Tag Archives: Mathias J. Alten

Art Museum features the work of GR’s own Mathias J. Alten

October 14, 2020Citizen JournalismArt Museum, Grand Rapids, Mathias J. AltenJoanne

Mathias J. Alten (American, 1871–1938). The Sources of Wealth, 1910. Oil on canvas. GVSU Art Gallery, Gift of Old Kent Bank; transfer from the Grand Rapids Art Museum.

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

The Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) is pleased to announce its upcoming exhibition showcasing Mathias J. Alten, Grand Rapids’ most esteemed painter. Mathias J. Alten: An Enduring Legacy is a survey exhibition that coincides with the 150th anniversary of Alten’s birth in 1871 and will be on view at GRAM through April 24.

Mathias J. Alten (American, 1871–1938). Self Portrait, 1913. Oil on canvas,
Grand Rapids Art Museum, Gift of the Artist.

In the early to mid-twentieth century, Alten was nationally recognized for his landscapes, still lifes, and portraits that drew on traditional European painting as well as more modern styles, like impressionism. The exhibition shows how over his lifetime, Alten’s painting evolved from a controlled, academic technique into a more fluid and expressive approach.

“Mathias Alten emigrated from Germany to Michigan at age 17 in 1889, where he spent the majority of his career painting and teaching in downtown Grand Rapids. Nearing the 150th anniversary of Alten’s birth, An Enduring Legacy celebrates his contribution to the arts in our city,” said GRAM Director and CEO Dana Friis-Hansen. “The exhibition includes paintings from throughout Alten’s career—including rarely seen artworks in other media and of monumental scale—offering our guests the chance to discover his work in a new way.”

Largely a self-taught artist, Alten received his first formal training in Paris at the age of 27. Like other ambitious American artists of his generation, Alten frequently traveled to paint in scenic settings and artist colonies in the U.S. and Europe. Even so, his primary residence and support base always remained Grand Rapids, where he spent the majority of his life painting and teaching.

The exhibition is comprised of highlights from GRAM’s permanent collection, the Grand Valley State University Art Gallery, and Grand Rapids Public Library, as well as works from private collections. In addition to paintings on canvas, the exhibition features murals, stained glass windows, and a selection of the artist’s private sketchbooks.

Opening concurrently with An Enduring Legacy is an exhibition in two parts: Hand and Machine in Harmony: Regional Arts & Crafts, highlighting the Arts and Crafts movement and its influence in the Midwest regions and West Michigan. Drawn primarily from a local private collection and enhanced with works from GRAM’s holdings, the first segment of the exhibition will be on view from Oct. 24 – Jan. 23 and explores three important Grand Rapids designers: Charles P. Limbert, Albert Stickley, and Forrest Emmerson Mann. These designers saw an opportunity to merge the fine craftsmanship and style of the English Arts and Crafts movement with factory production. By creating a harmony between machine production and handwork, Limbert, Stickley, and Mann produced furniture and décor that was well-made, beautifully designed, and affordable.

Mathias J. Alten (American, b. Germany 1871–1938). The Striped Skirt, 1917. Grand Rapids Art Museum, Gift in Memory of Eleanore Alten Gilleo by her Family.

“An Enduring Legacy provides an ideal opportunity to consider other creatives in Grand Rapids during the same period,” stated GRAM Chief Curator Ron Platt. “In the early twentieth century, Grand Rapids’ reputation as the Furniture City was due in large part to the cultural popularity of Arts and Crafts furniture and décor. Mann, Limbert and Stickley were responsible for some of the most beautiful and inventive Arts and Crafts design being produced at the time.”

GRAM members and the public are invited to take part in upcoming related programming, including the Member Opening Morning, Gallery Chats, art-making workshops in GRAM Studio, and Family Day. For those in our community who prefer to stay home, the Museum will continue to share free digital resources including artist interviews and talks, virtual tours, artmaking activities, and more at artmuseumgr.org/MuseumFromHome.

