WILMINGTON.- Art collectors from Philadelphia have loaned 51 masterworks on paper to the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts for a new exhibit, Philadelphia Collects: Works on Paper, on view through September 22, 2008.

The exhibition provides an intriguing look into a world in which some collectors concentrate on Philadelphia artists, some on artists of color, others on contemporary masters. It celebrates the diverse collections of Philadelphians whose stylistic and aesthetic preferences have produced dynamic collections of modern and contemporary art. Private collections are extremely interesting and rarely on public view. They demonstrate individual taste and provide some insight into the person who has gathered them together. The exhibit offers the public a glimpse of the Philadelphia collecting landscape.

The works portray the significant transformations of artistic expression that have occurred in the past 100 years with representative pieces from revolutionary movements such as Abstract Expressionism, Neo-Dadism, Pop Art, and Minimalism. The exhibition combines works by known art historical figures, including Jasper Johns, David Hockney, Robert Motherwell, and Andy Warhol, with works by contemporary artists including Noreen Betjemann, Astrid Bowlby, and Curlee Raven Holton.

Works in this exhibition represent a wide array of style, media, and approaches. They include a portrait by British Pop artist David Hockney, well known for his sensitive portraits and vibrant depictions of California life, and a print by former Philadelphian and Tyler School of Art graduate Lisa Yuskavage. Known for her representations of lusty female nudes, Yuskavage represents a younger generation of artists whose work deals with an overt and ironic sexuality.
Dox Thrash, an African-American printmaker and inventor of the carborundum mezzotint process with which he created some of his greatest work, is represented. Thrash was part of Philadelphia’s WPA Graphic Arts project and an active member of the Philadelphia-based Pyramid Club. The exhibition also includes a signed print and book by Andy Warhol, the central figure in the Pop Art movement in the mid twentieth century.

Maxine Gaiber, Executive Director of the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts remarks, “The exhibition reveals the richness and breadth of the collecting impulse in our region. We are grateful to the generous collectors who have literally taken beloved works from their living room walls to share them with the visitors to the DCCA. We will all benefit from their generosity as we view the works in Philadelphia Collects, many of which have never been previously on public display.”