Page 22 - LIN February-2023_web-version

in Naples
celebrating
in memoriam cel bra ing

ASK THE season

artsperts www.harmonmeek.com
in Naples
in Naples

by Kristine Meek and Juliana Meek 599 NINTH STREET, NORTH, SUITE 309 | NAPLES, FL 34102 | 239.261.2637

Dear Artsperts, been exhibited
After an artist dies, how do you come up with an exhibition for during the artist’s
that artist? In the past their annual exhibition was always their life.
new works for that year and what the artist had put together. Immediately
How do you curate an exhibition for a deceased artist? after an artist
Signed, passes, we have
Post Mortem the opportunity to
go through every
Dear Post, work in the studio.
In this process, we
The answer depends on how recently the artist has passed.
typically discover
Typically, the initial memorial exhibition will include works that
works the artist
span the artist’s entire professional career in honor of the artist and
never showed us
to exhibit every stage of development in the artist’s path. Following
in previous visits.
the initial memorial exhibition, we will draw from the body of
This happens for
work to curate themed exhibitions. However, there are always
various reasons:
hidden surprises when an artist passes with works that have never
perhaps the artist
was unsure of a
direction he was
taking; the artist
did not believe
patrons would take
certain works; the
works were very early in the artist’s career; or some works become
so personal to the artist they just aren’t available for sale during
the artist’s life. In the memorial exhibition, we will include these
works that have never actually been seen before by patrons. This is
surprising and exciting to us and the patrons.
Following that initial memorial exhibition, the exhibitions
will take on a theme based on subject matter, medium, or phase
within an artist’s career. There may not be enough work for annual
exhibitions for deceased artists. In which case these exhibitions will
happen once every few years. These themed exhibitions are more
in line with what you would see at a museum and many that we
curate for our Gallery do travel to museums as loaned exhibitions.
Some examples of themed exhibitions for deceased artists we
have curated include “Will Barnet: Paintings and prints from the
1940s”, “Adolf Dehn: People and Places”, and “Milton Avery: 30
Year Retrospective of Nudes”. These are just three of the many
exhibitions William Meek has curated for our gallery which we
have then loaned to museums across the nation.
“Studio and Window” This past September, when visiting two estates of artists, we
By Herman Maril (1908-84), had the opportunity once again to select interesting themes from
oil on canvas, 40” x 30”, 1986.
This work will be included in the upcoming exhibition the bodies of works. In 2023, we are planning: “Richard Segalman:
“Herman Maril: In the Studio” Silhouettes” and “Herman Maril: In the Studio”.
Sincerely,
The Artsperts
22 Life in Naples | February 2023