FROM
EMPERORS TO HOI POLLOI: PORTRAITS OF AN ERA, 1851-1945
November
22, 2002—June 24, 2003
This exhibition is generously sponsored by Continental Airlines, the preferred airline of The Wolfsonian, and is sponsored in part by Urban Investments Advisors/Starwood Urban Group.
Overview
Portraits not only capture an individual's personality, they also
mirror the era in which they are created. The dynamic nature of modern
society in the period 1851 to 1945, a time characterized by
unprecedented political, economic, and technological developments,
produced a stunning variety of portrayals of the human experience.
This period, often identified as the "machine age," most
obviously revealed itself through objects of mass production. But
there is a human face to this pivotal time that we see expressed
through portraiture—from oil paintings and bronze sculptures to
propaganda posters and commemorative plates. These faces reflect this
tumultuous period of history, revealing individual and collective
interests, aspirations, and fears.
The exhibition, culled from the Wolfsonian's collection, explores how artists present their subjects as protagonists of change in the modern world. The Wolfsonian's portraiture holdings are neither comprehensive, nor systematic. These works do not constitute an overview of historical developments in modern portraiture, nor do they present a "Who's Who" of the 1851 to 1945 era. Rather, the portraits reflect the taste and preoccupations of Wolfsonian founder Mitchell Wolfson, Jr., who collected the majority of the works on view. Motivated by the desire to understand the relationship between the created object and its maker or commissioner, Mr. Wolfson's collecting motto is, "What man makes, makes man." Each person portrayed participated in the larger historical narrative of the period. While the exhibition presents only a partial and fragmentary record of the past, it examines and reaffirms the role that the individual plays in society.
From Emperors to Hoi Polloi encompasses a wide range of people—from political leaders, such as Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie I, to anonymous sitters representing ordinary men and women. The portraits all follow the established convention that a portrait is a physical likeness that refers to the identity of the person depicted. Whether intended for public consumption or private viewing, a portrait represents a relationship between sitter, artist, and viewer. The artist uses pose, dress, objects, and setting to express relationships, status, and emotion. By considering portraiture within the broad context of history, biography, and artistic expression, the exhibition presents some of the more human stories embedded in the collection. The exhibition is organized into five sections: Self, artist self-portraits; Intimates, family, friends, mentors, and heroes; Hoi Polloi, unknown sitters; Citizens of the World, commissions and commemorations; and Political Personages, men and women in the political arena.
The Wolfsonian receives ongoing support from the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, Florida Arts Council; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs through the Cultural Affairs Council, the Mayor and the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners; the Mayor and City Commission of the City of Miami Beach and the Miami Beach Cultural Arts Council; Dacra and the Miami Design District; Continental Airlines, the preferred airline of The Wolfsonian; the Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Foundation; Luminaire; Flamingo/AIMCO; San Pellegrino; and the Indian Creek Hotel.
FEATURED
OBJECT:
Sculpture, H. M. Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia, c. 1937
Sava Botzaris (Venezuelan, b. Yugoslavia, 1894–1965)
Great Britain
Bronze, iron
Credit:
The Mitchell Wolfson, Jr. Collection, The Wolfsonian–Florida
International University, Miami Beach
87.1321.6.1
Photo: Silvia Ros