Dennos Museum Center opens two new exhibits focusing on Michigan artists, architecture

September 16, 2020Citizen Journalism, EntertainmentMathias J. Alten, Michigan, Modern ProjectJoanne

By Craig Hadley
Dennos Museum Center

The Dennos Museum Center’s fall exhibitions will open to the public on Tuesday, September 22nd and close on January 31, 2021. Instead of a members opening reception, we will hold two separate virtual Zoom events featuring James Haefner, the photographer of Michigan Modern, and Joel Zwart, Curator of Exhibitions at the Grand Valley State University Art Gallery. Both will be joined by Curator of Education Jason Dake to discuss each exhibition and focus on several works in the galleries. Dates are yet to be determined for these events, but more information can be found at dennosmuseum.org/events/virtual-reception

Michigan Modern: An Architectural Legacy

This exhibit celebrates Michigan’s incredible modern architectural design history from 1928 through 2012. It is comprised of over 50 photographs by James Haefner primarily for the State Historic Preservation Office as part of their Michigan Modern Project, and featured in the book by State Historic Preservation Officer Brian Conway titled Michigan Modern: An Architectural Legacy. Several additional photographs from Mr. Haefner’s archives are also included. The buildings photographed were selected to represent the best modern architecture in all areas of the state focusing on the work of Michigan architects as well as internationally known architects who completed commissions in Michigan.

These photographs and the book continue the important work of the State Historic Preservation Office in studying and documenting Modernism in Michigan. Known as the Michigan Modern Project, it began in 2008 with extensive research and context development together with identification of significant Modern architecture in the state. This led to a dozen or so listings of Modern resources in the National Register of Historic Places together with the elevation of three properties to National Historic Landmark status: the Eero Saarinen designed General Motors Technical Center in Warren, the Mies van der Rohe designed Lafayette Park housing complex in Detroit, and Minoru Yamasaki’s McGregor Memorial Conference Center in Detroit. The Eliel Saarinen designed Cranbrook and the Alden B. Dow Home and Studio were already listed as National Historic Landmarks. The project revealed and documented the significant role Michigan played in the development of Modern design and received national attention.

Mathias J. Alten: An Artist at the Turn of the Century

The German-born American artist, Mathias Joseph Alten (1871-1938) immigrated to the United States in 1889 at the age of seventeen. His family settled in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a premier furniture-manufacturing center and desired location for immigrants in the late-nineteenth century. Here, amidst a rapidly changing world, Alten went on to establish a family, home, and studio for the entirety of his career.

GVSU students prepare works by Mathias Alten to be sent out our a travel exhibition. (Supplied/GVSU)

Over his career, Alten created more than 3,000 works of art, initially influenced by the Barbizon and Hague Schools and later by the Impressionism movement. He repeatedly sought out and celebrated traditional laborers and nostalgic settings even as modernization transformed life in the early twentieth-century. This exhibition celebrates Alten’s life and career with works of art, historic photographs, and personal artifacts drawn from the collection at Grand Valley State University.

GVSU currently holds the largest public collection of Mathias J. Alten. All artwork and objects included in this exhibition are on loan from the GVSU Art Gallery and the GVSU Special Collections & University Archives.

Learn more about Dennos Musuem exhibitions by visiting www.dennosmuseum.org

Several exhibits scheduled to open at GVSU

January 2, 2019Citizen Journalism, EntertainmentBlue Wall Gallery, DeVos Center, Grand Valley State University, GVSU, Haas Center for Performing Arts, Mathias J. AltenJoanne

Sunset, Lake Michigan was one of seven Alten paintings recently gifted to Grand Valley by Anita Gilleo. (GVSU)

Grand Valley State University has several art exhibits opening this month. Below is a list of the university’s galleries and upcoming exhibitions.

