EUGENE, Ore. -- (March 31, 2016) – Works by artists Francis Bacon, Damien Hirst, Mark Rothko, and Peter Paul Rubens and are on view at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, on the University of Oregon campus as part of the Masterworks on Loan program.
Francis Bacon’s 1953 work, “End of the Line,” is on view in the Focus Gallery through June 12, 2016. Noted as one of the most well-known artists to emerge from the Post-War era, Bacon’s self-taught work draws on inspiration from Surrealism, film, photography and works by the Old Masters, such as Rembrandt, Titian, and Velázquez.
On view in the Upper North Hallway, Damien Hirst’s 2010-2011 piece, “Osmium Tetroxide,” is a colorful, large-scale painting thematically representative of his well-known spot painting style. Often titled after chemical compounds, this series of paintings elude to legal and illicit drugs. A second work by Hirst -- “The More You Know, The More You Know)” (2002; from his “Medicine Cabinet series), is on view in the Focus Gallery. Reminiscent of pharmaceutical cabinets, the piece offers a uniform construction of multiple pills in varying sizes and colors to emphasize their seductive allure, while also questioning society’s reliance on chemicals to feel — and stay — alive. Both works are on view through June 26, 2016.
Best known for his large paintings of soft rectangles on colorful backgrounds, Mark Rothko is represented in Masterworks on Loan by his 1958 work “No. 8 (White Stripe),” which uses rich colors to convey what he described as “the sublime.” Rothko’s work drew heavily upon the influence of the color red, due to its associations with the elements and such rituals as fire and blood — and thus, with life, death and the spirit. “No. 8 (White Stripe)” is on view in the Focus Gallery through May 29, 2016.
One of the greatest Flemish-born artists of the 17th century, Peter Paul Rubens is best known for his Counter-Reformation altarpieces and his paintings of mythological and allegorical subjects. With his use of an ominous background, Rubens’ “Christ on the Cross” foreshadows Christ’s impending death. “Christ on the Cross” is on view in the McKinnon Gallery through July 3, 2016.
Other artists whose works are on view in the JSMA’s Masterworks on Loan program include Mark Bradford, Mark Grotjahn, Robert Indiana, Christian Marclay, Henri Matisse, Joan Miro, Richard Pousette-Dart, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Ugo Rondinone, and Andy Warhol.
The JSMA’s Masterworks on Loan program presents exciting works by important, internationally recognized artists, borrowed from private collections. With frequent rotations of the works on view, the JSMA’s visitors and large K–12 and university audiences have the opportunity to enjoy and study examples by major artists and art periods not represented in the museum’s permanent collection. For more information about JSMA’s Masterworks on Loan program, visit www.jsma.uoregon/mol.
About the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art
The University of Oregon's Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is a premier Pacific Northwest museum for exhibitions and collections of historic and contemporary art based in a major university setting. The mission of the museum is to enhance the University of Oregon’s academic mission and to further the appreciation and enjoyment of the visual arts for the general public. The JSMA features significant collections galleries devoted to art from China, Japan, Korea, the Americas and Europe as well as changing special exhibition galleries. The JSMA is one of seven museums in Oregon accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is located on the University of Oregon campus at 1430 Johnson Lane. Museum hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for senior citizens. Free admission is given to ages 18 and under, JSMA members, college students with ID, and University of Oregon faculty, staff and students. For information, contact the JSMA, 541-346-3027.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is among the 108 institutions chosen from 4,633 U.S. universities for top-tier designation of "Very High Research Activity" in the 2010 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The UO also is one of two Pacific Northwest members of the Association of American Universities.
Contact:
JSMA: Debbie Williamson Smith, 541-346-0942, debbiews@uoregon.edu
Links: Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, http://jsma.uoregon.edu
