Place of Discovery

By: Jim McClelland

October 2006

An exciting lineup awaits art lovers and collectors in Philadelphia this autumn, offering everything from open studios and avant-garde video art to museum blockbusters and a major dealer show.
“Philadelphia is a wonderful, well-kept secret as a place to see and collect art,” says local collector Carole Shanis, who along with her husband, Joseph, boast an eclectic collection that includes tea caddies, silver card cases, snuff boxes, stained glass, Oriental porcelain and miniature furniture. The Shanises recommend visiting Freeman’s Auction House for “real discoveries.”

Discoveries of a more curatorial nature are showcased through October at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where new contemporary art curator Carlos Basualdo makes his exhibition debut with “Notations: Energy Yes!” Featuring new acquisitions and recently promised gifts of works by Joseph Beuys, Andy Warhol, Thomas Hirschhorn and Gordon Matta-Clark, this first

Donald Gensler, "Symbols of Change," 2004,
Philadelphia Mural Arts Program at 2110 Market Street.

installment in the “Notations” series derives its title and inspiration from Hirschhorn’s motto, “Energy, Yes, Quality, No!” “This show is fabulous, cutting-edge,” says 20th-century photography collector Lynne Honickman, who serves on the museum’s acquisitions committee for prints, photography and drawings. Early next month (Nov. 2–5), the museum presents its annual Craft Show, one of the finest in the country, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. “It’s always great, because the people who work on it have such a joy putting it together,” Honickman says. “It’s clear they are so caring.” The museum could not have finer boosters than Honickman and her husband Harold, founders of the Honickman Learning Center and Comcast Labs for at-risk families, which teaches literacy through photography. (For more on the Honickmans, see “100 Top Collectors,” Art & Antiques, March 2006).

On the city’s famous Rittenhouse Square, the Philadelphia Art Alliance, in its exploration of the most exciting and innovative contemporary art forms, hosts a group exhibition (Sept. 21–Dec. 31) of video art in conjunction with MOVLAB, an independent production facility that houses artists and individuals who create experimental forms in video and film-based formats. While inside the classic building, stop for a bite at its handsome and artistically designed restaurant, Le Jardin.
Nearby, at Broad and Sansom streets, seize a rare opportunity to see inside the Union League of Philadelphia, which is hosting an exhibition of 35 paintings by Nelson Shanks. One of the most important contemporary portrait artists, Shanks has painted such prominent figures as Pope John Paul II, Ronald Reagan, Princess Diana, Luciano Pavarotti and Margaret Thatcher. The exhibition, through December 17, is free and open Saturdays and Sundays. (For more on Shanks, see “Romancing the Masters,” Art & Antiques, April 2006.)

Missed “King Tut”? Your final opportunity to see it will be at Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute (Feb. 3–Sept. 30, 2007). This blockbuster sponsored by Mellon Financial Corporation, is organized by David Silverman, professor and curator of Egyptology at the University of Pennsylvania’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, which will be holding its own Tut exhibition, “Amarna: Ancient Egypt’s Place in the Sun” (Nov. 12, 2006–Oct. 2007). Using its collection of more than 40,000 objects, the museum will fill 1,700 square feet with 120 pieces—many never before on display.

Philadelphia also affords many collecting opportunities this season. The seventh annual Philadelphia Open Studios Tours (Oct. 7–8 and 14–15) is billed as the largest event of its kind in the world, because all artists can open their studios and participate; about 75 are expected this

Photography by T. O'Keefe for the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp.

Alexander Calder,
"Swann Memorial Fountain"

year. The following weekend (Oct. 20–22), 55 fine art galleries from across the nation gather at the 33rd Street Armory for the 15th annual USArtists: American Fine Art Show, which benefits the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. The event, sponsored in part by Art & Antiques, showcases masters of the 19th century, renowned contemporary artists and emerging artists. (Want to frame your purchase before you leave town? The Shanises, who also collect Pennsylvania Impressionists, recommend Ursula Hobson Framers.) Don’t fail to visit the dozens of galleries in Old City, which is north of Market Street and south of Race Street. Hundreds flock to the area on the first Friday of every month, when galleries stay open late and serve refreshments.

When you’re tired of visiting shows and want to give your wallet a rest, take an art walk along the streets that natives Thomas Eakins, Mary Cassatt and Cecila Beaux (to name a few) once trod. Like its sister city, Rome, Philadelphia boasts numerous fountains, many of them great works of art that most tourists never get to see. And thanks to the Mural Arts Project, Philadelphia is also a mural capital—at 2,500-plus, it has more than any other U.S. city—which you will find throughout the city. (Before you visit, contact Philadelphia Hospitality, a non-profit organization that designs programs for groups, including visits to exceptional private homes and art collections, exquisite gardens and behind-the-scenes tours of the area’s most prestigious cultural and historic organizations.)

While wandering, the Shanises recommend at least one meal at Lacroix, at the ultra-luxe Rittenhouse Hotel. “On the third floor of the hotel is a large gallery featuring works of emerging artists,” Carole notes. “It’s another place of discovery.”

Art & Antiques’ Philadelphia correspondent Jim McClelland is the executive director emeritus of the Philadelphia Art Alliance. He specializes in the arts and is the author of The Fountains of Philadelphia, 2005.

PHILADELPHIA CHECKLIST

(Area code 215 unless otherwise noted)

►Franklin Institute
20th St. and Benjamin Franklin Pkwy.
448.1200
www.fi.edu

►Mural Arts Program
1729 Mount Vernon St.
685.0750
www.muralarts.org

►Philadelphia Hospitality
123 South Broad St, Suite 1330
800.714.3287
www.philahospitality.org

►Philadelphia Art Alliance
251 South 18th St.
545.4302
www.philartalliance.org

►Philadelphia Museum Annual Craft Show
12th and Arch St.
684.7930
www.pmacraftshow.org

►Philadelphia Museum of Art
26th St. & Benjamin Franklin Pkwy.
763.8100
www.philamuseum.org

►Philadelphia Open Studios Tours
237 South 18th St., Suite 3A
546.7775
www.philaopenstudios.com

►Union League of Philadelphia
140 South Broad St.
563.6500
www.unionleague.org

►USArtists
1301 Cherry St. 8th floor
972.2042
www.usartists.org