Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College
Former names
Gladys K. Montgomery Art Center/Gallery (until 2001)[1]
Pomona College Museum of Art (until 2020)
Established1958 (1958)
Location211 N. College Ave., Claremont, California, United States
Coordinates34°5′46.2″N 117°42′55.1″W / 34.096167°N 117.715306°W / 34.096167; -117.715306
TypeArt museum
Collection size17,932 items
Visitors18,000 per year[2]
DirectorVictoria Sancho Lobis[3][4]
ArchitectsMachado Silvetti, Gensler
OwnerPomona College
Public transit accessClaremont
Websitepomona.edu/museum

The Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College, known colloquially as the Benton, is an art museum at Pomona College in Claremont, California. It was completed in 2020, replacing the Montgomery Art Gallery, which had been home to the Pomona College Museum of Art (PCMA) since 1958. It houses a collection of approximately 18,000 items,[5] including Italian Renaissance panel paintings, indigenous American art and artifacts, and American and European prints, drawings, and photographs. The museum is free to the public.

History

Montgomery Art Gallery building in 2023

Pomona College established a separate School of Art and Design in 1892,[6] and incorporated it into the college c. 1913.[7] In 1958, responding to increased postwar interest in the arts, the Gladys K. Montgomery Art Center was completed adjacent to the art department in Rembrandt Hall, enabling the college to present its permanent collection in one place for the first time.[8][9] A $280,000 expansion completed in 1968 added a second story and nearly doubled its size.[10]: 570 

The gallery experienced a brief golden age from 1969 to 1973,[11][12][13][14][15][16] during which director Mowry Baden (class of 1958) and curators Hal Glicksman[17] and Helene Winer[18] staged a number of groundbreaking post-minimalist and conceptual exhibitions, including work by James Turrell (class of 1965), Judy Fiskin (class of 1966), Chris Burden (class of 1969), and Peter Shelton (class of 1973), all of whom would later achieve fame.[19] Resistance from the more socially conservative administration, including to a controversial March 1972 performance by Wolfgang Stoerchle in which he urinated on a rug, led to a mass exodus of the art faculty in 1973.[20][21] Art historian Thomas E. Crow later wrote that the works created and presented at the college during this period were arguably "as salient to art history as any being made and shown anywhere else in the world at that time."[19]

In 1977, a new 2,500-square-foot (230 m2) gallery was added, doubling the available exhibition space.[22] In 2001, the gallery acquired museum status.[23] A more minor renovation was completed in 2006, adding a new entrance.[24]

In 2020, the museum moved to a new building, the Benton, constructed diagonally adjacent to the old Montgomery Gallery.[25] The new facility, named after donor and trustee Janet Inskeep Benton (class of 1979),[26] more than tripled the exhibition and storage space available to the museum.[27] It overcame local opposition from Claremont residents who objected to the moving of a historic house to create space on the lot.[28][29] It reopened to the public on May 25, 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic.[30]

Design

The museum's lobby
(view as a 360° interactive panorama)

The museum is located near the southwestern edge of Pomona's campus, adjacent to the Village, Claremont's downtown commercial district.[26] It was designed collaboratively by Boston-based Machado and Silvetti Associates and California-based Gensler, and cost $44 million to build.[26] The building is U-shaped around a courtyard,[26] and is constructed primarily of cast-in-place concrete, with stained heavy timbers as an ornamental accent.[31] It features several visual axes, and is designed to be "visually porous" so that visitors can easily see both into and out of it.[31] It was designed to a LEED Gold standard.[32]

Critical reception of the museum's design was positive. Mick Rhodes of the Claremont Courier described the material palette as "clean and cool without being cold" and noted the spaciousness of the galleries.[30] Brian T. Allen, reviewing for National Review, called the museum "a perfect gem". He wrote that "I've rarely seen a more thoughtful, comprehensive, economically efficient building project".[33] Michael J. Lewis wrote in The Wall Street Journal that "its distinction is obvious; it is arrayed on three sides of an open plaza, its cast-in-place concrete walls suggesting an abstract classicism while the stained timber elements that form its portico and porch give it a stately and equally classical rhythm."[34]

Collections

Collections vault at the museum

The Benton houses a collection of approximately 18,000 items,[5] including Italian Renaissance panel paintings, approximately 6,000 Pre-Columbian to 20th-century indigenous American art and artifacts,[27] and American and European prints, drawings, and photographs.[26][35] Many of the museum's exhibitions focus on Southern Californian artists.[26] Former director Kathleen Howe described its primary focus as "contemporary art with an edge".[26]

The museum oversees several notable public artworks on Pomona's campus, including The Spirit of Spanish Music by Burt William Johnson (1915), Prometheus by José Clemente Orozco (1930), Genesis by Rico Lebrun (1960),[36][37][10]: 485–487  and Dividing the Light by James Turrell (2007). A statue by Alison Saar, Imbue, is located in the museum's courtyard; it depicts the Yoruba goddess of childbirth, Yemọja, carrying a large stack of pails on her head.[38]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "2001". Pomona College. November 5, 2014. Archived from the original on January 4, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Museum's Mission". Pomona College. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  3. ↑ Kendall, Mark (January 2, 2020). "Victoria Sancho Lobis Named Director of New Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College". Pomona College. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College Names Victoria Sancho Lobis Director". Artforum. January 2, 2020. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  5. 1 2 "Annual Report (FY 2022)". Benton Museum of Art. 2022. Archived from the original on February 9, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  6. ↑ "1892". Pomona College. November 7, 2014. Archived from the original on July 14, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  7. ↑ "1913". Pomona College. November 7, 2014. Archived from the original on July 21, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  8. ↑ "1958". Pomona College. November 7, 2014. Archived from the original on February 15, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Arts Figure Gladys Montgomery Dies". Los Angeles Times. March 12, 1985. Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  10. 1 2 Lyon, E. Wilson (1977). The History of Pomona College, 1887–1969. The Castle Press.
  11. ↑ Mizota, Sharon (January 6, 2012). "PST, A to Z: 'She Accepts,' 'It Happened'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  12. ↑ Knight, Christopher (September 6, 2011). "Art review: 'It Happened at Pomona; Part I: Hal Glicksman' at Pomona College Museum of Art [Updated]". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  13. ↑ Mizota, Sharon (February 8, 2012). "PST, A to Z: 'It Happened at Pomona Part 2: Helene Winer at Pomona'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  14. ↑ Knight, Christopher (January 23, 2012). "Art review: 'It Happened at Pomona, Part II' at Pomona College". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 6, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  15. ↑ Mizota, Sharon (September 10, 2012). "PST, A to Z: 'It Happened at Pomona Part 3: At Pomona' at Pomona College Museum of Art". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  16. ↑ Knight, