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Henri Matisse (French, 1869–1954)
Icare (Icarus), from the series Jazz, 1947
Screenprint on paper
16 3/8 x 25 1/5 inches
Des Moines Art Center Permanent Collections;
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. E.T. Meredith III; 1985.21.10

Group Dynamic: Portfolios, Series, and Sets

September 15 – December 29
Des Moines Art Center Downtown
9th & Walnut Streets

Is the whole greater than the sum of its parts? The exhibition Group Dynamic considers this cliché by exploring artworks produced as groups, primarily in the form of artists’ portfolios, series, and sets from the Art Center’s permanent collections. Henri Matisse’s iconic Jazz portfolio (1947) provides a lively centerpiece and starting point for the exhibition. Recently conserved thanks to the donations of Art Center supporters, the Jazz series of 20 stencil prints derives from Matisse’s vibrantly colored paper collages and presents themes of the circus and theater.

Like Matisse, some Group Dynamic artists explore particular themes or objects, while others use multiple images to tell a story or combine like a puzzle to form a single image. The prints, photography, and sculpture in the exhibition include works by Robert Cottingham, Marcel Duchamp, Anna Gaskell, Glenn Ligon, Robert Longo, Cindy Sherman, Alec Soth, Cy Twombly, Andy Warhol, and Carrie Mae Weems, among others. Group Dynamic is organized by Patricia Hickson, curator and downtown gallery manager.

Special thanks to the Des Moines Art Center, Matisse Jazz Series Conservation Donors Carroll Stoner and Robert Bergazyn, Pamela Bass-Bookey and Harry Bookey, Edwina Brandon, Jeff Chelesvig, Teresa and Johnny Danos, Charlie Edwards, Karolyn Sherwood and Wayne Graham, Karin Holms, Mark and Marie Louise Kane, Carol Kuhle, D.O., Jeanne and Richard Levitt, Madeleine and David Maxwell, Randy McNeal, David Llewelyn II and Jeffrey Morgan, Sara Ghrist Otrok and Tom Otrok, John Taylor, Kevin White, Sue and C. Arthur Wittmack, Diane and Dennis Young.


Group Dynamic: Portfolios, Series, and Sets
Related Programs

Opening Reception
Friday, September 15, 5 – 7 pm
Admission: $5; free for members
Music by Kevin “BF” Burt

Gallery Talk
Patricia Hickson, downtown gallery manager and curator
Thursday, September 21, 7 pm
(Gallery will open at 6 pm for visitors to preview)

Join Hickson as she discusses the artists and works in the exhibition.

Guided Tours
We are pleased to offer free guided tours of Group Dynamic. Please schedule at least three weeks notice for a guided visit. Contact Jennifer Cooley at 515.271.0328 or jcooley@desmoinesartcenter.org.

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Roy Lichtenstein (American, 1923-1997), Bull II from “Bull Profile Series,” 1973, lithograph on paper (6), 27 x 35 inches, Des Moines Art Center Permanent Collections; Gift of Wells Fargo & Company, 2003.258.

Marcel Duchamp (French, 1887-1968), De ou Par Marcel Duchamp ou Rrose Sélavy (La Bôite en Valise) [The Box in a Valise], 1955-68, cloth covered case containing 68 miniature replicas, 16 x 14 5/8 x 3 3/4 inches, Des Moines Art Center Permanent Collections; Purchased with funds from the Mildred M. Bohen Deaccessioning Fund, 1990.9

Carrie Mae Weems (American, born 1953), Sea Island Series (Thomas), 1992 (detail). Color photograph on paper, 20 x 20 inches. Des Moines Art Center Permanent Collections; Purchased with funds from the Edmundson Art Foundation, Inc., 1993.17.A.