DENVER, CO.- The Denver Art Museum (DAM) today announced a major reinstallation of its Modern & Contemporary Art galleries with an eye toward the human form. Focus: The Figure includes works from the DAM’s collection that have never been seen before, as well as known visitor favorites. The installation presents a dialogue on art and politics with many works offering insight into universal social issues. The rotation, which officially opens on August 23, was curated by Christoph Heinrich, DAM’s Polly and Mark Addison curator of Modern & Contemporary Art, who joined the Museum in 2007.

“Looking at the collection with a focus on the human figure was a unique way to showcase the dynamic collection,” Heinrich said. “The new installation of about 100 works highlights the depth of the DAM’s Modern and Contemporary holdings; and the collection revealed itself with richness and texture with pieces that referenced the human body in some way.”

The reinstallation utilizes more than 17,000 square feet of gallery space, housed on the 3rd and 4th levels of the Frederic C. Hamilton Building. Prior to the opening of the Hamilton Building in 2006, the DAM did not have permanent gallery space for the Modern & Contemporary collection. Heinrich surveyed the entire collection and chose “the figure” as a prevailing theme with possibilities for wide-ranging interpretations of the idea. Not wanting to restrict the notion of form, Heinrich chose sculptures, paintings and photographs that encourage visitors to examine the concept for themselves.

The modern art gallery, curated by Gwen Chanzit, was also reinstalled to reflect the theme of the figure. The gallery includes surprises such as two portraits from Colorado artist Vance Kirkland, who is commonly known for his work in abstraction, and the important loan of Chaim Soutine’s Femme en Rouge from the Ponzio family. The rotation follows the recent opening of a new works-on-paper gallery on the 3rd level and a project space, Fuse Box, which is devoted to highlighting new works by up-and-coming artists.

Highlights include crowd favorite Linda. The life-like sculpture, created by Colorado artist John DeAndrea, contains human hair and coloring that prompts visitors to question whether or not she is real. Fox Games, by Sandy Skoglund, is a playful installation containing more than 400 pieces which will open to visitors on August 23. Mischievous gray foxes plunder and explore a dining room painted entirely red. Temple, by Jonas Burgert, reflects a current trend in contemporary art. In his intersecting worlds of destruction and decay, creatures emerge in a variety of forms. An indoor sculpture “piazza” on the Museum’s 4th level entices guests to interact with the human figure in three dimensions. Representing a variety of media from Styrofoam to marble, several sculptures suggest the absence of the figure, where their presence is felt but not seen, as is the case in Mona Hatoum’s Untitled (Wheelchair II).

“The figure runs through the centuries but many contemporary artists use the figure to explore issues such as racism, marginality, gender and politics,” Heinrich said. “Here, the figure represents beauty, hate, sex, life, death – all major things we have to deal with in life.”

Many pieces touch on these current issues like Adrian Piper’s stark Free #1, which examines the issue of racism in contemporary culture. A selection of black and white photographs by Larry Clark explores the dark side of being human and a wide selection of prints from Diana Arbus showcases the subculture of people from the fringes of society. Gilbert & George put their figures on the forefront in a large-scale piece that touches on life and death.

Colorado artists also have a grand presence in the rotation with works by Luis Jimenez, Wes Hempel and Bill Amundson. Denver artist Tony Ortega’s large-scale West Side Jovenes showcases faceless figures that represent the Latino community experience in a present-day society.

The figure can tell a powerful story. The contemporary artists featured in this rotation have taken many old formulas and evolved them to create their own ideas and narratives.

This reinstallation was made possible by the generous support of Vicki and Kent Logan and their extensive collection of contemporary art.