Six Tales from the Brothers Grimm: Original Etchings by David Hockney
with Rebound: A Survey of Contemporary California Book Art
June 4 – August 28 at the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art
www.svma.org
11 May 2011 – Sonoma, CA: Once upon a time, at the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art (www.svma.org), the iconaclastic British artist David Hockney unveiled an idea: why should fairy tales be just for children? The result: Six Tales from the Brothers Grimm: Original Etchings by David Hockney came to live, if not happily ever ever, at least from June 4 – August 28, 2011. A special members' preview will be held on Friday, June 3, 6pm – 8pm.
“Fairy tales do come true,” said Kate Eilertsen, the Museum’s Executive Director. “To have such a highly regarded modern artist in our museum, illustrating the notorious Brothers Grimm fairy tales is a great privilege. And with the accompanying Rebound exhibition, we are able to see contemporary artist’s books by artists such as Enrique Chagoya and Squeak Carnwath. The magic won’t end at midnight!”
Hockney’s Six Tales from the Brothers Grimm features 39 black-and-white etchings that invite viewers to explore the contemporary master’s inky imaginings of some dark and surprising stories they might not have heard before. The etchings were first published in Hockney’s 1969-1970 book “Six Fairy Tales.” The tales range from the familiar “Rapunzel” and “Rumpelstilzchen” to the lesser known “The Little Sea Hare,” “Fundevogel,” “The Boy Who Left Home to Learn Fear” and “Old Rinkrank.” All are taken from the 19th century anthology compiled by the Brothers Grimm and began as legends or cautionary tales passed down orally over the centuries. An important contributor to the Pop art movement of the 1960s, Hockney is considered one of the most influential British artists of the twentieth century. Hockney takes a contemporary and often humorous approach to honor the popular children's tales collected by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. The etchings pay homage to earlier illustrations by Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac, but focus more on Hockney's imaginative response to the text rather than strict interpretations of the narratives.
As befits an exhibition of such literary genesis, Hockney’s work will run concurrently with another exhibit: Rebound: A Survey of Contemporary California Book Art. “At a time when mainstream publishing houses are questioning the very need for books published in traditional, physical formats, artists who create books continue to creatively push the limits of the genre,” said Eilertsen, by way of introducing Rebound. “Made primarily by Bay Area artists, the books included in Rebound survey a variety of formats and display a wide-range of processes that currently interest the contemporary artist engaged in making artists' books.”
“Artists of every stripe and artistic passion have tried their hands on the art and craft of book making,” says Rebound curator Simon Blattner. “Why have all of these serious and talented art makers taken on this task? Quite simply, books make magnificent art.”
Six Tales from the Brothers Grimm: Original Etchings by David Hockney plus Rebound: A Survery of Contemporary California Book Art will be on view at the Museum, 551 Broadway in Sonoma, June 4 – August 28, 2011. Six Tales from the Brothers Grimm is organized by Landau Traveling Exhibitions, Los Angeles, CA. Museum members are invited to an opening reception on Friday, June 3, 6pm–8pm Museum hours are Wednesdays through Sundays 11am– 5pm. More information about the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art and the programs associated with this exhibition is available at www.svma.org or by calling (707) 939-7862.
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