Brooklyn Museum’s ‘Seminal’ Ed Clark Acquisition Heading to ‘Soul of a Nation’
Acquired via the LIFEWTR Fund at Frieze New York, the work will appear in the acclaimed touring survey’s NYC iteration this September
Acquired via the LIFEWTR Fund at Frieze New York, the work will appear in the acclaimed touring survey’s NYC iteration this September
Today at Frieze New York, the Brooklyn Museum acquired Untitled (1978-80), a large-scale abstract painting by the American artist Ed Clark, which will join the museum’s permanent collection. A contribution of $100,000 to support the Brooklyn Museum’s acquisition at Frieze New York was provided by LIFEWTR, as part of the brand’s committment to advancing and showcasing sources of creativity.
Launched last year, the fund made possible the Brooklyn Museum’s acquisition in 2017 of Untitled (1971) by Virginia Jaramillo, a work currently featured in the international exhibition, ‘Soul of A Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power.’ Touring from Tate Modern to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, ‘Soul of a Nation’ opens at the Brooklyn Museum in the Fall: as a result of this acquisition , Ed Clark's Untitled will go on show as part of the exhibition as well.
The work - which Brooklyn Museum’s Anne Pasternak described as ‘seminal’ - was acquired from Weiss Berlin Gallery’s solo presentation of the artist’s paintings in Frieze’s Spotlight section, which is curated once again this year by Toby Kamps (Blaffer Art Museum, University of Houston) and dedicated to 20th-century artistic pioneers.
‘We’re so grateful to Frieze and LIFEWTR for the continued partnership and opportunity to acquire this important work by Ed Clark from the late 1970’s’, said the Brooklyn Museum's Anne Pasternak, noting that it is ‘the first work of the artist’s to enter our collection.’
On behalf of LIFEWTR, Olga Osminkina noted the brand ‘is committed to advancing emerging artists in everything we do. We are so proud that The LIFEWTR Fund can make a lasting impact and deliver on our purpose of supporting the creative community. Frieze and the Brooklyn Museum are wonderful partners, now close members of our family, and together we are committed to supporting creativity one initiative at a time.’
Loring Randolph of Frieze Fairs added that the acquisiton was ‘an enormous contribution to the cultural fabric of this city – and the Brooklyn Museum could not be more deserving of this gift.’
The acquisition was selected by the 2018 panel, which included the Brooklyn Museum’s Shelby White and Leon Levy Director, Anne Pasternak; Deputy Director & Chief Curator, Jennifer Chi and curators Eugenie Tsai, Catherine Morris, Ashley James, and Carmen Hermo.
