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Pennsylvania Academy of the
Fine Arts Acquires Pantocrator Triptych by Vincent Desiderio
As the first addition
to its world-class American art collection since the deaccessioning of nearly
50 European works, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts has acquired
the monumental oil-on-linen Pantocrator triptych, 2002, by renowned
artist, Pennsylvania Academy alumnus and instructor Vincent Desiderio.
"Launched by the purchase
of Desiderio's Pantocrator, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine
Arts has embarked upon an expansion of our contemporary American collections,"
said Derek Gillman, President and Edna S. Tuttleman Director. "The
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is deaccessioning European works in
the first stage of our efforts to gather the premier collection of American
art worldwide. The funds raised from these sales will only be used to acquire
American works. (right: Vincent Desiderio, Pantocrator,
triptych, 2002, oil on linen, 82 7/8 x 193 3/4 inches, The Pennsylvania
Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia)
"Through its first one and a half centuries,"
Gillman continued, "the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts principally
collected paintings, sculptures and prints from living artists, often from
our Annual Student Exhibition. Now, the Pennsylvania Academy has returned
to that pivotal tradition of support for working American artists."
A giant triptych nearly eight feet tall and over seventeen
feet wide, Pantocrator by Vincent Desiderio challenges viewers with
a fluid relationship between three painting panels: in the center, a spacecraft
surrounded by the infinite blackness of space; on the right, a detail of
Santa Maria DelFiore (Florence); and on the left, the image of a woman showering
behind a clear plastic curtain. The Greek term "pantocrator" translates
to "ruler of all," and is usually associated with images of Christ
found in the apses of Byzantine basilicas.
As in many of his triptychs, Desiderio employs a strategy
of thwarted narrative. "The three images, composed with a kind of graphic
urgency, are tantalizingly close to becoming sequential," he explained,
"and yet they stubbornly resist linear orientation."
Desiderio uses this manner of representation in order to
evoke a sense of being ineffabale, while underscoring an artistic condition
of deep cultural longing. It recalls Brunellesci's famous demonstration
of seamless continuity, while recognizing the Byzantine character of our
own fractured times. Pantocrator deals with the rationalization (architecture),
invasion (showering woman) and domination (spacecraft) of space.
The Pennsylvania Academy is expanding its contemporary
American collection in preparation for the spectacular Samuel M.V. Hamilton
Building opening in 2005.
"The Hamilton building will house new galleries for
contemporary American work, including Pantocrator by Vincent Desiderio"
Gillman continued. "The Pennsylvania Academy is deeply grateful to
Dolores Hamilton and the Hamilton family for allowing us to create far more
space for the creation and exhibition of excellent American art. We
hope that this initiative, created through the deaccessioning of European
works, will make it clear to the art community that the Pennsylvania Academy
is now committed to collecting the art of our time." In addition
to three floors of additional gallery space, the Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building
also will house six floors of studios for art students and faculty, and
an outdoor painting terrace overlooking Center City Philadelphia."
Marking the 200th Anniversary of the Pennsylvania Academy
of the Fine Arts, the opening of the new Hamilton Building will bring exhibition
of American artwork full-circle--from the Pennsylvania Academy's founding
in 1805 to a second grand opening with American works of our time. The completion
of the Samuel M. V. Hamilton Building will create a campus atmosphere, bringing
the art school and museum together for the first time in 40 years.
Read more articles and essays concerning this institutional
source by visiting the sub-index page for the Pennsylvania
Academy of the Fine Arts in Resource
Library Magazine.
Search for more
articles and essays on American art in Resource Library. See America's Distinguished Artists for biographical information on historic artists.
This page was originally published in 2003 in Resource
Library Magazine. Please see Resource Library's Overview section for
more information.
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