Umd Community Gathers For 50Th Anniversary Of Art Gallery

For 50 years, the UMD Art Gallery has distinguished itself for works that span continents, cultures and centuries.

Photo courtesy of Thai Nguyen

The University of Maryland Art Gallery celebrated its 50th anniversary on Feb. 24 with the opening reception of “TIMELINE: The University of Maryland Art Gallery at 50,” an exhibition that features highlights from the gallery’s permanent collection and major donated artworks.

Students, faculty and staff from different departments gathered to listen to the opening remarks by Taras Matla, assistant director of the gallery. UMD President Wallace Loh was present at the reception, as well as Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Art David C. Driskell.

“These resources can potentially serve as inspiration for a new work of art by a studio art major, a catalyst of some sort for technological advancement in the future, a potential research paper or even a future doctoral dissertation,” said Matla.

The exhibition features works of Rembrandt van Rijn, Honoré Daumier, Lee Krasner, Hans Hofmann, Judy Pfaff, John Baldessari, Ryoko Suzuki and Andy Warhol, as well ancient pottery, masks and artifacts from Africa, Asia and South America. Additional works donated to the museum in 2015 are also on display, including two major paintings by the Washington Color School painter Paul Reed, early Korean art and contemporary photography by Kristin Capp that depicts urban landscapes in Brazil.

“With this exhibition, the Art Gallery shows the breadth of its holdings, from ancient Asian pieces to Andy Warhol’s Athletes series, a breadth that reflects the changing roles and aesthetics of artists and collectors over time,” said Sheri Parks associate dean of the university’s College of Arts and Humanities. “Fifty years in operation is a great accomplishment in the arts, and the exhibition itself is an interesting retrospective.”