WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.- A Worcester Art Museum exhibition, on view through Sunday, May 5, celebrates a major gift of sketchbooks and drawings by John Steuart Curry, an early 20th-century artist known for his depictions of rural America. Collective Images: The Sketchbooks of John Steuart Curry features selections from 98 sketchbooks and 134 loose drawings donated to the Museum in 1999 by the artist’s widow, the late Kathleen Gould Curry. Collective Images includes early sketches for Curry’s well-known paintings and mural projects, as well as childhood drawings on exhibit for the first time. Curry’s work in the exhibition ranges from soft watercolors of the Wisconsin plains to exacting studies of the human figure, and from sweet drawings of domestic animals to powerful images of wildlife in struggle. A specially selected sketchbook of circus drawings will open to a new page each week. Technical materials, including the artist’s drawing tools, blank pad and receipt book will also be on display.
“This exhibition is not only a celebration of an incredible gift of art but an incredible record of one artist’s life and work, as well,” said Curator Maura Brennan. “Individually, the drawings represent stages along the way in various projects, but as a collective, the images tell the greater story of how a farm boy from Kansas grew to become an important artist of the 20th century.”
Sketchbooks bring together finished drawings, doodles, references, notes and information, bound together by a specific time and place in an artist’s life. The collection of Curry’s sketchbooks traces the progression of his work from rough sketches and studies to finished designs for prints, paintings and wall murals. The drawings show how the artist experimented with media-chalk, watercolor, graphite, gouache, pen and ink, crayon and even correcting fluid. They also document his sources and subjects-Curry often noted the reference book and page he borrowed historical details from, or the name and address of a person he portrayed.
“Mrs. Curry, the benefactor of this great gift, was a dear friend of the Museum,” said Brennan. “She was also her husband’s greatest champion, striving to preserve his art and influence for more than 50 years. Now with an extensive collection of sketchbooks, loose drawings and technical and archival materials, the Worcester Art Museum can serve as a real center for the study of John Steuart Curry and can continue Mrs. Curry’s work.”
Mrs. Curry, who died Sept. 10, 2001 at age 101, made indispensible contributions to the research for this exhibition, which is now dedicated in her memory.
