New exhibit features works from PSU permanent collection
Tuesday, September 15, 2015 2:00 AM
News
Pittsburg, KS
A new exhibit in Pittsburg State University’s Harry Krug Gallery highlights the university’s growing permanent collection. “The Collector’s Choice: American Abstraction and Pop Art in Pittsburg,” opened Monday and runs through January 8.
The exhibit, curated by Li-Lin Tseng, associate professor of art history at PSU, features two distinctive styles of American art, abstraction and pop art.
“Over years, the museum has vigorously developed and expanded its collection from 251 to 445 artworks, most of which were donated by local collectors, contemporary artists, and faculty members,” said Rhona McBain, director of the Museum of Art at PSU. “For the first time in the history of the museum, these select works are on display.”
Tseng said most of the works featured were completed in the 1960s and the 1970s, a period when American abstract expressionism and pop art rapidly flourished.
“In celebrating the choices made by collectors within our own community, PSU is able to view and enjoy a unique sample of the new aesthetics of that era,” Tseng said.
Tseng said American abstraction is particularly famous for its highly charged human emotions, and is a direct expression of the artists’ inner lives. This distinctive style was soon followed by the rise of pop art in the 1960s, which focused on American consumer culture. The pop artists used culture as the source of art, highlighting signs and symbols of modern commercial life.
“American abstraction and pop images captured the post-war spirit of America,” Tseng said.
Tseng will discuss the works on display during a public curator’s talk at 3 p.m. on Thursday, September 17, in Room 409 Russ Hall. A reception will follow at 4 p.m. in the Harry Krug Gallery in Porter Hall.
Tseng received her doctorate in art history from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The Harry Krug Gallery in Porter Hall is open Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. Admission is free. For more about the exhibit or the Pittsburg State University Museum of Art, contact McBain at 620-235-4302, art@pittstate.edu.