Western Splendor

1943

born Centerville, Wisconsin, 1890; died Basel, Switzerland, 1976

Here Tobey evokes the radiance of Christianity in the form of its church architecture—intricate stained glass windows, interlace designs, and portals flanked by columnar figures of the saints. He called the painting, “a façade in grays and ambient light
. . . a wall of memories of churchly splendor surviving the ages.” There is a poignancy in Tobey’s choice of subject at this particular time, 1943, since Adolf Hitler had declared that his Germanization of Europe would have no place for Christian churches.

Ink and opaque watercolor on paperboard

25 7/8 x 19 3/4 in. (65.7 x 50.2 cm)

Gift of Mrs. Marillyn Black Watson

73.9

Photo: Elizabeth Mann

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistoryNew York, New York, Willard Gallery, "Mark Tobey", 1944.

Portland, Oregon, Portland Art Museum, "Paintings By Mark Tobey", 1945. Circuit: San Francisco Museum of Art, CA, 1945, Detroit Institute of Arts, 1946.

New York, Museum of Modern Art, Fourteen Americans, September 9-December 8, 1946 (Poughkeepsie, New York, Vassar College, January 5-26, 1947; Palm Beach, Florida, Society of the Four Arts, February 7-March 7, 1947; Cincinnati, Ohio, Modern Art School, March 20-April 17, 1947; San Francisco Museum of Art, May 1 or May 6-June 1, 1947; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Louisiana State University, June 15-30, 1947). Text by Dorothy C. Miller with statements by the artists and others. Cat no. 160, not reproduced.

Seattle, Sponsored by the Seattle Art Museum for the United States Information Agency, An Exhibit of Eight American Artists, Painting and Sculpture, January 10-February 3, 1957 (Copenhagen, Denmark; Frankfurt; Berlin; Nuremburg; Munich; Hamburg; Essen; London, Institute of Contemporary Arts Gallery, November 8-December 7, 1957; York, England; Bordeaux; Paris; St. Etienne; 1957-1958). Text by Dr. Richard E. Fuller. Cat no. 24, not reproduced. [Under the patronage of the American Ambassador H.E. John Hay Whitney]. [Two simultaneous circuits, European: Five paintings from SAM, Guy Anderson, Kenneth Callahan, Morris Graves, Mark Tobey (2); Pacific: Five paintings total from SAM, Guy Anderson Kenneth Callahan (2), Mark Tobey (2)].

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "Mark Tobey: A Retrospective Exhibition From Northwest Collections", September 11 - November 1, 1959.

Washington D. C., Gallery of Modern Art, “Twentieth Century Painting From Collections In The State of Washington", 1966.

Seattle, The Bon Marche, Mark Tobey Paintings From Private Northwest Collectors, April 23-May3, 1969. [Exhibition to benefit The Cornish School of Allied Arts].

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "Mark Tobey: A Retrospective Exhibition From Northwest Collections", December 3, 1970 - January 31, 1971.

Washington, D.C., National Collection of Fine Arts, "Tribute To Mark Tobey", June 7 - September 8, 1974. Circuit: Seattle Art Museum, September - November, 1974, St. Louis Art Museum, 1974.

Miami, Florida, The Art Gallery, Miami-Dade Community College, "Mark Tobey 1930-1967: A Selection of Works From The Seattle Art Museum", December 1, 1975 - January 29, 1976.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "Northwest Traditions", June 29 - December 10, 1978. Circuit: Des Moines Art Center, IA, 3/19-4/29/79.

Boston, Massachusetts, Institute of Contemporary Art, "Northwest Visionaries", July 7 - June 8, 1981.
Palo Alto, California, T.W. Stanford Art Gallery, Stanford University, "Mark Tobey: Works On Paper", November 5 - December 12, 1990.

Nagoya, Japan, Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, "Abstract Expressionism", Sezon Museum of Art, 6/6-7/14/96; Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, 7/26-9/16/96; Hiroshima City Museum of Art, 9/18-11/17/96.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, "Night Sounds: Nocturnal Visions of Mark Tobey and Morris Graves - A Northwest Summer", May 4, 2006 - October 15, 2006.

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