On view through July 31, 2008
Harmony by Charles Allmond
This spring, the American Swedish Historical Museum is proud to present the sculpture of Animalier artist, Charles Allmond. The exhibition Charles Allmond: Second Nature features wildlife sculpture and abstract pieces in stone, wood and bronze and opening at ASHM on Thursday, March 13 featured an artist-led gallery talk.
Charles Allmond: Second Nature, is a labor of love for the Delaware sculptor. “I combine a love for nature, especially animals, with a love for working with my hands,” says Allmond. “Charles Allmond has transformed the intangible concept of the spirit of nature into tangible form” notes Karol A. Schmiegel, Director Emerita, Biggs Museum of American Art. After twenty-five years of experience with the creative process, it has “become second nature to him.”
Charles Allmond is a direct carver of stone and wood. As he works, the grain of the wood or the color of the stone give way to a creature which is modernist in its abstraction, yet eminently recognizable. The titles of sculptures often reveal larger themes present in Allmond’s work. For instance, the exhibition at ASHM features Harmony, an elegantly simple fish of smooth alabaster balanced within a perfect circle of white limestone, framed, but not constrained, by a square of dark oak. The positive and negative space, dark and light materials, rectilinear forms and curves combine in harmonious concert in this work inspired, according to Allmond, by sculptor Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957).
Allmond's work has been exhibited internationally in museums and galleries and can be found in public, private and corporate art collections. Allmond’s most recent links to Sweden were his commission to create a sculpture for the visiting HRH Crown Princess Victoria in 2003 and a 1993 contribution of an avian sculpture to the Birds in Art exhibition at the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm. According to Schmiegel, “Charles Allmond embraces three elements characteristic of modern Swedish art: good craftsmanship, simple design, and economy of line,” but Allmond’s connection to Sweden goes all the way back to the New Sweden Colony (1638-1655). His ancestor Morton Mortonson, Sr. was amongst the early Swedish settlers to make a home here in the Delaware Valley.
Drawing Us Together: Children's Book Illustrations by Marguerite de Angeli
December 1, 2007 - May 11, 2008
Odin by Dylan Carroll
Norse Mythology Illustrations
by Dylan Carroll
May31 - September 21, 2008
Dylan Carroll is a contemporary artist and illustrator specializing in mythology, folklore and fairy tales. He paints primarily in watercolor on hot-press paper and strives for an optimum blend of fantasy and historical authenticity in his work. This special exhibition opens on Viking Day.
The Art of the Brick™
August 23 - November 30, 2008
The Art of the Brick museum show is currently touring the U.S. It is the first major museum exhibition in the United States to focus exclusively on the use of the popular LEGO® building block as an art medium and artist Nathan Sawaya takes it to new heights.
This 33-year-old New York artist creates artwork solely from standard LEGO brick and is creating many new works specifically for the exhibit to be featured at the American Swedish Historical Museum beginning August 22. Nearly one million colorful LEGO pieces transformed into whimsical and awe-inspiring images will be on display at the museum in South Philadelphia through Thanksgiving weekend.
Stay tuned for more information about programs and a special opening event for The Art of the Brick!
Click here to visit Nathan Sawaya's site >>
Mask by Nathan Sawaya
Come into a New World: Linnaeus and America
February 15 - July 1, 2007
The American Swedish Historical Museum joined in the celebration of the 300th birthday of Carolus Linnaeus with a special exhibition about the great Swedish naturalist who founded modern biology and named us all Homo sapiens. Through over 100 scientific specimens, drawings, manuscripts, books, and works of art, the exhibition explored the many links between Linnaeus and America. It followed his student Peter Kalm, the first trained scientist to observe North American's peoples, wildlife, and landscapes from the Delaware Valley to Canada. It presented how Franklin and Jefferson made connections between natural history and national identity -- and why Linnaean ideas still matter to Americans today.
Read more about the Linnaeus exhibition which was featured at ASHM in 2007 >>
Madeleine Hatz: Building a View
September 16, 2007- January 13, 2008
The beautiful multimedia exhibition Madeleine Hatz: Building a View surveyed seven years of the artist's work and focused primarily on paintings. “Red Bricks Flying," a large abstract composition in vibrant red/orange and ochre oil paint,was displayed at the United Nations for one year while Swedish diplomat Jan Eliasson was President of the 60th Session. "Melancholia" is a series of small and medium-sized oil paintings on burlap, in a palette ranging from neutral earth tones to deep blues. "First Palettes" are works on paper with textures and vibrant colors inspired by summer in a Northern country. The "artist's statements" address art's aspirations for idealism, a search for cultural identity and language.
To view images from the September 16, 2007 exhibition opening click here>>