For the past seven years, Pamela Walsh has presented exhibitions in her Ramona Street Gallery that have featured contemporary artists from her large and varied roster. The current show, “In Good Company,” on view until July 3, differs in that it showcases art from several private collections that Walsh says have a dialogue and connection with one another.
“The title reflects the idea that artists are always aware of the company their work keeps. They want to be exhibited alongside artists they respect and admire,” said Walsh.
The exhibition provided Walsh with the opportunity to curate a group show that reflects the professional and personal associations she has made over decades of being a gallerist. For example, she recently met the heirs of Charles Campbell, who owned an influential gallery in San Francisco in the 1970s. His family agreed to consign work from his personal collection to Walsh, rather than going to public auction.
“The Campbell heirs could have certainly chosen to place the works with an auction house but they were drawn to the idea of presenting them within the context of an exhibition. An exhibition serves a different purpose. It provides storytelling and scholarship through the relationships between the works themselves,” Walsh said.
In addition to the Campbell collection, she has gathered numerous pieces from other estates, including painter Bruce McGaw, a pillar of the Bay Area figurative movement. But to understand the connections between the pieces in this eclectic show, which includes everything from impressionism to surrealism, the visitor must be willing to do a bit of background reading.
Fortunately, well-researched printed handouts provide extensive information about each piece (there are also QR codes for those who prefer to read on their phones) and allow the viewer to understand the dialogue between seemingly disparate works of art.
For example, in the center of the show are several small pieces of sculpture by Auguste Rodin, Henry Moore, Manuel Neri and Alexander Archipenko. They reflect, in a condensed fashion, a century-long history of the study of the human form in three dimensions. From the emotionally expressive human body, as created by Rodin, to the cool, cubist geometry of Archipenko, we can see the arc of sculptural representation from realism to abstraction.
Moore, known for his monumental figures, is seen here almost in miniature form; his 17-inch-high “Three-Quarter Figure” is small but powerful, an abstracted human form with his characteristic use of texture and patina. A maquette by Bay Area figurative artist Neri reflects his interest in returning to the figure but with the added touch of color provided by oil-based pigments on the bronze surface.
Walsh said that Campbell owned a gallery in New York for a short period and would have been exposed to the artists who came in the wake of the influential abstract expressionist movement. He purchased an early drawing by Willem de Kooning, made just at the point when the artist’s work became more abstract.
In his “Study for Mural in Hall of Pharmacy, New York World’s Fair, 1939,” we can see the artist using paper and pencil to trace ideas that begin with recognizable forms like rectangles and arches, but then veer off into the fantastical. As sometimes happens with consigned artworks in a gallery, this piece sold prior to the exhibition and so Walsh is displaying a replica.
Another abstract expressionist artist, Milton Avery, is represented here with a fun and funky portrait of a chicken, entitled “White Hen.” Its simplified forms, saturated colors and flattened perspective are typical of Avery’s approach – and highly unlike his contemporaries who were expressing deep emotions by splashing paint on canvas.
Campbell was a keen advocate for the Bay Area figurative artists, showing their work and becoming good friends with many of them. It makes sense that their art is well-represented here, with examples by Neri, Nathan Oliveira, James Weeks, Elmer Bischoff, Raimonds Staprans and Hassell Smith. Looking at their work, one is reminded that even when art history categorizes and joins a group of artists working in a similar style, there are always highly personal divergences.
“Seat Figure Bronze Maquette,” by Bay Area figurative artist Manuel Neri, a bronze sculpture with oil-based pigments, highlights the artist’s lifelong exploration of the human figure. Courtesy Pamela Walsh Gallery.
Bischoff’s “Reclining Nude with Upraised Arms” takes a classical approach to the female nude, as one might see in a life drawing class. Neri’s “Woman Bath” is a truncated female form with tactile elements, thanks to the mixed-media surface. Oliveira’s take on the subject in “Untitled (Santa Fe Series)” is dreamy and ethereal, like the figure could disappear, thanks to the ochre-colored watercolor washes.
Perhaps the most famous of the Bay Area figurative group, Wayne Thiebaud, is represented here by a portrait of Charles Campbell and his first wife Esther. Thiebaud is best known for his brightly colored, highly textured depictions of delectable cakes, pies and other edibles. He also had a substantial body of work dedicated to portraiture, especially paintings of his wife and friends. Walsh said that she was told the painting resulted after a fun dinner at Thiebaud’s home, when the artist offered to paint them.
“The painting hung in Charlie’s home from 1981 onward, a lasting reminder of his friendship with Thiebaud and his place within an extraordinary artistic community,” said Walsh.
Hanging next to the portrait, which Walsh referred to as “the centerpiece of the exhibition” is a preparatory graphite on paper sketch of the couple.
“Seeing the sketch alongside the finished canvas offers a rare glimpse into Thiebaud’s creative process and mastery,” she said.
There are several outliers that defy categorization and were probably purchased just because the collector liked them. And who would not like the lovely pen-and-ink “Nude” by Pierre Bonnard, a founding member of the early 20th-century French art movement the Nabis? Max Ernst’s “Chess Set,” displayed in the loft of the gallery, is a surrealist delight. With its chunky, chubby and abstracted forms, the pieces are just recognizable enough for real use. Walsh pointed out, with a laugh, that in Ernst’s version the queen is the largest piece.
Another unusual inclusion in the show is a standing sculpture by Harry Bertoia. If you are a fan of “Antiques Roadshow,” you may have seen small examples of his work that turn up and almost always have high values. “Cattail Sonambient,” composed of bronze and copper, is typical of the artist’s interest in the acoustic possibilities of sculpture. Walsh demonstrated how, when the individual rods are gathered together and then quickly released, a fairly loud sound results. According to Bertoia, these works were not sculptures so much as “sound environments” that produced rich tonal vibrations when manipulated. (Note to visitors, this piece cannot be touched but Walsh can assist if requested).
While Walsh never got the chance to know Charles Campbell (he died in 2014 at the age of 99), she feels this exhibition is a tribute to him and his commitment to artists. “He was not simply a dealer; he was an advocate and steward of their work. That legacy is something I hope to honor through this exhibition and, in my own way, continue through my gallery.”
Even if the casual visitor does not take the time to read the corresponding information or discover the connections between the art work, the opportunity to see these pieces in a small, local gallery should not be missed. “Museums own many masterpieces, but extraordinary works also live in private collections, and this exhibition offers a rare opportunity to encounter them,” Walsh said.
“In Good Company” runs through July 3 at Pamela Walsh Gallery, 540 Ramona St., Palo Alto; .pamelawalshgallery.com.
