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Joseph Marioni (American, born 1943). Color Drawing #9-97, 1997. Oil pastel on paper, 15 ½ x 15 ½ in. (39.4 x 39.4 cm.). Promised gift of Natalie and Irving Forman to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery.
Mark di Suvero (American, born China, 1933). Untitled, n.d. Lithograph on paper, 30 x 22 ¼ in. (76.2 x 56.5 cm.). Promised gift of Natalie and Irving Forman to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery.
Natalie and Irving Forman have passionately and intuitively collected art during the four decades since their first acquisition in 1965, building an in depth collection of abstract paintings, sculpture and works on paper. In 2005, the Gallery exhibited paintings and sculptures from the Forman Collection. This exhibition celebrated the generosity of Natalie and Irving Forman, who have donated their significant collection to the Gallery and introduced the Buffalo/Niagara region to brilliant works by both established and emerging artists. Works on Paper: The Natalie and Irving Forman Collection, on view August 15 through October 19, 2008, is the first time the works on paper component of the gift has been exhibited en masse and is an opportunity to continue the celebration of the Forman’s magnanimous gift to the Gallery. With more than 150 paintings and sculpture and more than 150 works on paper, the Forman gift to the Gallery is the single largest gift to be donated at one time in the museum’s history. The Forman Collection is particularly noteworthy given its addition to the Gallery’s collection of abstract art and also the amazing breadth it adds to the existing collection of works on paper.
Each one of the more than forty artists represented in this collection approaches the medium of paper in a way that is unique to their artmaking process and philosophy. Many of these artists consider themselves painters first and, as a result, their engagement with paper is an opportunity for experimentation. As artist David Simpson explains, working with paper, “is a chance to do things that canvases are not meant to be…It’s always a surprise to me what happens.”1 Many of these artists have had a long history with paper, which is a natural first encounter with artmaking. Roeth states, “I’ve made drawings my whole life…It’s very basic…just begin…that’s all that’s required…pencil to paper…like ‘thinking out loud’.”2 Artist Marcia Hafif describes the immediacy of the act of drawing as “a quite direct path [that] runs from the hand to the brain, to the feelings, to the need and the desire to locate an image, a thought, a design in the visual world.”3
The immediacy of paper is undeniable. The materials draw the viewer in. The artist’s hand is palpable, and the works speak to the viewer. We hope that you will come and experience this special collection, Take the time to absorb these intimate works and welcome them into Permanent Collection.
Anna Kaplan
Curatorial Assistant
Project Curator for Works on Paper: The Natalie and Irving Forman Collection
1 Quotation from David Simpson is from a fax to author, January 1, 2007.
2 Quotation from Winston Roeth is from a fax to author, December 7, 2007.
3 Quotation from Marica Hafif is from an email to author, November 19, 2007.