The Crocker Museum Expands

by Art Fag City on May 27, 2010 · 16 comments

Just a quick note vaguely inspired by MAN’s posts on the subject of the Virginia Museum of Fine Art’s expansion: In early March I paid a visit to the Crocker Museum of Art in Sacramento whose 100000 expansion project will open to the public in October. The new building, designed by Gwathmey Siegel & Associates is nothing short of impressive. The building exudes space; the stairwells are wide, skylights dot all the rooms, and giant windows facing a large courtyard grace the space (flickr set here). It’s impressive and the museum deserves to be commended. But its current contemporary collection gives me pause. It seems a bit of a waste to put all that work into a building if it’s just going to host Michael Steven’s wicker Dingo sculpture. Here’s hoping they’re working just as hard on pumping up their exhibition program.


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http://www.harrisculptor.com jerry harris
We all have our likes and dislikes about contemporary art. Personally I think the sculpture of Michael Steven’s wicker Dingo sculpture is quite impressive. I thank the new Crocker Museum of Art for buying it.
http://www.harrisculptor.com jerry harris
We all have our likes and dislikes about contemporary art. Personally I think the sculpture of Michael Steven’s wicker Dingo sculpture is quite impressive. I thank the new Crocker Museum of Art for buying it.
http://www.harrisculptor.com jerry harris
We all have our likes and dislikes about contemporary art. Personally I think the sculpture of Michael Steven’s wicker Dingo sculpture is quite impressive. I thank the new Crocker Museum of Art for buying it.
http://www.harrisculptor.com jerry harris
We all have our likes and dislikes about contemporary art. Personally I think the sculpture of Michael Steven’s wicker Dingo sculpture is quite impressive. I thank the new Crocker Museum of Art for buying it.
http://www.artfagcity.com Art Fag City
Art isn’t quite as subjective as you make it out to be. Steven’s Dingo sculpture is one of example of many weak works in the museum’s contemporary collection.
http://www.artfagcity.com Art Fag City
Art isn’t quite as subjective as you make it out to be. Steven’s Dingo sculpture is one of example of many weak works in the museum’s contemporary collection.
http://www.artfagcity.com Art Fag City
Art isn’t quite as subjective as you make it out to be. Steven’s Dingo sculpture is one of example of many weak works in the museum’s contemporary collection.
http://www.artfagcity.com Art Fag City
Art isn’t quite as subjective as you make it out to be. Steven’s Dingo sculpture is one of example of many weak works in the museum’s contemporary collection.
d k
I don’t suppose AFC would be willing to qualify why it feels that the sculpture is weak? I think most people come to this site for education in one form or another, right? Explanations are a stronger way to inform than unsupported declarations.
d k
I don’t suppose AFC would be willing to qualify why it feels that the sculpture is weak? I think most people come to this site for education in one form or another, right? Explanations are a stronger way to inform than unsupported declarations.
d k
I don’t suppose AFC would be willing to qualify why it feels that the sculpture is weak? I think most people come to this site for education in one form or another, right? Explanations are a stronger way to inform than unsupported declarations.
d k
I don’t suppose AFC would be willing to qualify why it feels that the sculpture is weak? I think most people come to this site for education in one form or another, right? Explanations are a stronger way to inform than unsupported declarations.
http://www.artfagcity.com Art Fag City
Sure thing. First of all lets begin with the subject: It’s a standing dog with a basket on its head. This is pretty cheesy. The form actually gets bigger as it goes up, making the whole piece feel unbalanced, and the decision to craft the whole dog the same way as the basket is a bit of a mystery to me. Even if it’s outsider art, there’s far better stuff that’s been made; Andrew Edlin gallery in New York has a great program with many of these kinds of artists — it’s worth a look.
Past this, I would cite Allan Rath’s monitor screens as eyeballs as a poor acquisition,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/artfagcity/4371808710/in/set-72157623346530125/
and while it may have a place in the history of Sacramento, Gordon Senior’s painting really isn’t very good either. It’s poorly executed.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/artfagcity/4371813350/in/set-72157623346530125/
My biggest complaint is that they’ve crowded what is probably the best work in their collection on display – Stephen Kaltenbach’s Portrait of My Father, with a bunch of crap.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/artfagcity/4371059909/in/set-72157623346530125/
I assume however that this last problem will go away with their new space.
http://www.artfagcity.com Art Fag City
Sure thing. First of all lets begin with the subject: It’s a standing dog with a basket on its head. This is pretty cheesy. The form actually gets bigger as it goes up, making the whole piece feel unbalanced, and the decision to craft the whole dog the same way as the basket is a bit of a mystery to me. Even if it’s outsider art, there’s far better stuff that’s been made; Andrew Edlin gallery in New York has a great program with many of these kinds of artists — it’s worth a look.
Past this, I would cite Allan Rath’s monitor screens as eyeballs as a poor acquisition,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/artfagcity/4371808710/in/set-72157623346530125/
and while it may have a place in the history of Sacramento, Gordon Senior’s painting really isn’t very good either. It’s poorly executed.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/artfagcity/4371813350/in/set-72157623346530125/
My biggest complaint is that they’ve crowded what is probably the best work in their collection on display – Stephen Kaltenbach’s Portrait of My Father, with a bunch of crap.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/artfagcity/4371059909/in/set-72157623346530125/
I assume however that this last problem will go away with their new space.
http://www.artfagcity.com Art Fag City
Sure thing. First of all lets begin with the subject: It’s a standing dog with a basket on its head. This is pretty cheesy. The form actually gets bigger as it goes up, making the whole piece feel unbalanced, and the decision to craft the whole dog the same way as the basket is a bit of a mystery to me. Even if it’s outsider art, there’s far better stuff that’s been made; Andrew Edlin gallery in New York has a great program with many of these kinds of artists — it’s worth a look.
Past this, I would cite Allan Rath’s monitor screens as eyeballs as a poor acquisition,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/artfagcity/4371808710/in/set-72157623346530125/
and while it may have a place in the history of Sacramento, Gordon Senior’s painting really isn’t very good either. It’s poorly executed.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/artfagcity/4371813350/in/set-72157623346530125/
My biggest complaint is that they’ve crowded what is probably the best work in their collection on display – Stephen Kaltenbach’s Portrait of My Father, with a bunch of crap.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/artfagcity/4371059909/in/set-72157623346530125/
I assume however that this last problem will go away with their new space.
http://www.artfagcity.com Art Fag City
Sure thing. First of all lets begin with the subject: It’s a standing dog with a basket on its head. This is pretty cheesy. The form actually gets bigger as it goes up, making the whole piece feel unbalanced, and the decision to craft the whole dog the same way as the basket is a bit of a mystery to me. Even if it’s outsider art, there’s far better stuff that’s been made; Andrew Edlin gallery in New York has a great program with many of these kinds of artists — it’s worth a look.
Past this, I would cite Allan Rath’s monitor screens as eyeballs as a poor acquisition,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/artfagcity/4371808710/in/set-72157623346530125/
and while it may have a place in the history of Sacramento, Gordon Senior’s painting really isn’t very good either. It’s poorly executed.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/artfagcity/4371813350/in/set-72157623346530125/
My biggest complaint is that they’ve crowded what is probably the best work in their collection on display – Stephen Kaltenbach’s Portrait of My Father, with a bunch of crap.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/artfagcity/4371059909/in/set-72157623346530125/
I assume however that this last problem will go away with their new space.