Khnopff, "I Lock My Door Upon Myself" (1891) in Munich. Not in the exhibition, which is devoted to Franz von Stuck.
Note: I am a member of the Frye and eat at the cafe, as I believe that the Frye, with its free admission, and well designed galleries deserve support from the community.
I also have great respect for the Frye's unfailingly gracious, knowledgeable director Jo-Anne Birnie Danzker. I am thrilled with the fact that they have someone with a very European sensibility who has an intimate knowledge of late nineteenth century German/central European art.
She strengthens immeasurably the Frye with her understanding of the main collection and relations with continental museums.
It is nonetheless wonderful that late 19th century German art, which if only for historical reasons and not aesthetic ones alone, has long been in the shadow of French art, has a local spokesperson.
Americans of all backgrounds (races/religions/political affiliation/ethnicity) need to know something about European history and culture. I'm one of those who believe that Americans, far from from being Eurocentric*, would do well to have at least a modicum of interest and knowledge of the ancestral home of at least 70% of them rather than a narrowly focused attention on the history of slavery and civil rights in America, important as that may be ("To Kill a Mockingbird," "Beloved," "Django Unchained," "The Help," "The Butler." "Ray"...)."
What about the Norwegians, Polish, Dutch, Scots, Irish, Russians, French, Lebanese, Austrians, Japanese, Mexicans, Native Americans...?
The experiences of all peoples are equally important, even if they are less "dramatic" than those of some.
Recent contemporary art exhibitions at the Frye, in my opinion, have left something to be desired.
* * * * *
The Frye in recent years has become a little too conventional ("everyone says this is 'cool,' so we've to do something similar") and risk-averse.
The following is a good example.
We all--well most of us--understand how dying one's hair a bright henna maroon-purple is a statement of individuality, courage, and originality.
I'm think it's great that the Frye has so assiduously the past several years tried to open its galleries to contemporary art. In particular, the current "Burial" exhibition by Mark Mitchell is a direct dialogue between "old" art and "new" art, the former being the collections of the founders of the Frye, mainly paintings.
(So the Frye is no longer a stody museum of post-Victorian continental European painting of the late 19th century and early 20th century).
Among the mannequins is a double of Maikoiyo Alley-Barnes, who The Stranger informs us was "an artist and a black man once brutalized by the Seattle Police."
I believe in equality. And justice. And in art as social commentary.
I wonder if the Frye would have the guts to commission clothing from Mark Mitchell to fit a mannequin of Tuba Man, the beloved street musician beaten to death while waiting at a bus stop at the Seattle Center by a group of young African-Americans.
What about four coffins and the everyday clothing of the four Lakewood cops who were murdered in cold blood in broad daylight while sitting in a coffee shop--by a complete stranger?
Or clothes for Justin Ferrari, hit in the head by a stray bullet while driving through the Central Area (he died in his father's arms, his children, ages 4 and 7, in the backseat)?
It would be truly terrifying--and disturb viewers too much--to consider the possibility of the astronomical proportion of violent crime committed by African-Americans that has nothing to do with racism.
Hence, the complacent statement of police violence (which occurs at far less than urban beatings/stabbings/shootings/robberies).
We all love liberal fantasies, after all.
But nothing in this exhibition is not profound. I'm not even sure if it is art. It is as didactic, simplistic, and moralizing as anything to be found in mediocre Victorian art, though.
A more inclusive exhibition would be controversial, yes, but would definitely be cutting-edge--challenging the boring status quo--and undoubtedly cause riots but also bring in more bodies (live ones).
That is the very idea behind avant-garde art: to provoke the viewer into a non-habitual response,
The "Burial" exhibition and its contemporary brethren on the liberal map put the viewer to sleep.
We already know and have memorized the answer: "Oh yes, isn't racism and police brutality just awful! Blacks are still terribly oppressed by society." Amen.
* For instance, ask a few Americans who Voltaire was and see what kind of response you get. Or why the Magna Carta was important.
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