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One of the most technically challenging – and visually exciting – star quilts are those that feature a single large star blazing across the expanse of the textile. Precision in cutting and assembling multiple diamond patches is typically essential to the success of this type of quilt, which goes by many names depending on differences in color, fabric, composition, and size. The Star of Bethlehem Quilt is constructed in the same fashion as a Lone Star Quilt, but the quilt top might feature several stars rather than just one, and they may be of varying sizes.
Star of Bethlehem with Star Border Quilt, Artist unidentified, United States c. 1840–1860. Cotton. Frame Dimension: 90 3/4 × 90 1/2". Gift of Cyril Irwin Nelson in honor of Robert Bishop, American Folk Art Museum director (1977-1991), 1990.17.3. Photo by Gavin Ashworth.
“Parliamentary Buildings,” was the last painting that Morris Hirshfield produced before his death in 1946. This beautifully detailed work was inspired by a postcard of the iconic Parisian church, Sacre Coeur, sent to him by art collector Sidney Janis. The exhibition “Morris Hirshfield Rediscovered” includes an excerpt from a tribute that Janis later wrote for Hirshfield in View magazine, in which he describes the piece to be “touchingly prophetic.”
“No longer a view of a church in a strict sense, the painting is nevertheless infused with a high degree of spirituality and philosophic over-tone. As Hirshfield’s final work, it symbolizes life after death, and virtually becomes the painter’s own monument,” he added.
Tomorrow is the last day to see this exhibition and explore the most comprehensive gathering of Hirshfield’s work ever assembled. The Museum is open from 11:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and admission is always free.
Morris Hirshfield (1872, Russian Poland–1946, Brooklyn, NY), "Parliamentary Buildings," c. 1946. Oil on canvas. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. The Sidney and Harriet Janis Collection, 1969. 2022 Robert and Gail Rentzer for Estate of Morris Hirshfield / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), N.Y.
Looking for fun weekend plans?! We’ve got you covered.
This weekend marks the last chance to see our critically-acclaimed exhibition, Morris Hirshfield Rediscovered! As the first retrospective of Hirshfield’s work in nearly 80 years, the exhibition explores the full range of the artist’s intricate brushwork, visual dazzle, and radical departures from realism – and you won’t want to miss it.
Reserve a ticket online or drop-in before the show closes on Sunday, January 29th. Admission is always free.
Morris Hirshfield, (1872, Russian Poland–1946, Brooklyn, NY), "Cat and Two Kittens," c. 1945. Oil on canvas, Collection of KAWS. © 2022 Robert and Gail Rentzer for Estate of Morris Hirshfield / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), N.Y.
We’re thrilled to share that our next two exhibitions, "What That Quilt Knows About Me," and "Material Witness: Folk and Self-Taught Artists at Work" will open on March 17, 2023!
Ahead of these openings, the Museum galleries will be temporarily closed starting on January 30th for design renovations and installation work. Visit our website to read a letter from Director & CEO Jason T. Busch for more information about these exciting plans.
https://folkartmuseum.org/news/a-message-from-the-jason-t-busch/
“What That Quilt Knows About Me” features approximately 40 quilts and related works of art from the 19th to 21st centuries. Crafted from both traditional and unorthodox materials, the quilts are presented as deeply emotional objects that give us insight into a range of personal and cultural histories. Meanwhile, “Material Witness: Folk and Self-Taught Artists at Work” is the first in a series of thematic shows generously supported by a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation. This exhibition will be on view in the Museum’s Daniel Cowin Gallery, and explores how artists learn with and through material engagement – often in ways that exceed conventional frameworks for artistic training.
Images: Carl Klewicke (1835–1913), Original Design Quilt, Corning, New York c. 1907. Pieced silk, faille, taffeta, and satin, 60 x 72 1/2 in. American Folk Art Museum, New York, Museum purchase, 2012.1.1. (On view in “What That Quilt Knows About Me”).
Consuelo “Chelo” González Amézcua (1903-1975) Scrutinare Del Rio, Val Verde Couny, Texas Work is dated December 14, 1970 (TMS record says c. 1970s) Pencil and ballpoint pen on paper 27 3/16 x 21 1/8 in. Frame: 29 9/16 x 23 3/8 in. American Folk Art Museum, New York, gift of Jacqueline Loewe Fowler, 2018.19.1 (On view in “Material Witness: Folk and Self-Taught Artists at Work.”)
To create these gorgeous slippers that Morris Hirshfield originally designed over a century ago, contemporary artist Liz Blahd researched historically accurate colors and lightly stained fabrics with tea or coffee so they would resemble the appearance of vintage textiles.
