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What a museum chooses to acquire conveys a great deal about the museum’s character. Collecting contemporary art (rather than works from a particular era or geographical location) over such a long period of time, 139 years now, not only sums up the institution's thoughts on the changing nature of art, but works to maintain the collection’s vitality. Best known for its extraordinary collection of abstract expressionist painting, many of the Gallery’s acquisitions respond to this tradition and play to this strength. Art is always in a dialogue with its history, as well as with the present cultural moment. Abstract painting is a particularly malleable stylistic form that by its very nature can allow for the communication and discussion of a broad spectrum of ideas, investigations, and concerns. Likewise, the Gallery is also dedicated to responding to new developments in the art world and has made significant strides in collecting large-scale photography. Figurative acquisitions reflect the prevalence of the body and its representation in recent contemporary art. The same size and scale of large paintings, this work has a comparable presence and intensity. Sam Taylor-Wood’s Soliloquy I, 1998, has the all-encompassing feeling and represents an angst such as that found in Jackson Pollock’s thicket of drips.
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