The De Young Museum is finally getting it's identity game ON. With various transitions and a few small commissions with big names since it's inception, they've hit the nail on the nose with a very handsome, well displayed and generous Louise Nevelson show in tandem with an eclectic and very SF friendly Besser collection of African beadwork, kitschy tea pots, and graphite drawings. I've always loved visiting the museum in Golden Gate Park, blessed with the futuristic 70s Herzog and De Meuron design with its decadent narrow angles, fern and slate stone landscaping, and Blade Runneresque overhang... but yesterday, on their Tuesday free day, I happily encountered two exhibitions that made me look just as deeply at their art works. There's a new trend in San Francisco exhibition design marrying their education department into the show. A video discussing the artist and interviews is usually on display to supplement the shows which is great. Louise Nevelson, in said video, with her trademark heavy lashes, vivid style and jewelry can be seen talking confidently about her sculptural artwork alongside testimonials by Jessica Stockholder about form, color and how they can transform one another. She used found objects or everyday discarded things in her “assemblages” or assemblies, one of which was three stories high: ”When you put together things that other people have thrown out, you’re really bringing them to life – a spiritual life that surpasses the life for which they were originally created."