Long before he became a celebrated self-taught painter, Hirshfield and his wife launched a wholesale foot-care business cleverly titled “E-Z Walk Manufacturing Company,” which featured arch support and ankle straighteners, as well as a line of bo***ir slippers. Bo***ir slippers were decorative shoes intended for home use, particularly in the bedroom, dressing room, or private sitting room. For our current exhibition, "Morris Hirshfield Rediscovered," Blahd created 14 slippers to the specifications of Hirshfield’s patented designs of the 1920s.
Don’t miss your chance to view these slippers and learn more about Hirshfield’s background as a tailor before the exhibition closes on January 29th!
Photos by Eva Cruz, EveryStory.
"View: The Modern Magazine" was an influential art and literary magazine published in New York from 1940 to 1947. Edited by the artist Charles Henri Ford and writer Parker Tyler, View promoted avant-garde art and culture, particularly surrealism, to an American readership. Each issue featured the work of a different artist on the cover. In some cases, the work already existed; in others, a new painting or photograph was made for the occasion.
When Morris Hirshfield was asked to create the cover of the October 1945 issue, he made this painting of a woman, strategically covered by a geometric sash and four large blossoms. Three brilliantly patterned birds perched on the woman’s hand and leafy stems overlaying her body provide visual contrast and companionship. Hirshfield’s dream-like presentation of a nearly n**e figure with a large sprig coming out of her mouth made an appropriately disarming cover image of the surrealist-inspired View.
Don't miss your chance to see this artwork in our exhibition "Morris Hirshfield Rediscovered," closing soon on January 29th!
Photos by Eva Cruz, EveryStory.
Happy ! We’re kicking off the “Year of the Rabbit” with unique rabbit-themed artworks from our collection that were made around the world.
Artist unidentified, “Standing rabbit,” Eastern United States, 1860–1900, Paint on plaster of Paris, 10 1/4 × 4 1/8 × 5 7/8 in., Collection American Folk Art Museum, New York, Bequest of Effie Thixton Arthur, 1980.2.74.
Artist unidentified, (1805-1900), “Rabbit Box,” Chiengmai, Thailand, c. 1984, Paint on wood, 24 x 22 x 6 1/2 in., Collection American Folk Art Museum, New York, Gift of Elizabeth F. Wecter, Animal Carnival, Inc., IR85.53.89. Photo by American Folk Art Museum.
Artist unidentified, (1805-1900), “Seated Rabbit,” Indonesia, c. 1980, Paint on wood, 6 x 11 1/2 in., Collection American Folk Art Museum, New York, Gift of Elizabeth F. Wecter, Animal Carnival, Inc., IR85.53.51. Photo by American Folk Art Museum.
In the mid-19th century, one of the most popular floral appliqué patterns created in the red, green, and white color scheme was the Whig Rose, a design that is represented in the Museum’s collection in a number of different variations. This quilt is distinguished by its “swag and tassel” border, evidence of the enduring popularity of the Greek Revival style during this time period.
Artist unidentified, Whig Rose Quilt with Swag and Tassel Border,
United States c. 1850–1860. Cotton, 100 × 82".
Gift of Irene Reichert in honor of Nathan Druet, 1993.1.2. Photo by Gavin Ashworth.
Kathyanne White achieves the effect of an abstract painting by placing fabric intuitively and without premeditation onto canvas and then attaching the fabric to the canvas with thread. The artist dyes most of her own cloth, sometimes one hundred yards at a time, and creates specific color palettes for each textile. In this example, she mixed turquoise and cerulean blue, hues she created with colorfast Procion dyes.
Kathyanne White (b. 1950), Reflection, Prescott, Arizona, United States, c. 2001. Hand-dyed cotton, 78 × 48". Collection American Folk Art Museum. Gift of the artist, 2003.11.1. Photo by Gavin Ashworth.
Morris Hirshfield was an observant Jew throughout his life, both in Poland and the United States. He and his wife kept a Kosher home and lived in Borough Park, Gravesend, and Bensonhurst, all Brooklyn neighborhoods with sizable Jewish populations. Hirshfield painted every day for ten hours, save for the Jewish holidays when he painted not at all.
Two of Hirshfield’s Biblical paintings, “Daniel in the Lions’ Den,” and “Moses and Aaron” are featured in a section of our current exhibition, Morris Hirshfield Rediscovered. In the first painting, the prophet Daniel has been thrown into a lair of lions as punishment for praying to God rather than the Persian King Darius. God saves Daniel by sending an angel to “shut the mouths” of the lions. After Daniel is freed, the enemies who plotted against him are cast into the lion’s den, at which point “the lions had mastery of them.” The second painting depicts a scene from Exodus in which Moses, having received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, presents them to his brother Aaron.
View these paintings and more before the exhibition closes on January 29th! The Museum is open Tuesday-Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and admission is always free.
Photos by Eva Cruz, EveryStory.
