THE ARTIST RESPONDS: ALBERT PALEY AND ART NOUVEAU

摘要

The influence of Art Nouveau on the work of Aibert Paley has long been acknowledged. A recent exhibition at the Racine Art Museum presented Paley's work in steel alongside his own collection of turn-of-the-century decorative metalwork, ceramics, and glass. The exhibition afforded a rare and enlightening view into the collecting habits of Albert Paley and his wife Frances, and the objects with which they have surrounded themselves. Located on Lake Michigan in Racine, Wisconsin, the Racine Art Museum holds one of North America's largest collections of contemporary crafts. After The Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts outgrew its existing space, the new Racine Art Museum was created to house its collection and present major exhibitions. The Paley and Art Nouveau exhibition meshes perfectly with the focus of the new museum, with about half of the more than 3000 items in its permanent collection consisting of work by internationally recognized artists in ceramics, glass, metal, and wood.