Ackland exhibit centers around Lipton sculpture

WHAT: "The Guardian and the Avant-Garde: Seymour Lipton's 'Sentinel II' in Context"

WHERE: Ackland Art Museum, UNC Chapel Hill. Hours are Wednesday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 to 5 p.m.

WHEN: Exhibit opens Saturday and continues through Jan. 3, 2010. Sunday, the curators of the exhibit will hold a free public conversation to officially open the exhibit, at 3 p.m. in Hanes Art Center Auditorium.

ADMISSION: Free

By Cliff Bellamy

cbellamy@heraldsun.com; 419-6744

CHAPEL HILL -- "Sentinel II," a 1959 sculpture by Seymour Lipton (1903-1986) is the focal point for a new exhibit opening Saturday at the Ackland Art Museum at UNC. The exhibit, titled "The Guardian and the Avant-Garde: Seymour Lipton's 'Sentinel II' in Context," has works in a wide range of media, from different historical periods. Besides the Lipton sculpture, the exhibit also includes Max Weber's 1910 painting "Composition with Three Figures," Alfred Stieglitz's 1907 photograph "The Steerage," an ancient Egyptian amulet, and Andy Warhol's 1972 portrait "Mao Tse Tung."

The Lipton sculpture is a new addition to the Ackland's collection, made possible by museum supporter Shirley Siegel, who gave it in honor of her late husband Sidney Siegel. "Sentinel II' is an important addition to the Ackland, which while it has sculpture representative of the 19th century, does not have a lot of 20th century sculpture, said Emily Kass, Ackland director. The work also is significant for the way it was made -- using pieces of metal, rather than a cast. Lipton then covered the pieces in bronze, which he worked with his hands, "so that gives it a tactile feel," Kass said.

Timothy Riggs, Ackland's curator of collections, also pointed out another important visual aspect of the work. It is hollow inside, but Lipton "had this way of working over the surface" that makes the sculpture look as if it were modeled in clay. It also looks different depending on the viewer's vantage point.

Except for the Warhol painting, which is on loan, every piece in the exhibit is part of the Ackland collection. Many have rarely, and some have never been displayed before. Kass said that "one of the joys" of this show has been the opportunity to do some research on each piece and finally put the works out for view.

A dentist by profession

Lipton was a dentist by profession and became one of the 20th century's leading American sculptors. His work was in the "12 Americans" exhibit in 1956 at the Museum of Modern Art, and in 1958 he represented the United States in a solo exhibit at the Venice Biennale.

The exhibit takes up two connected galleries -- the Eaton Gallery and the Myers Gallery. The Lipton sculpture is the focal point in the Eaton Gallery, which Kass said is "a sampling of our 20th century collection, but focusing on the avant-garde."

One Eaton Gallery work not seen before is Charles Alston's "Mural Sketch," made up of black, white and red chalk and representing city scenes. "It's a very rich presentation," Kass said. And while it is not certain if the mural was ever completed, it stands as "a wonderful example of the artist's work as a sketch."

Other works in this gallery are Stieglitz's photo "The Steerage," which Kass said is "considered by many to be the first modern photograph," and the painting "Undulating Expanse" by Hans Hoffman, one of the great teachers of the Abstract Expressionist school and possibly "one of the most important artists of that time," Kass said.

The Abstract Expressionists were influenced by mythology and psychology, as expressed in the writings of mythographer Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung, Riggs said. The title of Lipton's sculpture reflects this interest in heroes and guardians and protectors.

The Myers Gallery section, titled "Guardians and Heroes," looks at art that examines heroism and heroes as guardians. It is divided into four section themes: "Guardians of Life and Death," "Women of Power," "Conquest and Sacrifice" and "Guardians of the Nation."

The "Guardians of Life and Death" has an Egyptian amulet that would have been used for protection, and a Yipwon Figure, a carved piece of wood from New Guinea that would have been used to give the people good luck in battle and the hunt. The "Women of Power" portion includes Valentine Green's 1772 mezzotint "Venus Rising from the Sea," which is juxtaposed next to a Roman terra cotta sculpture of Aphrodite.

The "Conquest and Sacrifice" section examines the hero's quest, but also "the kind of heroism that does not superficially win," Riggs said. He pointed out one notable example of this kind of heroism represented in art -- Burk Uzzle's 1968 photograph "MLK Lives," showing two marchers carrying King's portrait in a tribute after he was killed. "This is a very vivid image of King speaking," Riggs said, and the photo conveys the idea that King lives through the work of his associates, and the power of his ideas.

"Guardians of the Nation" "is a much more political show," Riggs said, one that examines "the idea of what does a nation carry for its amulet." In this section is Warhol's portrait of Mao Tse Tung, in which he takes the image of Mao and covers it with different colors. Whether one thinks of Mao as a tyrant or savior, Warhol's image is disconcerting, Riggs said.

It also represents what he called the antithesis of Lipton's sculpture, which celebrates heroism. Warhol dilutes it and looks at it "with a skeptical gaze."