November 2, 2023
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
1934 Poplar Ave, Memphis, TN 38104
“Memphis Brooks Museum of Art is an art museum in Memphis, Tennessee. The Brooks Museum, which was founded in 1916, is the oldest and largest art museum in the state of Tennessee. The museum is a privately funded nonprofit institution located in Overton Park in Midtown Memphis.” - Wikipedia
The Brooks is a medium-sized museum with a little bit of everything from Ancient to Contemporary art. While I didn’t recognize many of the artists’ names (not that I’m an art expert or scholar), I thought the quality of the collection was superb. As usual I enjoyed the American art most but found pieces in each area that I liked. The special exhibit was titled, “Black American Portraits” and contained some interesting pieces, including a portrait by one of my favorite artists, Kehinde Wiley.
There were only two or three others visiting the museum while I was there, so it was a very quiet and peaceful visit, that I would repeat if I’m ever back in the area.
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
Carroll Cloar; "Where the Southern Cross the Yellow Dog"; 1965, Casein tempera on Masonite
Apulian; "Volute Krater (Wine Mixing Vessel), ca. 340-320 B.C.E.; Ceramic
Greek, Athens; Grave Relief; mid 4th-early 3rd century B.C.E.; Marble
Burton Callicott; "Bookshelf and Sunbeams"; 1963; Oil on canvas
Dorothy Doughty; "Cactus Wren and Prickly Pear"; 1959; Porcelain
Jingdezhen, China; Hundred Bird Blue and White Balustrade Vase; early 20th century; Porcelain
Giovanni del Biondo; "Madonna and Child, with Saints John the Baptist and Catherine of Alexandria"; ca. 1385; Tempera on wood panel
Lino Tagliapietra; "Mandara", 2005; Blown and wheel engraved glass.
Tiffany & Company; "Jack-in-the-Pulpit Vase"; ca. 1900; Favrile glass
Unknown Maker; "Secretary"; ca. 1810; Mahogany solids and veneer; brass pulls and fittings; glass
William-Adolphe Bouguereau; "Au pied de la falaise (At the Foot of the Cliff); 1886; Oil on canvas.
Maurice de Vlaminck; "Flowers in a Square Vase"; ca. 1925; Oil on canvas
Allen Tucker; "Mount Aberdeen, Sunny Afternoon"; 1912; Oil on canvas
Frank Lloyd Wright; "Tall Back Chair"; 1904; Oak
Georgia O'Keeffe; "Waterfall #1,lao Valley, Maui"; 1939; Oil on canvas
George C. Ault; "Barn"; 1939; Gouache on tinted board
Ronald Davis; "Square Root"; 1971; Flexible polyester resin and fiberglass
Kehinde Wiley; "Portrait of Nelly Moudime"; 2019; Acrylic on canvas
Kenturah Davis; "A Question Only Answered With Another Question"; 2019; Oil applied with rubber stamp letters on embossed and debossed Igarashi kozo paper