Lately, I have been feeling like a Sally Rooney character: a little lost, a little gloomy, a little unsure about the decisions I have been making. So, I went to the Anderson Collection on a Saturday morning by myself, because museums have a calming effect on me. I needed to find my center again. As I entered the Anderson Collection, I climbed up the stairs to reach the permanent collection. I was in the middle of a room surrounded by large canv…

…ght fit. Imagine having an Alexander Calder mobile in your living room, a Hans Hoffman color-saturated landscape over your bed. Now, a portion of the Andersons’ blue-chip collection has a new and spacious home on the Stanford campus: a beautiful bespoke museum designed to showcase the Modern and contemporary American paintings and sculptures the couple has so carefully acquired over the last 50 years. Richard Olcott of Ennead Architects des…

…stures toward the splashy black and white “Figure 8,” 1952, by Franz Kline and “Pink and White Over Red,” 1957, by Mark Rothko. In the living room, with 18th and 19th century English furniture, Morris Louis’ “Number 64,” 1958, hangs over the comfortable sofa while Sam Francis’ “Red in Red,” 1955, is over the brick fireplace. The cozy, casual atmosphere reflects the intimate relationship…

…rd-Edge Painting and Post-Minimalism. You pity the tourists, who come with cameras and visit only once. They are overwhelmed (delightfully so), scrambling to decode every movement, to mingle with every painting. As a student, though, you start with small talk but look for something more. You have a chance at romance. Your dry spell is over — prospects are everywhere! In one room, the Abstract Expressionists are hot commodities. Jackson Pollock, M…

…e loving it. “It seems to pack a wallop, it’s just people reading letters, but people seem to get very emotional over it.” Details here. Robert Hawkins entertains the Comedy Day audience (Photo: Dan Dion/Comedy Day) Sept 18: Comedy Day is back in Golden Gate Park. This free (Cheap Thrill) event is a chance to see veterans of the Bay Area comedy scene and new ones you haven’t heard of yet. Johnny Steele, Will Durst, Donald Lacey, Natasha Muse, L…

…tal slideshow of tribal seals of the United States and a corresponding work titled Their Land, which locates the communities represented by these seals, and current tribal lands, on the map of the United States. Over a dozen Stanford students, including those affiliated with the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity and the Institute for Diversity in the Arts, conducted research and gathered the material in collaboration with the a…

The Cantor and Anderson Collection offer free membership to Class of 2020…

…s of ceramics.” Despite a resurgence of interest in the artform, ceramics were previously considered lesser when compared with other genres, like paintings or bronzes. Artists in the 1950s and 1960s, particularly those in the California Clay Movement, worked to counter the perception and elevate the medium beyond craft to fine art. Now, a new generation of ceramicists is further innovating through inventive carving, firing and glazing techniques…

…rse, we’re most excited about the pieces that have a Western flavor: three lovely Diebenkorns, a Thiebaud “Candy Counter,” and a particularly San Francisco–appropriate Paul Wonner. No prize for guessing where you’ll find us on our lunch breaks come late September… Admission is free, but by timed reservation on weekends; closed Tues.; anderson.stanford.edu – See more at: http://westphoria.sunset.com/2014/10/20/a-new-museum-for-stanford-and-a…

Not to be missed at the Anderson Collection (in no particular order): 1. Richard Diebenkorn: “Berkeley No. 26,” 1954. 2. Frank Stella: “Zeltweg,” 1981. 3. Ellsworth Kelly: “Black Ripe,” 1955. 4. David Park: “Four Women,” 1959 (on the cover). 5. Jackson Pollock: “Lucifer,” 1947. 6. Morris Louis: “Number 64,” 1958. 7. Wayne Thiebaud: “Candy Counter,” 1962. 8. Mark Rothko: “Pink and White Over Red,” 1957. 9. Vija Celmins: “Barrier,” 1986. 10. Phili…

Manuel Neri’s Chromatic Chaos Apparent in Manuel Neri’s works with plaster figures is a kind of dualism: they reference classical forms while also radiating contemporary anxiety and subjectivity. John Seed 2 hours ago Manuel Neri, “Joan Brown Seated, (1959) aluminum with Alborada patina; oil-based pigments with yellow glaze, cast 1963, re-patina applied 2016, 30 1⁄4 x 12 1⁄2 x 27 inches; pedestal: 30 x 19 x 27 inches (all photos…

…oward its center, like a huge canopy. This structure permits a clerestory of frosted windows to enfold the space completely, letting in a computer-modulated mix of daylight and artificial light. The clerestory makes light seem to buoy the ceiling. The opening collection display is clustered according to the Andersons’ multiple interests – in California art, including experimental materials, Bay Area Figuration and Funk, and abstract e…

…y Twenty-seven student artists from Santa Clara and San Mateo counties have been awarded scholarships for by the Community School of Music and Arts. Photo courtesy of CSMA. This week, students win art scholarships, a film on feminist art screens at Stanford and international fashion designers sell their goods for a good cause. SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS … The Mountain View-based arts nonprofit, Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA), has…

…art is monumental and not all monumental art is truly impactful,Public Works focuses on temporary interventions online and in the urban environment. The list of participating artists — too lengthy to mention here — is an impressive one, including off-site commissions by Constance Hockaday and Jenifer K. Wofford. The exhibition spans media and generations, documenting the important projects that occupy space in the world, merging politics and soc…

…ht-provoking and challenging suits are constructed in ways that refuse to reveal gender, age or race. They offer complete anonymity. To imagine yourself in them is to turn the collective sharing of memories into a personal epiphany. The Anderson exhibit includes eight Soundsuits, three video works and a recently completed documentary about Nick Cave titled “Here.” There also is an interactive felt wall where visitors to the gallery ca…