An A-Z visitors guide to Milwaukee Wisconsin. Sponsored by Key Magazine Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/53694
'Accidental Genius' opens this month at Milwaukee Art Museum THE EXHIBITION Accidental Genius: Art frm the Anthony Petullo Collection celebrates the gift to the Milwaukee Art Museum of the Anthony Petullo Collection, with the most extensive grouping of European self-taught art in America. Comprising more than 300 artworks, the gift greatly enhances the museum's holdings and establishes the Milwaukee Art Museum as a leading American institution for self-taught art. Running Feb. 10 through May 6, Accidental Genius will feature more than 200 works by many of the most important European and American artists in the genre, including Henry Darger, Minnie Evans, Martín Ramírez, Friedrich Schröder-Sonnenstern, Bill Traylor, Alfred Wallis, Adolf Wölfli and Anna Zemankova. The museum's commitment to the work of self- taught artists began as early as 1951 with the gift of two paintings by Wisconsin artist Anna Louisa Miller. Other important works entered the collection over the following three decades, culminating in the 1989 acquisition of the Michael and Julie Hall Collection of American Folk Art. With the acquisition of the Petullo Collection, the museum's holdings now encompass a more broadly inclusive representation of self-taught art as a worldwide phenomenon. Self-taught artists typically explore and develop their skills independently, rather than within an academic setting or by adhering to any established artistic movements. Several artists in the Petullo Collection are represented in great depth, allowing for a comprehensive examination of their work. British artist Scottie Wilson (1891–1972) started doodling on a tabletop in the back room of the shop he owned; he quit the business to devote all his time to his art, which included making tableware designs for the Royal Worcester Porcelain Company. Examples of both his drawings and his ceramics are included in the exhibition. Swiss artist Rosemarie Koczy (1939–2007), imprisoned with her family in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II, was driven by her experiences to create work in which the figures are barely able to emerge from their densely hatched backgrounds. Rural Texas native Eddie Arning (1898–1993) discovered his artistic ability later in life through an art class offered at his nursing home. Lesser known but equally significant artists collected by Petullo include English laborer James Lloyd (1905–1974), who developed a pointillist painting technique after studying the dot patterns associated with printed reproductions of famous artworks. The Milwaukee Art Museum, 700 N. Art Museum Dr., is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sun., with extended hours until 8 p.m. on Thursdays. General admission of $15 for adults and $12 for students over 12, seniors and active military includes special exhibitions. Visit www.mam.org for more information. FROM TOP: James Lloyd (English, 1905–1974), Landscape with Figure and Dog, 1968; Jephan DeVilliers (French, b. 1934); Reve d'envolvement porte par la foret tranquille, 1999 19