The Spirit of Modernism: The John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation Gift to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston August 20, 2011–February 20, 2012
Richard Meier for Knoll, Barrel-Back Armchair, designed 1982, beech and lacquer.
Gift of the John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation
Harry Bertoia, Sonambient (Energizing, Mellow Tops), c. 1970–78, vinyl LP record.
Gift of the John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation
Harry Bertoia, Untitled (Multi-Plane Construction), c. 1953, gilded copper and brass.
Gift of the John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation
Lucia DeRespinis/George Nelson and Company, Inc., for Howard Miller Clock Company,
Custom Clock, c. 1957, metal and paint.
Gift of the John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation
Ralston Crawford, Red Barge No. 1, 1942, oil on canvas, the MFAH, gift of the John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation.
Margaret Bourke-White, U.S.S. AKRON, 1931, gelatin silver print in duralumin frame.
Gift of the John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation
Shiro Kuramata for Vitra, "How High the Moon" Chair, designed 1986, nickel-plated steel.
Gift of the John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation
The Spirit of Modernism pays tribute to the entrepreneurial spirit of businessman and art collector John R. Eckel, Jr. The friendship between Eckel and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, lasted only five years before his untimely death in 2009. His art collection, now known as the John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation Gift, lives on at the MFAH as an enduring legacy comprising 73 works of Modernist American painting and sculpture, photography, and contemporary arts and design.
The John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation Gift strengthens the MFAH collections across several curatorial departments and sheds light on Eckel’s vision as an astute collector and generous benefactor. Among the major works on view in this show are Ralston Crawford's buoyant painting Red Barge No. 1; Shiro Kuramata's steel, mesh, and chrome chair How High the Moon; and Harry Bertoia’s gilded bronze sculpture Untitled (Multi-Plane Construction), measuring over 10 feet high.
Accompanying the exhibition is a book, available at MFAH Shop, featuring essays and highlights of the works. Additionally, the MFAH Archives has acquired the Edward J Wormley Collection, a gift of the John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation.
This exhibition is organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.