Illusions of Eden: Visions of the American Heartland
Exhibition of contemporary and 20th century
Historic work explores essence of Midwestern
Culture
Opens September 21, 2000,
The character and values of the American Midwest have exerted a profound influence on the way the nation views itself. Illusions of Eden: Vision of the American Heartland, on view at the Ludwig Museum Budapest – Museum Of Contemporary Art September 21 – November 26, 2000, brings four contemporary installations together with art from the 1920s through the 1940s to explore the cultural identity of the region. Including more than 100 paintings, photographs and four installations, the exhibition captures the complex spirit of a region that spans the heart of the nation.
Illusions of Eden is one component of The Heartland Project (www.heartlandproject.org), a series of three traveling museum exhibitions and an interactive website that will evaluate the impact of culture on present-day life in two different, yet intertwined, regions of the world: the Central Europe.
Often considered the most quintessentially "American" of the nation’s regions, the Midwest was recognized as a distinct cultural and geographic entity in the early part of the 20th century. Artists in the 1920s who lived or worked in the Midwest were the first to visually interpret the region, creating images that remain icons of our society. Illusions of Eden features historical works that have seldom been viewed together, alongside innovative installations created by four contemporary artists with strong ties to the Midwest. Thus, Illusions of Eden places the accomplishments of past artists in a contemporary context. The exhibition is structured around five essential motifs or American and Midwestern culture: journey (history, time, transition, travel); garden (the earth, topography, nature); home (the family, society, culture); word (myth, memory, belief); and work (labor and the creation of goods).
Twenty-seven painters from the first half of the 20th century will be represented, including Grant Wood, Thomas Hart Benton, John Steuart Curry, Charles Burchfield, Aaron Bohrod, Clarence Carter, Archibald Motley and Marvin Cone. Photographers include Margaret Bourke-White, Russel Lee, Wright Morris and Charles Sheeler. Works by these artists relate to the journey motif. The contemporary component of the exhibition is composed of newly commissioned work by Malcolm Cochran (work), Maya Lin (garden), Mary Lucier (word) and Kerry James Marshall (home).