print December 1962/January 1963

The Arts of Man

AREA VISITORS HAVE CLOSED RANKS in record numbers with the homeguard, all passing in proud review through “The Arts of Man” exhibition at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. The never-again collection of the rare and the beautiful ranges 5,000 years of man’s visual arts expression, but in horizontally related chronology for a change, and will remain on exhibition until December 31.

Although well over 100 items came from important Dallas collections, the bulk derived as follows, by categories: From New York, Museum of Primitive Art (Oceanic and Pre-Columbian objects), Guggenheim Museum (modern European

print November 1962

Dallas

Biggest news hereabouts, of course, is the acquisition for the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts’ permanent collection of Andrew Wyeth’s $58,000 tempera painting, That Gentleman—first purchase by public contribution in local annals. Big givers and small pitched in big money along with nickels, dimes and quarters to make final payment to New York’s Knoedler Galleries in late September.

Thus ended successfully an acquisition campaign that really began in 1960 when the work was on loan for the DMFA’s State Fair special, “Famous Families in American Art.” First enamored was Mrs. Eugene McDermott, Dallas

print October 1962

Dallas

There's no shotgun in sight, but the most headlong marriage between business and the arts in these parts in some time is the new gallery venture by the Hartford Building. So far the passion is more naive than calculated, which might just lead to a more lasting union than otherwise

The idea is simply this: the Hartford Building lobby, which has one of the busiest captive walk-through patronages downtown, has been converted into a 1,000 square-foot gallery with the addition of benches and large planters (live flowers, at that) and almost literally opening the door to any artist whose offerings

print August 1962

Dallas

The heat is on, and despite air-conditioning and surface appearances of considerable exhibition activity, nature is having her usual way with summer patronage of museums and galleries. The latter are still rolling with a noticeable slump in buying in the wake of the vast stock market “readjustment.” Many would argue that this is all to the good, that, conceivably, many forced prices and reputations will find a truer level considerably below what some dealers have manipulated in the region’s art-hungry market.

Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, as is its annual wont, has trotted out batches of its

print July 1962

Dallas

While the one-sided controversy skulks along over the shameful 33rd Annual Dallas County competition at Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, pickings are almost as lean elsewhere this spring in other museum and gallery fare.

Dallas Museum for Contemporary Arts crowed pretentiously in advance of its “1961” conglomeration, culled from favored New York galleries, and fell on the face of its own presumptions when the exhibition came nowhere near its billing of surveying that meaningful year of title. There were creditable items—one apiece—by Robert Motherwell, Robert Rauschenberg, Josef Albers, Alberto

print June 1962

Dallas

Spring 1962 fills the eyes and thoughts of Dallas’ art public—almost feverishly so—with the visual expressions of our time, and almost up to the minute in some instances, like it or no. Battle lines between “traditional” and “contemporary” are visible still, but almost daily edges of demarcation and definition blur as the one imperceptibly slips into the category of yesterdays but on which all tomorrows to come must build.

If tempers still shorten in each camp when one or the other intrudes too far in either direction, the area of at least partial understanding lengthens its dispassionate shade.

Rual Askew