No matter whether death is considered from a philosophical, religious, destructive or medical viewpoint, its depiction by artists through the centuries has cultural merit.
When viewed as an exhibition, such as the very comprehensive Morbid Curiosity: The Richard Harris Collection now at the Chicago Cultural Center, the depiction of death has artistic merit while graphically reminding viewers that death is inevitable and war is not merely a troubled historic footnote.
At nearly 1000 items ranging from sculptures and artifacts to etchings and prints and dated from 2000 BCE to modern times, Morbid Curiosity arguably needs more than a single lunch-time viewing.
Because there is so much to see, Cultural Center curators working with Harris, divided the exhibition into two sections on the north side of the fourth floor: “The War Room” in the Exhibit Hall and “Kuntzkammer of Death” in the adjoining Sidney R. Yates Gallery.
“The War Room” contains five large series: Jacques Callot’s 1963 “Miseries and Misfortunes of War” prints, Francisco Goya’s 1810-20 “The Disasters of War” “acquatint” etchings, Otto Dix’s 1924 “The War” prints, Jake and Dinos Chapman’s 1999 “Disasters of War” series and Sandow Birk’s 2007 “The Depravities of War.”
Kuntzkammer, roughly translated as curiosities cabinet, a phrase that once referred to the treasures’ room in a wealthy estate.
Visitors walking into the Kuntzkammer section will see a Day of the Dead style altar, relics and small sculptures arranged on a table, contemporary floor installations and an array of notable etchings and lithographs mounted on a room divider.
To best understand the exhibit, viewers should 312-635-2293 on the cell phone audio tour when standing in front of a blue cell phone logo. The number is listed on guides available near exhibition entrances.
Laminated guides with date, origin and artist information are available for use in the Kuntzkammer room when looking at the items on the table and prints mounted on the divider. As an example, Albrecht Durer’s “Four Horsemen of the Apocalpse,” 1518 woodcut is No. 13 on the wall divider guide.
Viewers may even find Richard Harris chatting with visitors about an item in the collection. On one recent visit, Harris explained he was interested in British artist Jodie Carey’s “In the Eyes of Others,” a set of three life-sized chandeliers of plaster-cast bones. “I wanted just one but was told, not, it was a set,” Harris said. After thinking about the sculptures the collector decided to purchase all of them. “One is here. The other two are in storage,” he said.
The statement arguably describes how much of his death collection was kept before the Culture Center exhibition.
“This is my third collection. I had rare books and sold it. I had a collection of Rembrandt, Chagal and Picasso prints and sold it,” he said.
Asked how he was able to see everything in his collection including the large war prints, Harris said it wasn’t possible. He motioned across the large Yates Gallery. “That is why there is this exhibit,” he said.
He was asked, “For you? For others?”
“Both,” he said.
Scheduled times that Harris will be back wandering the exhibition and answering questions are 3 p.m. March 11 and 2 p.m. April 7. DePaul University Art History Professor Paul Jaskot will be at the Cultural Center 12:15 p.m. April 25 to duscuss Oto Dix, World War I and “Images of War.”
For exhibit information events visit Explore Chicago Cultural Center Exhibits
Details: Morbid Curiosity is at the Chicago Cultural Center now through July 8, 2012. Admission is free. Exhibit hours: Monday through Thursday10 a.m.to 7 p.m., Friday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed holidays. Also visit Chicago Cultural Center for information. Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington Street (at Michigan Avenue), Chicago IL
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