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Contemporary Art


Loosely defined as the art of today or the art of our lifetime, the term “contemporary art” is usually used more specifically to describe artworks created since the 1980s or 1990s. For collection purposes, the Frye Art Museum currently delineates the scope as 1990 to the present.

In the more general sense, the Frye has collected and exhibited contemporary—or contemporaneous—art since its opening in 1952. This commitment to the art and culture of the present was catalyzed by Museum founders Charles and Emma Frye, who amassed a collection of paintings made within their own lifetimes and often purchased works directly from living artists. Over the last seven decades, directors of the Museum have each brought their own interests and interpretations to bear on the Frye’s engagement with contemporary art and thereby shaped a distinctive collection.

Prior to the tenure of Elsa “Midge” Bowman (Director, 2004–09), and often counter to dominant trends in art of the time, the Frye’s leadership focused exclusively on exhibiting and collecting representational art, citing Charles and Emma Frye’s preferences for figurative and landscape painting. Under Bowman’s direction, the exhibitions program at the Frye expanded into areas like video art and performance that questioned and upended the definition of representational art. In 2008, the Museum’s mission was revised to embrace art in its myriad forms. The Frye’s contemporary art collection has grown significantly since that time, reflecting the diversity of the institution’s engagement with local, national, and international artists working today.


  FILTER RESULTS
by Artist
Ground of Ground

Harry Gould Harvey IV
Black walnut from the Delano Sawmill, white oak from Prudence Island, MDF, colored pencil, charcoal, gouache, and pigments of goldenrod, Aronia Viking chokecherry, and rose petals
2022

Night Forest

Ann Leda Shapiro
Watercolor and watercolor pencil on archival paper
2022

Formation

Kelly Akashi
Chromogenic crystallograph in aluminum artist's frame
2021

For Fun

Khari Johnson-Ricks
Watercolor on paper with acetate
2021

Mangahufo' I famaguon

Gisela McDaniel
Oil on panel, found objects, sound
2021

Butterfly

Bony Ramirez
Acrylic, soft oil pastel, color pencil, wallpaper, metal chain, dried coconuts
2021

Madrone + Mullan

Sadie Wechsler
Archival inkjet print in madrone artist's frame
2021

Black Face Red Bone with Black Bob

Tschabalala Self
Colored pencil, acrylic paint, gouache, charcoal, graphite on archival inkjet print
2021

Black Face with Wide Chest

Tschabalala Self
Colored pencil, acrylic paint, gouache, charcoal, graphite on archival inkjet print
2021

To a Flame

Anthony White
PLA (plastic) on panel
2019

Untitled

Ko Kirk Yamahira
Acrylic and graphite on partially unwoven canvas with wood
2019

Untitled (Badlands)

Juventino Aranda
Oil on wool Pendleton blanket
2018

Snowflake Drawing #5 (Double Lotus Pod)

Jeffry Mitchell
Graphite, ink, carbon transfer, and watercolor on paper
2018

Dress for Success

Rose Nestler
Leather, thread, batting, grommets, hooks
2018

Chemically Tanned

Alison Bremner
Latex paint on deer hide with horsehair
2017

Waves Floater

Romero Britto
Acrylic paint and oil pen on canvas
2017

Strange Business

Rose Nestler
Two-channel digital video (color, silent): 20 min.
2017-18

Alice™ (you don’t have to think about it)

Kahlil Joseph
Digital video (color, sound); 18:41 min.
2016

Dawn in Luxor

Kahlil Joseph
16mm film transferred to two-channel digital video (color, sound); 4:1 min.
2016

Trap

Duane Linklater
Powder-coated trap, mirror, gypsum board, plywood, steel wall studs
2016

This Is Who We Are

Inye Wokoma
Two-channel digital video (color, sound): 16:13 min.
2016

Specular Reflections

Leo Berk
Glass, black pond dye
2015

Wind Jangle

Leo Berk
Aluminum, fishing line, weights
2015

Eidolon

Cris Bruch
Aluminum composite
2015

Ecdysis

Ishmael Butler
Audio, 24:51 min.
2015

Eclipse Tower 1

Web Crowell and Stacey Levine
Digital video of stop-motion animation (color, sound); 3:43 min.
2015

Be the First To Review The B83

Steve Fisk
Four-channel audio installation
2015

Avatar: Fanon & Decca

C. Davida Ingram
Digital video (color, sound); 19:23 min.
2015

Tsunami Capable Tide Stations > West Coast

DK Pan
Digital video (color, sound); 38:58 min.
2015