“Mathias J. Alten: An Evolving Legacy”

Exhibition dates: ongoing

George and Barbara Gordon Gallery

DeVos Center, Building E, Room 103 and 202, Pew Grand Rapids Campus

Gordon Gallery hours: Friday and Saturday, 1-5 p.m.; closed on holiday weekends

The German-born American artist Mathias Joseph Alten (1871-1938) is often referred to as the dean of Michigan painters. Working in a traditional representational style, Alten incorporated the aesthetics and techniques of the Impressionist Movement in paintings infused with light and punctuated with deft brushwork. Based in Grand Rapids, Alten created more than 3,800 works over a more than 40-year career, including landscapes, seascapes, portraits and florals. Grand Valley State University holds the largest public collection in the world of Alten’s work.

“Water: Human Right or Commodity?”

Blue Wall Gallery, DeVos Center, Building B

Exhibition on display Jan. 7-June 21

This exhibition explores human rights in a world of increasingly limited natural resources; specifically, access to clean water. A result of the research and collaborations arranged by two Grand Valley State University social work faculty members, Paola León and Steven Smith, this exhibition includes images and descriptions of the challenges faced in El Salvador and Flint, Michigan. Organized into themes dealing with civic engagement, infrastructure, ownership/legislation, public health and scarcity/contamination, these materials provide local, national and international context to water rights. The El Salvador portion of the exhibition, focusing on the lack of running water in homes, social activism and contamination by the mining industry, was organized by León. Smith organized the Flint portion of the exhibition, documenting the ongoing issues and continuing recovery of the City of Flint’s tainted water supply.

VMA Sabbatical Showcase

Art Gallery, Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts

Exhibition on display Jan. 14-March 29

This sabbatical showcase will feature works by Grand Valley faculty members Brett Colley, Dellas Henke, Hoon Lee and Anthony Thompson.

“Plastination — The Art of Preservation”

Red Wall Gallery, Lake Ontario Hall, Allendale Campus

Exhibition on display Jan. 14-June 21

Plastination is the process of infusing animal, human or plant tissues with a variety of plastic or silicone products to render the tissues odor-free, dry and permanently preserved for educational and instructional purposes. The process was invented by Gunther von Hagens in 1977 at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, and became popular through his many “Body Worlds” exhibitions around the world. Beginning in 2007, members of Grand Valley State University began studying plastination and investigating the opportunity to create a lab at the university. That became a reality in 2013, and since then, more than 300 specimens have been plastinated for use in a variety of teaching roles. This exhibition tells the story of plastination at Grand Valley and walks viewers through the process and uses of plastinates. It brings together more than 20 animal specimens from the lab – currently the only plastination lab in Michigan.

For more information about Grand Valley State University art exhibits, call (616) 331-2563 or visit gvsu.edu/artgallery.

From Mathias to SoulTech, GVSU art galleries feature an array of work

November 3, 2017EntertainmentBlue Wall Gallery, Grand Valley State University, GVSU, Kirkhof Center Gallery, Mathias J. Alten, Maya Grant, Red Wall Gallery, SeoulTechJoanne

“Mathias J. Alten: An Evolving Legacy”
Exhibition dates: ongoing
George and Barbara Gordon Gallery
DeVos Center, Building E, Room 103 and 202, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
Gordon Gallery hours: Friday and Saturday, 1-5 p.m.; closed on holiday weekends

The German-born American artist, Mathias Joseph Alten (1871-1938) is often referred to as the dean of Michigan painters. Working in a traditional representational style, Alten incorporated the aesthetics and techniques of the Impressionist Movement in paintings infused with light and punctuated with deft brushwork. Based in Grand Rapids, Alten created more than 3,800 works over a more than 40-year career, including landscapes, seascapes, portraits and florals. Grand Valley State University holds the largest public collection of Alten’s work in the world.

“Drawn from the Desert: Australian Aboriginal Paintings from the Central and Western Deserts”
Exhibit on display through March 2, 2018
Kirkhof Center Gallery, Allendale Campus

From 1940-1960, the Australian government forced Aboriginal groups off their lands and into organized communities of the Central Desert region and along the northern coast. Papunya, located about 150 miles northwest of Alice Springs, was the final community established to collect these displaced groups, and where the contemporary Australian Aboriginal art movement began. This exhibition is drawn out of a recent gift of Australian Aboriginal paintings to Grand Valley State University, created by artists from Papunya and the surrounding region. It features artwork that provides insight into Aboriginal life, retellings of important ancient stories and symbols, and the sacred sites of this vast and arid landscape.

