James Turrell: Gard Blue

Exhibition

Exhibition Overview

James Turrell: Gard Blue
James Turrell: Gard Blue
Saralyn Reece Hardy, curator
Gallery 317, Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas

James Turrell’s pivotal 1968 work Gard Blue represents a transformative period in his career, marking the crucial juncture when Turrell shifted the viewer’s attention to perception and the phenomenon of light rather than an object. “Light is not so much something that reveals as it is itself the revelation,” the artist has famously said.

Appearing in a large, box-like room constructed within the Central Court, Gard Blue is a projection of light. The clarity of Gard Blue’s presence is held by a single, arresting color. In the Spencer’s exhibition, holograms by Turrell surround Gard Blue, representing this important American artist’s ideas, innovative methods, and unwavering vision.

The exhibition builds on the momentum of a set of Turrell retrospectives at major museums nationwide, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Gard Blue sends a powerful message regarding the importance of innovation and artistic achievement. This essential work by James Turrell comes to the Spencer as a gift from distinguished friends Mark and Lauren Booth. Mark, a KU alumnus, and Lauren, an artist, continually extend their generosity to a broad range of programs at the Spencer Museum of Art, reflecting their deep commitment to contemporary art. Additional works have been generously loaned by Pace Gallery in New York. This exhibition is made possible with financial support from the William T. Kemper Foundation - Commerce Bank, Trustee, the Anschutz Family Foundation, Emprise Financial Corporation, Arthur Neis, David and Gunda Hiebert, and the University of Kansas Research Investment Council.

Works of art

Events

September 4, 2013
Talk
4:00–5:00PM
Gallery 317 Central Court
September 15, 2013
Talk
11:00AM–12:00PM
309 Auditorium
September 29, 2013
Talk
12:30–1:30PM
Gallery 317 Central Court
October 24, 2013
Social
5:30–7:30PM
Gallery 317 Central Court
November 2, 2013
Activity
10:00AM–4:00PM
Gallery 317 Central Court
November 3, 2013
Activity
12:00–4:00PM
Gallery 317 Central Court
November 7, 2013
Workshop
5:00–6:30PM
Gallery 317 Central Court
November 9, 2013
Activity
10:00AM–4:00PM
Gallery 317 Central Court
November 10, 2013
Activity
12:00–4:00PM
Gallery 317 Central Court
November 16, 2013
Activity
10:00AM–4:00PM
Gallery 317 Central Court
November 17, 2013
Activity
12:00–4:00PM
Gallery 317 Central Court
November 23, 2013
Activity
10:00AM–4:00PM
Gallery 317 Central Court
November 24, 2013
Activity
12:00–4:00PM
Gallery 317 Central Court
November 30, 2013
Activity
10:00AM–4:00PM
Gallery 317 Central Court
December 1, 2013
Activity
12:00–4:00PM
Gallery 317 Central Court
December 18, 2013
Activity
5:00–8:00PM
307 Reception Room, Gallery 317 Central Court
December 19, 2013
Activity
5:00–8:00PM
307 Reception Room, Gallery 317 Central Court
December 27, 2013
Talk
1:00–2:00PM
Gallery 317 Central Court
December 27, 2013
Talk
2:00–3:00PM
Gallery 317 Central Court
January 25, 2014
Activity
10:30–11:30AM
Gallery 317 Central Court
February 1, 2014
Activity
10:00AM–4:00PM
Gallery 317 Central Court, 3C1 lobby/hallway
February 2, 2014
Activity
12:00–4:00PM
Gallery 317 Central Court, 3C1 lobby/hallway
February 8, 2014
Activity
10:00AM–4:00PM
Gallery 317 Central Court, 3C1 lobby/hallway
February 9, 2014
Activity
12:00–4:00PM
Gallery 317 Central Court, 3C1 lobby/hallway
February 15, 2014
Activity
10:00AM–4:00PM
Gallery 317 Central Court, 3C1 lobby/hallway
February 16, 2014
Activity
12:00–4:00PM
Gallery 317 Central Court, 3C1 lobby/hallway
February 21, 2014
Talk
1:30–3:00PM
Spencer Museum of Art - Gallery 317 Central Court
February 22, 2014
Activity
10:00AM–4:00PM
Gallery 317 Central Court, 3C1 lobby/hallway
February 23, 2014
Activity
12:00–4:00PM
Gallery 317 Central Court, 3C1 lobby/hallway
March 6, 2014
Talk
7:00–8:00PM
Spencer Museum of Art, 309 Auditorium
March 26, 2014
Talk
7:00–8:00PM
309 Auditorium
March 27, 2014
Talk
7:00–8:00PM
Kansas City Art Institute, Epperson Auditorium, Vanderslice Hall
April 6, 2014
Activity
1:00–3:00PM
3C1 lobby/hallway, Gallery 401, Gallery 405, Gallery 407
April 10, 2014
Social
5:30–7:30PM
3C1 lobby/hallway
April 16, 2014
Talk
5:30–6:30PM
309 Auditorium
April 17, 2014
Talk
10:00–11:00AM
The Commons, Spooner Hall, 1340 Jayhawk Blvd
April 26, 2014
Workshop
9:30AM–12:00PM
307 Reception Room, 309 Auditorium, Gallery 317 Central Court

Resources

Documents