Standing in the Shadows of Love: The Aldrich Collection 1964–1974 is a two-part exhibition that examines Larry Aldrich’s legacy through the works of artists he championed early in their careers, a practice that continues to be honored in the mission of the Museum. Each of the exhibitions will present works by artists who had a significant presence in the Museum’s collection during its first decade, which coincided with one of the most defining periods in art of the twentieth century. The 1960s and early 1970s still reverberate in our culture fifty years later, as concerns that were news then, such as civil rights, women’s rights, the rise of media culture and “youth culture,” the inception of the environmental movement, and the questioning of America’s role as a world power, continue to be critical issues at the core of our social and political discourse. Although most periods of the past are being mined by contemporary artists, the 1960s are looked upon as a “hinge” between modernism and what came to be known as post-modernism, providing the seeds for a world-view that still defines many of our beliefs. The included works are either the actual pieces that were in the Museum’s early collection, or examples of the artist’s work from the same period.
Curated by Richard Klein and Amy Smith-Stewart.