A Visit to the Rubell Museum

"Sunrise" and "Standing Boy" by Thomas Houseago (2006)

Mera and Don Rubell didn't just wake up one day with a zillion dollars in their pockets and decide to collect contemporary art. Their art journey started in the early 1960s when they were a young married couple. Mera was working for Head Start and making $100/week; Don was in med school at NYU. They lived in what is now Chelsea, a neighborhood that then -- as now -- was filled with artist studios. While out strolling one day, they came upon a painting that spoke to them. They wanted to buy it, but it was $250 (approximately $2300 in today's dollars). The couple negotiated a payment plan of $5 a week to take it home. And so began the couple's self-proclaimed addiction to contemporary art. 

"Untitled" by Kerry James Marshall (1998-1999)(detail)

The Rubells continued to purchase contemporary art over the years and had acquired a more than respectable collection when Dan's brother Steve passed away in 1989. The great wealth Steve had amassed in his ventures -- including Studio 54 -- was left to Dan and Mera. The change in the couple's financial status did not alter their approach to collecting. To this day, the Rubells primarily purchase art created by artists whose studios they've visited and with whom they've spent time.

Often, the artists in the Rubell's collection are early on in their careers. Dan noted in an interview with Aventura Magazine, "If you collect art from [an artist's] earlier period, you are often buying the leftovers because the artist's best work is already in institutions and large private collections." (The use of the word "leftovers" kills me.) This philosophy led them to purchase such works as Jeff Koons' first sculpture, New Hoover Deluxe Rug Shampooer, early photographs by Cindy Sherman and Kerry James Marshall's first woodcut. (One+ panel of James' woodcut is shown here.) Today art lovers can take a peek into the Rubells' world class collection with a visit to the Rubell Museum. To date, the Museum has mounted 48 unique exhibits drawn entirely from the 7,200+ works owned by the Rubell Family. More than 1000 artists are represented in the collection.  

"David Theodore" by Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe (2021)

In addition to the viewing opportunities for art lovers, the Museum offers a curatorial training program and artist residencies. In 2021, Ghanian artist Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe took advantage of the dedicated time to create a series that pays homage to the tradition of Black cowboys. Three of these monumental paintings -- each standing 12' tall -- graced one gallery. David Theodore looks directly at the viewer, compelling you to think about who he was and his place in history. It is estimated that nearly 25% of cowboys in the post-Civil War era were former slaves who had maintained the land and herds of white ranchers. Who knew? Quiacoe has said of the people depicted in his work, "When I first see my subjects, whether in real life or in photos, I see in them their resilience, their power, their inner strength. These are the character traits that arrest me." For more of Quaicoe's work, click here. And for a great article about the little known story of African-American cowboys, click here.

I was introduced to the work of a lot of artists with whom I was not familiar during our visit. Thomas Houseago's plaster sculptures (two of which are shown above) intrigued me, especially "Sunrise." The seven works on display were commissioned by the Rubells in 2006 for the exhibit Red Eye: L.A. Artists from the Rubell Family Collection. Houseago's inclusion in the exhibit was a significant factor in launching his career. In 2010, his "Baby" was included in the Whitney Biennial. Again, the Rubells were ahead of the (art) curve. To see Houseago's "Baby," click here. (Watch the video if you have a couple of minutes.) And to see more work from the Red Eye exhibit, click here. 

Five unique works from He Xiangyu's 
"The Man on the Chair" series (2008-2009)

I was also attracted to these sculptures from "The Man on the Chair" series by He Xiangyu. (They are shown here with Liu Wei's colorful "Liberation No. 1" in the background.) It's hard to appreciate from this picture how beautiful these chairs are. Their textures and disfigured shapes lend them character and personality. I wanted to try them out and see which one suited me best. (Don't worry -- I didn't.) 

The wall card is in the artist's own words and tells the story of the chairs. It reads:

"I collected a lot of abandoned wooden drainage pipes from Yunnan province and then broke them down and rebuilt them into over 100 chairs. Even though each chair looks different, every single one shows the poignancy and vicissitudes of the passage of time. 

Different individuals, the same destination. The group of empty chairs evoke an ambiguous yet tenacious sense of collective fatalism. Hence, I produced a four chapter dance piece, respectively titled 'tristesse,' 'agony,' 'despair,' and 'rebirth.' The dance recounts the story of men who were born among the group of empty chairs; they amuse and fall in love with one another, until one day they realize they can no longer leave the chairs -- leaving would cost them their lives."  

For more on He Xiangyu's "Man on the Chair," click here. Sadly, I haven't been able to find a video of the dance performance. 

"Dogs from your childhood" by Yoshitomo Nara (1999)

I'll leave you with two of the three "Dogs from your childhood" by Yoshitomo Nara. Dogs are a frequent theme in Nara's Japanese pop works and are intended to evoke memories of the viewer's childhood. They also serve as Nara's alter ego. And while the dogs initially made me smile, there is also tension in the work. The three dogs are in a circle surrounding a single bowl. It reminded me of a game of musical chairs that only one dog could win. But even then, how would the dog drink from the bowl given the stilts? In fact, how would the dogs walk, much less run and play? Hmm. Maybe it's not such a happy piece after all. For an interesting essay about the work, click here.

These works are just the tip of the contemporary art iceberg of the Rubell Family Collection. I'm eager to go back when I can do more than a sprint through the galleries. Or perhaps I'll go instead to the Rubell Museum DC that is scheduled to open in October. So much art, so little time. To learn more about the Rubell Museum and its current exhibits, click here. 

Next up: "Marisol and Warhol Take New York" from the Perez Art Museum Miami.