Unusual exhibit
displays pieces from
eight Maine museums

PORTLAND — “Director’s Cut” is an exciting summer exhibit at the Portland Museum of Art, featuring an interesting — and sometimes surprising — selection of artwork from eight museums on the Maine Art Museum Trail. 

Museums on the Maine Art Museum trail in the exhibit include: The Portland Museum of Art (host), Bates College Museum, Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Colby College Museum of Art, Farnsworth Art Museum, Monhegan Museum of Art and History, Ogunquit Museum of American Art and the University of Maine Museum of Art, Bangor. The  Maine Art Museum Trail is an organization created and founded in 1997 by a group of museum directors under the auspices of the Maine Arts Commission and the Maine Office of Tourism to encourage interest in the arts in Maine.

This unusual exhibit unites in one place selections by directors from each institution reflecting the quality of art which can be seen in their museum. It is a wonderful introduction to the visual arts across the state and inspires the viewer to visit each museum in the future and to follow the Maine Art Museum Trail.

Walking into the first gallery of the exhibit at the PMA one sees some very strong works from the Farnsworth Museum of Rockland. A large Louise Nevelson sculpture in white titled “Dawn Column I,” wood and found objects (1959) catches your eye immediately! Other notable works from the Farnsworth include:three works by the Wyeth family; ”Bright and Fair-Eight Bells,” oil on canvas (1936) by N.C. Wyeth, “Turkey Pond,” tempera on panel (1944), by Andrew Wyeth and ”Screen Door to the Sea,” oil on panel (1994) by Jamie Wyeth. All the Wyeth works are outstanding.

Other knockout selections from the Farnsworth include: “Maine Coast,” oil on canvas, ( 1907) by Rockwell Kent, “Romance of Autumn,”oil on canvas (1916), by George Bellows and a powerful serigraph titled “Hartley Elergy Series:The Berlin Series KvF1 (1990) by Robert Indiana.

A surprise work on loan from the Farnsworth is a huge work by Alex Katz, oil on canvas (1980) titled “Rudy.”

Entering the central gallery of the exhibit one sees the exciting works from the Colby College Museum of Art. A large Alex Katz work titled “Twilight,”oil on canvas (1977) overwhelms the viewer and makes a strong statement. Other significant works from the Colby College Museum of Art include a magnificent Yvonne Jacquette work titled “Town of Skowhegan,” an oil on canvas (1988). Its aerial view is breathtaking. Other significant works from Colby include: “From Seeing Cape Split,” an oil on canvas (1935) by John Marin, “Hill and Valley,” oil on panel (1913) by George Bellows,”Mt. Katahden, Maine,” an oil on canvas (2001) by Richard Estes, and an interesting work (historically) by Rackstraw Downs, titled, “Hathaway Shirts and Waterville, Light and Power,” an oil on canvas (1974). Another powerful work from Colby on loan for the exhibit is “Burning House Night, Vertical” an oil on linen (2007) by Lois Dodd.

Bates College Museum of Art selected a scholar’s group of works around Marsden Hartley with many small drawings of portraits of Hartley by his friends. A beautiful work titled “Beach at Corea, Maine,” a watercolor on paper (1936) by Chenoweth Hall is uplifting. A complex abstract work titled “Ship of Paradise, (Paradise Found)” mixed media by Robert Neuman is compelling with many layers of superimposed images. A lovely bronze sculpture by William Zorach titled “Artist’s Daughter” of Dahlov Ipcar, is on loan from Bates and is a major surprise in the Bates exhibit. This work inspires me to drive up to the Bates College Museum of Art and see what other treasures they have.

The Ogunquit Museum of Art sent into the exhibit some hidden treasures also. They include:”Ogunquit Torso,”cast bronze on Belgian black marble base (1928) by Gaston Lachaise, “Sleeping Girl” an oil on canvas (1929) by Walt Kuhn, and the beautiful sculpture,”Young Girl,”carved teak (1927) by Robert Laurent to name only a few that are outstanding.

Surprises can be found everywhere in the exhibit. Look for the Monhegan Museum of Art’s beautiful “Monhegan Village at Night” an oil on panel (1950) by Rockwell Kent. This work is a beauty in sharp-edged lines and use of light and dark contrasts which reflect the philosophy of less is more in design and depiction of mood. Another surprise from the Monhegan Museum’s contributions to the exhibit include: a small black Louise Nevelson sculpture titled “Cryptic XXX” an assemblige of black-painted wood (1996).

The Bowdoin Museum of Art sent some masterpieces of Winslow Homer etchings, photographs and artifacts. Bowdoin has long been an archive of information on Winslow Homer. The large etchings by Homer in the exhibit include: “Mending the Nets,” “Perils of the Sea,” and “A Voice from the Cliffs,  (hand signed). A special work of interest for me on loan from Bowdoin is “Saved,” a famous etching which was on the cover of an important catalogue of Homer’s graphics written by Lloyd Goodrich, a well known scholar of Homer, published in 1968. To see this work in real life is a special treat. Bowdoin’s selections are a scholar’s dream to have in an exhibit.

The University of Maine Art Museum in Bangor contributed 10 Berenice Abbot photographs in black-and-white. They focused on photography as an important medium and are excellent selections for students of photography to study.

Last, but not least, to see in the exhibit are the selections chosen representing the Portland Museum of Art.  Mark Bessire, director of the PMA, said in an interview: ”I wanted to focus on the present and future of art being done in Maine, that is why I chose to specialize in the Biennial purchases the PMA has made which encourage new artists working in Maine. The PMA works selected for this exhibit show how the museum has encouraged new creativity in Maine through our purchase prizes.”

Works representing the PMA in the exhibit include: an outstanding work titled “Kristie” an inkjet print 2011 purchase prize, by Siri Sahaj Kaur. Another unique work selected is by John Bisbee, titled “Husk,” a welded nails sculpture, 1997 purchase prize. Also selected representing the PMA is a thought-provoking, hanging creation titled ”Grotto,” mixed media, (2015) by Lauren Fensterstock. Three works by Melonie Bennett are outstanding. My favorite work is tilted “Doris Making Homemade Biscuits,” a gelatin silver print and museum purchase in 2002. Bennett’s work which has been published by Down East Magazine many times, is well known for its clarity, earthy humanity, and great spontaneity.

In conclusion, this is an unusual exhibit. It is very large, introducing to the public eight fine Maine art museums and what they have to offer. It is hung beautifully — a difficult task considering the wide variety of works, styles, mediums, and sizes. In many instances there are wonderful surprises.

Don’t miss this exhibit. It is worth a trip into Portland to see. There are many different styles and artists in the exhibit from many different periods. There is something for everyone in this exhibit and a great introduction to the visual arts in Museums across the state. In addition there is a map of the Maine Art Museum Trail available to the public free of charge at the entrance desk. Be sure to request it.

Museum hours: 10 a.m. to 5 a.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Memorial Day through Columbus Day the PMA is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays. Also, on third Thursdays, the museum is  open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Admission: $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and students with I.D., $6. for youth ages 13-17 and children under 12 are free. Admission is free Friday evenings 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. Winslow Homer studio tours are available by appointment and reservation. For more information call (207) 775-6148 or visit portlandmuseum.com.