exhibitions
Contemporary Japanese Ceramics from the Horvitz Collection
Hurricane Katrina and Its Aftermath in the Art of Rolland Golden August 22 – October 18, 2020
September 5, 2020 – September 21, 2021
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Japan has had a thriving ceramic culture for over 15,000 years, often focused on utilitarian (or practical) objects.
As the 15th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches, this exhibition presents works Rolland Golden created in its aftermath.
The storm resulted in the deaths of over 1,000 people and left survivors without access to basic necessities for months. These paintings and drawings, some of the last work Golden made, document the devastation of the storm and focus on the traumatic experiences of New Orleanians. Golden was a New Orleans native and longtime resident of the area. His career began in the 1950s, when he enrolled in the McCrady art school after four years in the navy. Golden developed his own style of painting, which includes detailed pre-
paratory drawings, an example of which is in this exhibition. In his early years as an artist, Golden painted scenes of the French Quarter and southern landscapes. He was an adept watercolorist. In his mature style, he used expressive, bold colors, of- ten blending large areas of color into each other without borders. In the aftermath of Katrina, Golden used his talent for geometric abstraction and what he termed “borderline surrealism” to translate pain- ful experiences into visual poetry.
In 1948, the avant-garde ceramic group Sodeisha (“Crawling through Mud Associa- tion”) challenged the tradition of functional pottery. Instead, its members advocated for the creation of sculptural ceramic objects. They preferred form over function. The So- deisha artists were not well known outside the country until the 1980s. Nonetheless, their vision of creative explorations using clay determined the future. Today, Japan boasts one of the most robust contemporary ceramic scenes in the world. This exhibi- tion presents Japanese pottery and porce- lain created by three generations of master ceramic artists. Made with both ancient and modern materials and methods, their works are exceptionally diverse. They share the outstanding craftsmanship and sophis- ticated design characteristic of Japanese contemporary ceramics. All works in the exhibition come from the collection of Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz. Guest Curator: Perri Lee Roberts, professor emeritus of art history, University of Miami
Curator: William U. Eiland, director
Rolland Golden, “Early Spring Rain Near the Levee.” Watercolor, 28 x 42 inches. On loan fromMrs. Rolland Golden Rolland Golden, “Searching For an Up-ramp.” Watercolor, 20 x 29 inches. On loan fromMrs. Rolland Golden.
Seto Hiroshi (Japanese, 1941 – 1994), vessel, ca. 1985. Stoneware with striped silver glaze. Collection of Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz.
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