From Trompe l’Oeil to Modernism: Still Lifes from the PAFA Collection

Exhibition Info
Historic Landmark Building
Curated by
Anna O. Marley, Curator of Historical American Art
Still-life gems of early American modernism and contemporary art

In celebration of the 2014 Philadelphia Flower Show, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) featured an intimate installation of approximately 20 floral and still life paintings from the Museum’s permanent collection ranging from 19th-century trompe l’oeil (French for "fool the eye") pieces to gems of early American modernism and contemporary works. Highlighted were paintings by a diverse group of artists including Arthur B. Carles, Stuart Davis, Horace Pippin, and Maria Tomasula.

 

Maria Tomasula, Bouquet, 2000, oil on linen, 48 x 36 in, Art by Women Collection, Gift of Linda Lee Alter, 2011.1.96
Maria Tomasula, Bouquet, 2000, oil on linen, 48 x 36 in, Art by Women Collection, Gift of Linda Lee Alter, 2011.1.96
William Mason Brown, Fruit and Art Objects, ca. 1888, Oil on canvas, 22 1/16 x 16 3/16 in., Joseph E. Temple Fund, 1889.1
William Mason Brown, Fruit and Art Objects, ca. 1888, Oil on canvas, 22 1/16 x 16 3/16 in., Joseph E. Temple Fund, 1889.1
Stuart Davis, Table with Pipe, 1922, oil on canvas, 32 1/8 x 22 1/8 in., John Lambert Fund, 1930.1 © Estate of Stuart Davis/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
Stuart Davis, Table with Pipe, 1922, oil on canvas, 32 1/8 x 22 1/8 in., John Lambert Fund, 1930.1 © Estate of Stuart Davis/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
Arthur B. Carles, White Callas, 1925-27, Oil on canvas, 50 3/4 x 37 3/4 in., Gift of Harry G. Sundheim, Jr., 1958.25.1
Arthur B. Carles, White Callas, 1925-27, Oil on canvas, 50 3/4 x 37 3/4 in., Gift of Harry G. Sundheim, Jr., 1958.25.1
Horace Pippin, The Warped Table, 1940, Oil on canvas board, 11 13/16 x 16 in., Bequest of David J. Grossman in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Charles S. Grossman and Mr. and Mrs. Meyer Speiser, 1979.1.1
Horace Pippin, The Warped Table, 1940, Oil on canvas board, 11 13/16 x 16 in., Bequest of David J. Grossman in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Charles S. Grossman and Mr. and Mrs. Meyer Speiser, 1979.1.1