Eric Shiner, curator and recently-named director of the Andy Warhol Museum, does not collect art based on its prestige, nor with the intent to one day sell it; he buys the art he loves and wants to make part of his most intimate world. My classmates and I were easily convinced when visiting his home, witnessing the striking and bold, but ultimately playful and inviting essence of his collection.
Shiner infuses a charming sense of humor into his aesthetic tastes and arrangements, desegregating odd thrift store objects among gallery purchases to keep his guests guessing, and always striving to create “interesting conversations” between the artworks. This process was most evident in our host’s presentation of a painting of Jacqueline Kennedy by Ain Cocke, one of Shiner’s fellow graduate students. The controversial image of Kennedy, wielding a shotgun and eerie grin against a stark bright pink background, inspired Shiner to congruently direct our attention across the room to a highly aggressive and abstract painting, pointing out how the similar pinks respond. Learning that the work depicted the artist’s ex-girlfriend, the paintings’ conversation became even more intriguing, speaking now with regard to Shiner’s fascination with portraiture and gender representations.
His eclectic show exhibits a specific passion for Japanese art, having devoted much of his university studies to the culture and living six years afterward in the country (Momich). The strong presence of contemporary Japanese photography tends to follow suit with Shiner’s attraction to works exploring identity and gender, as shown in his print of Yasumasa Morimura’s Marilyn Monroe self-portrait (one of various other Monroe interpretations Shiner has collected, referencing Shiner’s relationship with Warhol). Other Japanese works range from printmaking, drawings, and paintings, to a sculpture installation of painted wooden screens by Hiroke Otska, which Shiner plans to care for until his artist friend can sell the piece.
Alongside this heavy representation of international work, Shiner’s more recent engagements to appreciate local artists is also highly prevalent. Placed directly next to Otska’s installation is a sculpture by Vanessa German, who presents a strong case for the powerful contemporary art Shiner recognizes within our own area. This specific “tar baby” sculpture is one of many within her series that explores identity through race, gender, and culture issues, referencing African American iconography both in historical and contemporary terms (Guidry). The conglomeration of sea shells, small figurines, and other strange objects that define the central figure’s ornamentation seems to reflect the larger collection, where unique images are brought together into an odd harmony, buzzing with individual energies and histories.
There is no doubt Eric Shiner’s experience curating the Warhol Museum has amplified the relationships between his artworks, although he also demonstrates important distinctions between how his career and personal art worlds operate. However, this personal collection should give future museum visitors much to look forward to. With exciting integrations of international and local art, and themes exploring the dark humors of identity, Shiner’s possibilities to enhance the Warhol experience are full of promise.
Bibliography
Guidry, Nate. “In The Frame: Artists In Their Own Words; Vanessa German calls on a variety of skills to create works of art.” Post-Gazette. (2010): n. page. Web. 17 Oct. 2011. <http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10146/1060669-437.stm>.
Momich, Betsy. “Face Time.” Carnegie Magazine. (2008): n. page. Web. 14 Oct. 2011. <http://www.carnegiemuseums.org/cmag/article.php?id=119>.
“Press Release: Shiner C. Shiner Named Director of the Andy Warhol Museum.” Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh: Four distinctive museums. Carnegie Museums, 08 JUL 2011. Web. 17 Oct 2011. <http://edu.warhol.org/pressroom/Warhol Director Release 7- 11.pdf>.
“Yasumasa Morimura.” Adocumenta. 2007. Web. <http://adocumenta.org/index.php/Yasumasa_Morimura>.
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