February 2, 2006
Rocio Aranda-Alvarado, Curator
"...another similar conjunction of works from the collection and contemporary loaned works is made up of a work by Joseph Stella (c. 1925), paired with the Museum’s photograph of an Oldsmobile in Havana by María Lau (2001) and a loaned watercolor by Amy Wilson titled Visiting the Museum: Gauguin (2006). In his single image, Stella creates a “tropicalism” by denoting location with the simple inclusion of a palm tree against a bright pink sky. These two elements together underscore a vision of the island paradise with lush vegetation and perfect weather. A re-consideration of this paradisiacal view is proposed by both María Lau and Amy Wilson. Ms. Lau’s work presents a vision of a late-1950s model Oldsmobile in Havana. Cared for like the bones of a saint, these classic cars represent a time when the influence of the United States on the Cuban economy was steadfast and deeply ingrained. Like an aging beauty queen, the majestic automobile takes up both visual and conceptual space, alluding to the problematic history of the relations between these two countries."
February 2, 2006
Rocio Aranda-Alvarado, Curator
"...another similar conjunction of works from the collection and contemporary loaned works is made up of a work by Joseph Stella (c. 1925), paired with the Museum’s photograph of an Oldsmobile in Havana by María Lau (2001) and a loaned watercolor by Amy Wilson titled Visiting the Museum: Gauguin (2006). In his single image, Stella creates a “tropicalism” by denoting location with the simple inclusion of a palm tree against a bright pink sky. These two elements together underscore a vision of the island paradise with lush vegetation and perfect weather. A re-consideration of this paradisiacal view is proposed by both María Lau and Amy Wilson. Ms. Lau’s work presents a vision of a late-1950s model Oldsmobile in Havana. Cared for like the bones of a saint, these classic cars represent a time when the influence of the United States on the Cuban economy was steadfast and deeply ingrained. Like an aging beauty queen, the majestic automobile takes up both visual and conceptual space, alluding to the problematic history of the relations between these two countries."