Ogundipe and Deas
Ogundipe and Deas
Share
Limited Edition: 16
Exhibition: Denver Art Museum: Come Visit Us
Material: Printed 2-ply vinyl
Dimensions: 30" x 89" (76cm x 226cm)
Hanging Hardware Included
Summary
The work of contemporary artist Moyo Ogundipe melds the influences of his Nigerian homeland with those of his current home in America. The richness of his works comes from imagery and symbolism, as well as from the gorgeous details that combine to create the whole. The other side of this banner captures the spirit of the American West. Painter Charles Deas created works that told 19th century Americans about the courage and independent spirit of those who ventured westward. His 1884 painting of a trapper on horseback became a definitive icon of the Rocky Mountains of that era, and is featured on these 16 banners:
Description
In the fall of 2006, the Denver Art Museum opened its new Frederic C. Hamilton wing designed by architect Daniel Libeskind. The expansive new building allowed the museum to better display its permanent collection, and banners featuring some of the museum’s great holdings were created.
This banner features two images by markedly different painters. On one side of the banner is Soliloquy - Life's Fragile Fictions from 1997 by contemporary Nigerian-born, American painter Moyo Ogundipe. The work is rich with the influence of Ogundipe’s Yoruba heritage. The image of the woman holding a bird in her hand is rendered in rich blues, purples, and greens. Each form on Ogundipe’s canvas is embellished with detailed white lines and patterns that draw not only upon African decoration but also on Western imagery, mythology, and symbolism. Below the image are lime green and black bands with reversed text that reads ”Come Visit Us/Denver Art Museum”.
The other side of the banner features Charles Deas’s 1884 work Long Jakes: The Rocky Mountain Man. This work is a symbol of the old west, and as a touchstone for Rocky Mountain iconography it is the centerpiece of the Denver Art Museum’s Institute for Western American Art. The simply dressed figure of the trapper atop an exhausted steed was a heroic symbol of the independence and fortitude of the American character. Below the image are red and black bands with reversed text that reads ”Come Visit Us/Denver Art Museum”.
Provenance
These banners were displayed around Denver, Colorado during the summer of 2007 to promote the Denver Art Museum’s Come Visit Us campaign celebrating their permanent collection.