Blog @ the Nelson-Atkins

The blog updates are a great idea. Quick note - the location of the Shea piece is not on the new Interactive Sculpture Park. Where is it going to be? One of the sculpture terraces or the tapis vert?

The piece was reinstalled on the east wall of the Tapis Vert, just beneath the new East Sculpture Terrace (formerly known as Pierson Sculpture Garden).

The Shea will be making an appearance in the Interactive this week. Be sure to check back to learn more about this sculpture.

What is the inspiration for the base of the tall figure that leans in the corner?

Also, curious about the "drips" on the overcoat.

The inspiration for the base is Brancusi's Endless Column, in Romania, 1938, located in the city Targu Jiu in his (Brancusi's) homeland, Romania. It is 96 ft. high, made of cast iron, and dedicated to the heroes of WWI. An earlier, smaller version, Endless Column I, 1918 is 6 ft. 8 in. made of oak, and in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, NY.

The drips on the overcoat are a reference to older, monumental sculpture with heroic subject matter, which have aged over time and turned green.

Relative to both questions, Shea wants to acknowledge and recall past sculptural traditions.The pose of the free-standing woman is that of ancient Egyptian sculptures.

Leesa Fanning, Associate Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art

Thank you for your answers! This was my first time using the blog (any blog) - hope it is okay to ask questions. And now another: What can you tell me about the center two female forms, and is there any significance to the number and sequence of the forms? It almost seems to me if she is putting the "old" in storage and the "new" is emerging, it would go from left to right instead of the way it is positioned.

Thank you, Leesa.

Carol

Carol - Welcome to the world of blogging! Thank you for your comments and questions. It is fulfilling to know our blog is getting noticed.

Concerning Judith Shea's scultpure "Storage" from 1999, I have several sources for you.

1. See the Sept. 24 posting "In Print Perspective" for a streaming video of Ms. Shea talking about the work as it was reinstalled at the Nelson-Atkins. She does explain that the work progresses from right to left and is representative of the progression of her career.

2. Check out the Kansas City Sculpture Park interactive on our website (http://www.nelson-atkins.org/art/KCSP/Interactive/index.cfm). Under "Sculptures" you will find information about all the sculptures in the Park.

3. A great explanation of the piece can be found at sculpture. org: (http://www.sculpture.org/documents/scmag05/March_05/shea/shea.shtml). The discussion about "Storage" is more than half way down the page but it has a lot of detail.

Thanks again for your comments. Keep them coming!

Hello. I'm a provisional docent at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. I'm researching Judith Shea's Mid-Life Venus and having a tough time accessing any review of that piece or current info about Shea. Can anyone help?

Thanks,
Lori

Lori,

Thank you for your interest in the Judith Shea entry on the blog. I spoke with our curator of Modern & Contemporary Art and she didn't have any material on the specific work of art you were inquiring about, but she did recommend the following literature. I hope this helps with your research.

The fall 2006 issue of "Sculpture Magazine" featured an article on Judith Shea by Martin Friedman. She is also included in "A Sculpture Reader: Contemporary Sculpture since 1980," eds. Glenn Harper and Twylene Meyer, NY: International Sculpture Center, 2006.