“2017 SeoulTech & GVSU Art & Design Student Exchange Exhibition”
Exhibit on display through December 8
Red Wall Gallery, Lake Ontario Hall (first floor), Allendale Campus

This exhibition continues the collaboration between Grand Valley State University and Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SeoulTech), that was started in 2008. It features 40 photographs of artwork by SeoulTech art students, while a similar number of photographs by GVSU art and design students were sent to South Korea for a partner exhibition.

“Landscapes, Color & Light: Paintings by Virginia Jenkins”
Exhibition dates: December 15, 2017-March 2, 2018
Red Wall Gallery, Lake Ontario Hall (first floor), Allendale Campus

Virginia Jenkins is a professor and former chair of the Department of Visual and Media Arts at Grand Valley State University. Landscape forms and images have been the primary focus of her work for over two decades, and her areas of specialty are in painting, drawing and mixed media. This exhibition is drawn from a recent series created in response to the landscape of the Northwest coast of the United States.

“Traveling with the Bangalore Wanderlusters: Reflections on a Semester in India by Maya Grant”
Exhibition on display through March 2, 2018
Blue Wall Gallery (Building B), DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus

In the fall of 2016, Maya Grant travelled to India on a study abroad scholarship from the GVSU Padnos International Center. Grant, a sociology major, was led to India by a need to escape and explore. She studied at Christ University in Bengaluru, volunteered at a local non-profit and captured her experiences and interactions through photography. On the weekends, Grant joined a group of expats called the Bangalore Wanderlusters, and traveled throughout Karnataka and its neighboring states. This exhibition includes more than 25 photographs documenting her experiences studying abroad, and exploring the landscape and people of India.

For more information about Art Gallery exhibitions, visit gvsu.edu/artgallery or call 616-331-3638.

On the shelf: New GVSU book highlights the life and art of Mathias J. Alten

February 23, 2017Entertainmentbook, George and Barbara Gordon Gallery, Grand Valley State University, Mathias J. AltenJoanne

A new publication spotlights the life and artistic works of Mathias J. Alten, who called the city of Grand Rapids his home. Grand Valley State University owns the largest known single public collection of Alten’s works and papers in the world.

The book, entitled “Mathias J. Alten: An Evolving Legacy,” is a hard cover monograph that includes color illustrations and scholarly essays exploring Alten’s artistic legacy.

Grand Valley’s George and Barbara Gordon Gallery currently displays 96 pieces of Alten’s work. His vast résumé of creations has also been exhibited widely at major American art institutions, and many can be seen in various buildings around Grand Rapids.

Stacey Burns, Galleries and Collections program manager, said the book celebrates the ongoing gifts to the university of Alten paintings by individuals from around the U.S., and by lead donors George and Barbara Gordon.

“The book demonstrates Grand Valley’s commitment to active scholarship and visual learning,” she said. “The Gordon’s underwrote the production of this book and share in the Art Gallery’s ambition of enriching the quality of life for students and the community through direct engagement with original works of art.”

A native of Germany, Alten immigrated to Grand Rapids as a teenager. Often referred to as the “Dean of Michigan Painters,” Alten spent his career painting in Europe and across the U.S., but always returned to Grand Rapids, his professional base of operations and home until his death in 1938.

The book will make its public debut during a special community open house Friday, March 3, from 3 – 5 p.m. in the Gordon Gallery, located in Building E of Grand Valley’s DeVos Center on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus.

“We planned the open house to be a respite from winter where educators, students, the regional museum community and the public could visit the gallery and share experiences, ask questions and explore ideas,” said Burns.

“Mathias J. Alten: An Evolving Legacy” will be available for purchase at Grand Valley’s Laker Store beginning March 3.

To RSVP for the community open house, contact the Art Gallery at (616) 331-2563 or gallery@gvsu.edu. More information can also be found at gvsu.edu/artgallery.