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Art Collectors' Council 2006
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American art acquisitions signal commitment to growth of collection
It was an American landslide at the annual 2006 meeting of the Art Collectors’ Council, as three American paintings were acquired in an evening of lively voting. It was the first time in the 12-year history of the Council that American pieces exclusively were chosen—edging out one French and two British works—and the only time that all of the American pieces presented for consideration were acquired through the Council’s votes.
 “The members seemed to be aware of the space we have available in the new Erburu Gallery, and of the opportunity we have of building the American collection,” noted Jessica Todd Smith, Virginia Steele Scott Curator of American Art, reacting with excitement at the outcome.
The Art Collectors’ Council is a group of major donors, led by volunteer chair Maurice Katz, that helps direct the growth of the collections through active involvement in the acquisition process. The subscriptions made by the members are matched dollar for dollar from the special art acquisition funds in order to maximize purchasing power. This year’s total was $390,000.
Gloucester Landscape, 1919, by Stuart Davis won the first round by a clear majority. Davis was one of the leading Modernist painters in the United States and an integral part of the New York art scene. This painting dates to an early phase of his career when he was experimenting with European avant-garde styles and studying the work of artists such as Cézanne, van Gogh, and Matisse. This was a pivotal period for Davis, who was still interested in American Realism but was about to become one of the earliest Americans to embrace Cubism fully. Gloucester Landscape, with its vigorous brushwork, slightly flattened perspective, and geometrically interpreted forms, illustrates the development of Davis’ Modernist style. This work, a first from this artist for The Huntington’s collection, complements the institution’s growing holdings of early Modernist landscapes.
 Still Life with Telephone, 1926, by Luigi Lucioni was the second clear winner. The painting synthesizes the two strongest influences on his career—the Modernism of artists such as Cézanne and the attention to detail of Renaissance paintings—into his own personal style of classical realism. Born in Italy, Lucioni moved to New York as a boy. He studied at the National Academy of Design and received a scholarship from the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation to study at Laurenton Hall, the Tiffany estate. The following year, traveling to his native Italy, he was struck by the compositions of Renaissance artists such as Piero della Francesca. These works influenced the tightly composed, highly finished style he subsequently adopted. At The Huntington, Still Life with Telephone bridges a gap between significant holdings of Urban Realist paintings and the growing collection of Modernist and Regionalist works. In addition, it represents a genre—still life—that is currently underrepresented.
The first two selections (at right) depleted enough of the total funds to put several of the remaining works effectively out of reach. But the Council elected to consider all four contenders in the final vote and contribute any additional funds necessary to acquire the winning choice.
Landscape, 1903, by Hermann Dudley Murphy, narrowly beat a British Arts and Crafts music cabinet as the final selection. A major figure in the Boston School of painting, Murphy exerted an enormous influence on the look and presentation of American pictures in the early 20th century. His monumental Landscape, still in its original frame made by the artist, exemplifies Murphy’s lifelong desire to integrate art and design. The painting shows the influence of James Abbott McNeill Whistler and the Tonalist movement in its simplified composition and subtle gradations of color. Murphy’s belief that a painting and its frame form a decorative whole links him to the Design Reform and Aesthetic movements, and it led him to found his own Boston frame company, Carrig-Rohane, in 1903. In addition to serving as an important example of American Tonalist painting, Murphy’s Landscape demonstrates that an emphasis on design and craftsmanship was a transatlantic phenomenon.
“The Council, at the end of its 12th year, is exercising an extraordinary influence on the growth of the Art Collections,” said John Murdoch, Hannah and Russel Kully Director of Art Collections. “It is rare for the volunteer leadership of a major art museum to have such an active role in key decision-making in this way, and I’m deeply grateful for the intelligence as well as the commitment that our 39 members bring to their task.”
For information about becoming a member of the Art Collectors’ Council, and to learn about opportunities to participate in its visits around Los Angeles private collections, and its annual long-weekend trip to see what’s new in the art world in other cities, call 626-405-2225.
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