art from any period through contemporary eyes is incredibly relevant,» said Sheena Wagstaff,
head of the modern and contemporary art department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and a curator of «Unfinished.»
Organized by the Dedalus Foundation Fellow in the
Conservation of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Institute of Fine Arts, Christine Haynes, this panel addresses the challenges inherent in conserving the physical integrity of Donald Judd's art while maintaining his philosophical values.
The exhibition spaces are neutral «white boxes» conceived to display
works of modern and contemporary art of very different type and size, including paintings, sculptures, installations, photographs, and videos.
Norwegian Ambassador Kåre R. Aas, VMFA Director Alex Nyerges, and John B. Ravenal, executive director of the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum and former Sydney and Frances Lewis Family Curator
of Modern and Contemporary Art for the VMFA (Photo: David Stover © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts)