The Joffrey Ballet is pleased to announce that Marie-Joseé Kravis has invited the artists in the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection to attend a special event in their honor. Our very own Herbert Migdol, Director of Special Projects at The Joffrey Ballet has his work, LOS TARASCANS in this collection. This piece was one of Herbert’s earliest time lapse studies created in the same style as those acquired by Mary Jo Basler and Barbara Kipper. Below is a short interview with Herbert explaining his long and rich history with MoMA.
LOS TARASCANS
I began at Cooper Union as a graphics major, and my first job was in the graphic design department of MoMA. It was an amazing experience which lasted three and a half years, and gave me an insight into Modern Art that went far beyond the classroom.
In 1981, a Director at MoMA, Edward Stiechen, had an assistant named Grace Mayer. Through her I was introduced to Ziva Kraus, a gallery director in Venice, Italy, who was searching for unexhibited artists. She saw my work and agreed to give to me my first exhibition at her gallery, Ikona. The exhibition, to date, was still the most beautiful experience I have had in exhibiting my work. I remember walking into the gallery at sunset and the light from sparkling canal waters danced around the room and obliterated the images into an altered state of beauty, which somehow made them perfect. This was not only my first major exhibition of photography, but it also brought me to the realization that I was going to change my path from photography to painting as a fine artist. Shortly thereafter I began my painting career.
Swimmer 300
My most recent work is a large public art instillation entitled Swimmer 300 (which stretches 300 feet by 15 feet and was displayed along the East Bank of the Grand River in Grand Rapids, Michigan). I am currently hoping to find a way to present it on the Chicago River, and I have sent a copy to the current director of MoMA, Glen Lowry, whose letter accompanied the invitation. I was so touched as I read the first line of this letter: “It is with pleasure that I write today to express how honored we are to have your work in the collection of The Museum of Modern Art” I suddenly felt so joyfully appreciated, and so excited to once again be sharing my work with MoMA. It was with great pleasure that I shared Swimmer 300, which has a common essence with LOS TARASCANS, exploring the passage of time, while at the same time showing how my work has evolved since the first piece I shared with MoMA.
Herb leaving for his trip to NYC
No comments:
Post a Comment