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Neuberger Museum of Arts Presents "Cleve Gray's Threnody: Forty Years"

A lamentation on the loss of life in the Vietnam Era still speaks to us today.

Forty years ago American artist and abstract expressionist Cleve Gray was commissioned to create a site-specific painting for the inauguration of the Neuberger Museum of Art of Purchase College in 1974. Threnody (1972–73), the 22-foot tall, 250-foot long artwork in 28 panels, turned out to be an extraordinary project—a lament for the dead on both sides of the Vietnam War. At the time, college students across the country were demonstrating against the conflict in Vietnam, a war they felt to be unjust and inhumane. Gray saw the significance of the Museum’s location on a college campus. An active anti-war advocate himself, Gray saw this as an opportunity to support the students and express his hope for humanity’s spiritual and emotional healing.

As part of the Neuberger Museum's 40th anniversary celebration, Gray’s monumental artwork will once again be on view, from January 12 through March 23, in Cleve Gray’s Threnody: Forty Years, organized by Assistant Curator Avis Larson.

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Generous support for Cleve Gray’s Threnody: Forty Years is provided by the Friends of the Neuberger Museum of Art and Purchase College Foundation.

Threnody features 28 contiguous panels installed in the museum's Theater Gallery, effectively converting it into a cathedral with tall vertical forms engaged in a “dance of death and life.” “Threnody considers opposites—male and female, love and hate, conflict and peace,” notes Larson.

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She points out that Threnody continues to have an impact on viewers forty years after it was first exhibited. "In many ways we are facing similar issues relating to war and the loss of innocent lives, in addition to the many other situations we have to confront here in the United States, such as gun violence."

A “threnody” is a classical song of mourning, a lamentation. In 1975, when explaining the piece, Gray wrote: “I felt that tragedy had been manifested more intensely during those years and in the preceding decade than at any other time in American history. Iniquity, futile death and destruction surrounded us with little relief. This sense of tragedy in the sixties and seventies insisted itself upon me as the subject matter for the walls I had been asked to paint in the Neuberger Museum, for I felt that the heroic space encompassed by these walls required a heroic subject.” 

Threnody marked a turning point in the artist’s investigation of a radically simplified, vertical image and the large-scale calligraphic gestures that became the hallmark of his mature paintings. To prepare, Gray created several-hundred color studies and over 100 figure studies over a period of about 18 months. About his approach to large-scale logistics, Gray wrote that he “had a 20’ x 20’ easel constructed…it had a hoist so that it could be raised to the vertical position.” In addition, he used very large brushes, sometimes janitors’ push brooms, and plastic swimming pools in which to mix his paints.

Rhythmically spaced motifs in the 28 panels suggest a diversity of imagery, and most vividly, perhaps, a procession of solemn dancers. “The depiction of tragedy often requires an element of hope, so I chose a positive red for the central figure of the ‘apse’ wall. Unexpectedly but inevitably this figure became the climactic point of the room. In the midst of death it had to offer the hope of life, just as blood is both the palpitating fluid of life and the fleeting evidence of death.”

Larson believes that the reinstallation of Threnody “impresses upon us the need for humanity’s spiritual and emotional healing as we now face the devastation of current wars and the loss of life on both sides. Threnody offers our students and the general public a place conducive to contemplation and meditation."

Threnody is part of the Neuberger Museum’s permanent collection, and has been exhibited from time to time, most recently in 2007, and before then, shortly after 9/11.

The Neuberger Museum of Art will present the following programs in conjunction with Threnody:

Music by Copland House

Saturday, March 1, 7:30 pm

Taking place in Cleve Gray’s Threnody: Forty Years, Music from Copland House pairs Gray’s intense artistic vision with one of music’s towering achievements, Quartet for the End of Time, composed by the French master Olivier Messiaen. Written while its composer was jailed in a German prison camp during World War II and premiered in a barracks on an icy, winter day in 1941, the landmark Quartet for the End of Time was inspired by nature, religious devotion, and the Book of Revelation’s vibrant description of the Apocalypse. The performance will be followed by a reception for musicians and guests. Members $25, non-members $35. For tickets call 914-251-6125.

 

Neu First Wednesdays

Wednesday, March 5, 4:30–6:30 pm

Threnody reflects Cleve Gray’s anguish over the tragedy of the Vietnam War. This month’s First Wednesdays takes the hope for peaceful coexistence as inspiration. Join us for a talk about Threnody and Gray by Assistant Curator Avis Larson, a peaceful meditation by Nancy Reuben, M.D., M.Div., and a performance of peace and protest music from the period by Purchase Soul Voices, a premier 60-student vocal ensemble. Neu First Wednesdays are designed by Purchase college students to provide lively social, creative and intellectual engagement with works of art for their fellow students and the wider community. Refreshments and admission are free.

 

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The Neuberger Museum of Art is an integral part of Purchase College, State University of New York. The Museum is supported in part by the State University of New York. Support for the Museum’s collection, exhibitions, publications, and education programs is provided by grants from public and private agencies, individual contributions, and the Friends of the Neuberger Museum of Art’s members and Board.

The Museum is located at 735 Anderson Hill Road in Purchase, New York (Westchester).  914-251-6100   www.neuberger.org

 

Museum Hours

Tuesday through Sunday, 12 noon to 5 pm

Closed Mondays and major holidays

Group tours by appointment only on Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 am to 12 noon  

For persons with special needs, designated parking is available at the south end

of the Museum building. Call ahead for wheelchair accommodations.

 

Walk-in Public Tours

Tuesday–Friday, Gallery Talk, 1 pm

Sunday, Topic Tour, 2 pm

Sunday, Gallery Talk, 3 pm

Gallery talks offer fresh insights into the Museum’s special exhibitions and permanent collection, while Topic Tours explore different aspects of the permanent collection.

 

Museum Store

Open during Museum hours. The store features a broad selection of art books,

art cards, handcrafted jewelry, children's items and one-of-a-kind limited edition gifts.

 

Admission

$5.00 General Public

$3.00 Seniors

Free admission for Museum members, children 12 and under, and Purchase College students, faculty, and staff

 

Directions

The Neuberger Museum of Art is easily accessible by car or bus, and may also be reached by Metro-North. By car: From the North or South - take the Hutchinson River Parkway to Exit 28. Head north on Lincoln Avenue to Anderson Hill Road. Turn right onto Anderson Hill Road. Left at first traffic light into Purchase College campus. From 684 - take Exit 2 South on Route 120 to Anderson Hill Road. Turn left onto Anderson Hill to 2nd traffic light. Turn left at Purchase College campus.  From the East - take Route 287 (Cross Westchester Expressway) to Exit 8E. Take second left over Expressway onto Anderson Hill Road. Follow signs to SUNY Purchase.

 

Handicap Parking

On the Purchase College campus, park in Parking Lot #1 and proceed to the underpass at the Performing Arts Center. The handicap elevator is located across from the entrance to the Performing Arts Center. Take the elevator to the second level, then exit to the left. The entrance to the museum is located diagonally across, about a city block away.

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