Margaret Andera discusses ‘Ocean Park #16’ at Milwaukee Art Museum
Milwaukee Art Museum Senior Curator Margaret Andera talks about “Ocean PArk #16,” a painting by Richard Diebenkorn at Milwaukee Art Museum
The Milwaukee Art Museum’s newly refurbished modern art wing opens to the public March 14, after closing for renovations last September.
The reimagined Bradley Wing of Modern Art traces the artists and movements that define the modern period, from postwar abstraction to German Expressionism and modern sculpture. Featuring 11 Georgia O’Keeffe paintings and works by acclaimed painters Mark Rothko and Stuart Davis, the reinstallation invites guests into a chronological narrative of modern art’s emergence and evolution.
Inspired by the monumental modern art collection of Peg Bradley, the Bradley Wing was added to the museum with the Kahler addition in 1975. Bradley’s gift of nearly 400 modern masterpieces “laid out the foundation for the museum’s modern holdings,” according to a Milwaukee Art Museum news release.
“Peg Bradley’s generosity gave Milwaukee one of the most distinguished modern art collections in the nation,” Elizabeth Siegel, chief of curatorial affairs, said in the release.
The reinstallation of the Bradley Wing will bring new context to her monumental collection, pairing pieces she gifted with other modernist works. With this reframing, the museum hopes to tell an even more comprehensive story of the modern art movement and the Milwaukee Art Museum’s place within it.
Anya Sesay covers arts and culture for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Send her story ideas, things to see and people to meet at asesay@usatodayco.com. Follow her on Instagram @anyanic0lette.
Anya’s reporting is supported by the Richard and Ethel Herzfeld Foundation, the Maine-based Rabkin Foundation, and reader contributions to the Journal Sentinel Community-Funded Journalism Project. Journal Sentinel editors maintain full editorial control over all content. To support this work, visit jsonline.com/support. Checks can be addressed to Local Media Foundation (memo: “JS Community Journalism”) and mailed to P.O. Box 85015, Chicago, IL 60689.
The JS Community-Funded Journalism Project is administered by Local Media Foundation, tax ID #36-4427750, a Section 501(c)(3) charitable trust affiliated with Local Media Association.
