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"Metal Works" Examines Use of Metal in Visual Arts, Highlights OSU Museum of Art Permanent Collection

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Essential to human progress, the discovery and mastery of metal has long influenced diverse practices in art. On view from Jan. 30 to June 9, Metal Works will examine the pervasive and varied use of metal in the visual arts.

Drawn exclusively from the Oklahoma State University Museum of Art collection, the eclectic selection of artwork illustrates the versatility of metal, demonstrating that even as new materials multiply, metals in art are here to stay.

The exhibition features a range of objects, including Diné (Navajo) jewelry; an Eames Storage Unit; African iron sculpture; a Qing Dynasty Chinese robe embroidered with metallic thread; and 19th century photographs. More unexpected examples include Fragments: Peru/Brown by Harriet Johns, who transferred the medium of vitreous or porcelain-coated metal from jewelry and appliances to large-scale, two dimensional wall works that join the family of painting. Ever pushing the limits of art, Robert Rauschenberg screen printed his trademark layers of photographic images onto polished stainless steel sheets in the 1960s resulting in works that facilitated Rauschenberg’s interest in working at a mural scale.

Metal Works exhibition is organized by the OSU Museum of Art and curated by Arlette Klaric, Associate Chief Curator and Curator of Collections, and Cassidy Petrazzi, Graduate Research Assistant.

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