Inventory: The EAM Collection
Elmhurst Art Museum鈥檚 collection consists of more than 600 objects, ranging from an early 20th century print by Wassily Kandinsky to architectural drawings by Mies van der Rohe and paintings on curtains by self-taught artist Lee Godie. Inventory unpacks the Museum鈥檚 vault to share its holdings by filling the galleries from floor to ceiling. Never before has the entire building been dedicated to the collection 鈥� until now.
Begun in 1981 when the Museum opened its doors in a classroom at Eldridge School, EAM鈥檚 collection chronicles the institution鈥檚 history, comprising works by local, national, and international artists who have participated in exhibitions or were collected and donated by individuals instrumental in the Museum鈥檚 founding and development. Highlights include paintings by Jean Dufy, Thomas Eakins, and Frederic Remington; prints by Victor Vasarely, Ellen Lanyon, and Peter Saul; ink and coffee lithographs by EAM founder Eleanor King Hookham; large-scale canvases by Chicago painters Phyllis Bramson, Michiko Itatani, Wesley Kimler, and the Zhou Brothers; sculptures by Joseph Burlini, Abbott Pattison, Cat Chow, Terrence Karpowicz; and works by Elmhurst favorites Keith Achepohl, Lee Sturges, and Sandra Jorgensen, among many others. This ambitious project will also introduce the EAM Members Loan Collection, a new program allowing Museum members to live with an artwork for several months.
After more than 30 years of amassing objects, EAM is taking stock of the collection to identify its strengths and weaknesses, compile new research and determine the future direction the collection will take. To this end, the Inventory occurs both behind the scenes and in the galleries. Objects will be loosely ordered in a way that corresponds to their time of acquisition, yet the sequence will be punctuated with special groupings distinctive to EAM's collection. Together these objects define a dynamic and evolving institution, yet individually, each tells many different stories.
EAM's Collection ranges from a Han Dynasty bronze vessel and a 19th century iron spear from the Democratic Republic of Congo to early 20th century architectural drawings by Mies van der Rohe and late 20th century paintings by self-taught artist Lee Godie. The collection includes several works from the mid-20th century, providing a context for the Museum's McCormick House, designed by Mies van der Rohe in 1952 (often referred to as the largest "work" in the collection). Mies himself is further explored through his iconic furniture designs and portraits by Hugo Weber and William S. Engdahl from Hedrich Blessing Photography. Fused glass objects by Frances and Michael Higgins, sculpture by Abbot Pattison, and prints by Richard Florsheim and Richard Koppe are among our many examples of the modernist impulse in Chicago.
Prints and drawings from the 1960s-80s by important American figures such as Peter Saul, Ellen Lanyon, Barbara Rossi, and John McCracken join those by Elmhurst favorites Sandra Jorgensen, Keith Achepohl, and EAM founder Eleanor King Hookham. Chicago painting from the 1980s and 90s forms a significant part of the collection with canvases by Phyllis Bramson, Michiko Itatani, Wesley Kimler, the Zhou Brothers and many others who are still working in Chicago. The collection is brought into the 21st century with works by Nikki Renee Anderson, Doug Fogelson, Melissa Oresky, Billy Tokyo, and many others, representing EAM's compelling exhibition program from the past decade.
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Elmhurst Art Museum鈥檚 collection consists of more than 600 objects, ranging from an early 20th century print by Wassily Kandinsky to architectural drawings by Mies van der Rohe and paintings on curtains by self-taught artist Lee Godie. Inventory unpacks the Museum鈥檚 vault to share its holdings by filling the galleries from floor to ceiling. Never before has the entire building been dedicated to the collection 鈥� until now.
Begun in 1981 when the Museum opened its doors in a classroom at Eldridge School, EAM鈥檚 collection chronicles the institution鈥檚 history, comprising works by local, national, and international artists who have participated in exhibitions or were collected and donated by individuals instrumental in the Museum鈥檚 founding and development. Highlights include paintings by Jean Dufy, Thomas Eakins, and Frederic Remington; prints by Victor Vasarely, Ellen Lanyon, and Peter Saul; ink and coffee lithographs by EAM founder Eleanor King Hookham; large-scale canvases by Chicago painters Phyllis Bramson, Michiko Itatani, Wesley Kimler, and the Zhou Brothers; sculptures by Joseph Burlini, Abbott Pattison, Cat Chow, Terrence Karpowicz; and works by Elmhurst favorites Keith Achepohl, Lee Sturges, and Sandra Jorgensen, among many others. This ambitious project will also introduce the EAM Members Loan Collection, a new program allowing Museum members to live with an artwork for several months.
After more than 30 years of amassing objects, EAM is taking stock of the collection to identify its strengths and weaknesses, compile new research and determine the future direction the collection will take. To this end, the Inventory occurs both behind the scenes and in the galleries. Objects will be loosely ordered in a way that corresponds to their time of acquisition, yet the sequence will be punctuated with special groupings distinctive to EAM's collection. Together these objects define a dynamic and evolving institution, yet individually, each tells many different stories.
EAM's Collection ranges from a Han Dynasty bronze vessel and a 19th century iron spear from the Democratic Republic of Congo to early 20th century architectural drawings by Mies van der Rohe and late 20th century paintings by self-taught artist Lee Godie. The collection includes several works from the mid-20th century, providing a context for the Museum's McCormick House, designed by Mies van der Rohe in 1952 (often referred to as the largest "work" in the collection). Mies himself is further explored through his iconic furniture designs and portraits by Hugo Weber and William S. Engdahl from Hedrich Blessing Photography. Fused glass objects by Frances and Michael Higgins, sculpture by Abbot Pattison, and prints by Richard Florsheim and Richard Koppe are among our many examples of the modernist impulse in Chicago.
Prints and drawings from the 1960s-80s by important American figures such as Peter Saul, Ellen Lanyon, Barbara Rossi, and John McCracken join those by Elmhurst favorites Sandra Jorgensen, Keith Achepohl, and EAM founder Eleanor King Hookham. Chicago painting from the 1980s and 90s forms a significant part of the collection with canvases by Phyllis Bramson, Michiko Itatani, Wesley Kimler, the Zhou Brothers and many others who are still working in Chicago. The collection is brought into the 21st century with works by Nikki Renee Anderson, Doug Fogelson, Melissa Oresky, Billy Tokyo, and many others, representing EAM's compelling exhibition program from the past decade.
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