Miami, August 1, 2011-The Rubell Family Collection/Contemporary Arts Foundation (CAF) has received a major donation of artwork by California artists from Boston collector Kenneth L. Freed. Mr. Freed’s significant gift includes 59 sculptures and 14 works on paper by Taft Green, Patrick Hill, Evan Holloway, David Ireland, Alice Könitz, Lisa Lapinski, Charles Long, Jason Meadows, Jeff Ono, Robert Overby, Torbjörn Vejvi, Nicolau Vergueiro and John Williams. 23 of these sculptures and all of the works on paper are by Charles Long.
This donation is the largest received since CAF’s inception in 1994 and the first from a private collection. A selection from this donation will be on view at CAF from November 30th, 2011 through July 27th, 2012.
Several generations of California sculptors are included; from the late Robert Overby (1935-1993) and David Ireland (1930-2009) to Charles Long (b. 1958), Evan Holloway (b. 1967) and John Williams (b. 1976).
The majority of the artists are represented by several examples of their work, showing a range of materials and form. This is particularly evident in the 23 sculptures by Charles Long created between 1995 and 2005. Long’s idiosyncratic, nonrepresentational forms range from elegant to abject and include coffee grounds, rubber, detritus and papier-mâché.
Also included in the gift is Evan Holloway’s Gray Scale, which was a highlight of the 2002 Whitney Biennial and The Uncertainty of Objects and Ideas: New Sculpture at the Hirshhorn Museum in 2006. In Gray Scale, Holloway methodically breaks and then reconstructs a tree limb, its twigs painted in gradients from black to white and reaffixed perpendicularly to one another, creating a sculpture that is at once formal and surreal.
“I believe these sculptures form a coherent snapshot of a remarkably productive period and in giving them to CAF I am confident that they can be seen and studied together within a larger context,” said Kenneth L. Freed. “I’ve long admired the Rubells’ collection, and these works complement it and introduce important artists such as Charles Long and Robert Overby.”
The donation is testament to the shared sensibility of donor and recipient– both deeply committed to ensuring that the public has ample engagement with new, challenging art. “The Foundation is honored to receive this generous gift from an esteemed collector who has enhanced CAF’s ability to provide a comprehensive overview of sculpture from 1990 through today,” said Juan Roselione Valadez, CAF’s Director.
“Kenneth Freed’s faith in our Foundation is a tremendous source of inspiration and motivation for us. We are thankful for his support and generosity,” said Donald Rubell, CAF’s chairman.
Art Basel supporters
Norman Braman’s June 15 Reader’s Forum letter overlooks key individuals responsible for bringing Art Basel to Miami Beach. Prominent art collector Mera Rubell first brought then Art Basel Miami Beach (ABMB) director Lorenzo Rudolph and his assistant, Samuel Keller, to meet with me when I was Mayor about establishing the show here. It was one of two meetings Mera arranged between me and Rudolph early on.
Sergio Rodriguez, then city manager, and then Commissioner Nancy Liebman, who was a strong and continuous advocate, supported the initial efforts to attract ABMB.
The city manager at that time was Larry Levy and changes to the convention center booking policy necessary to accommodate the show for three years were supported by Miami Beach City Commissioners Liebman, Jose Smith and Simon Cruz. Prominent local art collectors led by Braman, including Rubell and Craig Robins, advocated for the change in city policy.
Neisen Kasdin, Miami
Eric Hodge: The North Carolina Museum of Art continues to celebrate an exhibit where at least three generations of African American artists boldly explore history, culture and pop culture. The “30 Americans” exhibit is said to be the largest contemporary African American art exhibit in the country. All of the pieces in the show come from the Rubell Family of Miami who established their collection in the mid-1960s. Leoneda Inge reports.
