By Daily Press staff
A sculpture by Santa Monica artist Bruria Finkel will be among the works debuting on June 21 at the gala opening of the New Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) in Washington D.C. Dream Sequence is one of a series of porcelain heads that Bruria Finkel produced in the 1970s-80s. Finkel started her art work in clay in New York in 1955, first in one of a kind stoneware and porcelain, and then expanded into a multi media art, installations and public art. Her themes are ecology, survival and the spirit. Finkel had many one person exhibitions and group shows in galleries and museums in the United States and Europe.
Dream Sequence will be one of a number of American art objects on permanent display at the new Luce Foundation Center for American Art. The state-of-the-art facility features interactive computer kiosks and individual hand-held computers to provide visitors with information on every object in the Luce Center, including discussions of each artwork, artist biographies, audio interviews, video clips and still images. The Luce Center is located within SAAM’s building just like the Renwick.
“Dream Sequence is considered to be a beautiful piece and was chosen because it was an exceptional example of Finkel’s work,” said Renwick Curator Ms. Miloch. “It brings together a lot of elements that are in her earlier work in a powerful way. The psychology of the piece transcends time and recalls ancient art as well as contemporary artists. It gets people to think about how we treat each other as human beings and the power of memory.”
Finkel’s work can be seen locally by appointment and in upcoming installations at the Los Angeles International and the Ontario Airports, from Oct. 10, 2006 through Feb. 18, 2007, in multiple artist exhibits she is now curating.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 20, 2006. Read the original PDF.