This exhibition celebrates Gertrude Kasle (1917–2016), a key figure in the formation of Detroit’s contemporary art community in the 1960s and 70s. A pioneering female gallerist, Kasle provided midwest audiences with a venue in which to experience avant-garde art from centers like New York City, while also supporting and exhibiting regional artists. Featuring a collection of paintings, works on paper, and sculptures from the height of the Abstract Expressionist movement through the early twenty-first century, Exercising the Eye speaks to the relationships Kasle fostered with local, national, and international artists and her appreciation for artistic expression and experimentation. Critical voices from the last fifty years include Philip Guston, Jane Hammond, Grace Hartigan, Jasper Johns, Michele Oka Doner, and Robert Rauschenberg. The exhibition offers visitors a unique opportunity to explore a dynamic moment in Detroit’s cultural history and insight into Kasle’s love of looking and learning.
Lead support for Exercising the Eye: The Gertrude Kasle Collection is provided by the University of Michigan Office of the Provost, Michigan Medicine, and the University of Michigan CEW Frances and Sydney Lewis Visiting Leaders Fund.
Images
William Tarr, Study for Gates of the Six Million, ca. 1980, bronze. University of Michigan Museum of Art, Bequest of Gertrude Kasle, 2016/2.113
Susanna Linburg, Caryatid VII, 1981–87, bronze. University of Michigan Museum of Art, Bequest of Gertrude Kasle, 2016/2.103
Robert Rauschenberg, Intermission (Ground Rules), 1996, intaglio. University of Michigan Museum of Art, Bequest of Gertrude Kasle, 2016/2.109. © Robert Rauschenberg Foundation and Universal Limited Art Editions, West Islip
Jane Hammond, The Wonderfulness of Downtown, 1996, screenprint and lithograph with collage elements on paper. University of Michigan Museum of Art, Bequest of Gertrude Kasle, 2016/2.114. © Jane Hammond and Universal Limited Art Editions
Grace Hartigan, Fells Point Florist, 1982, oil on canvas. University of Michigan Museum of Art, Bequest of Gertrude Kasle, 2016/2.90. © The Grace Hartigan Estate
Jasper Johns, Savarin, 1977- 81, lithograph on paper. University of Michigan Muse- um of Art, Bequest of Gertrude Kasle, 2016/2.92. Art © Jasper Johns and ULAE/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY, Pub- lished by Universal Limited Art Editions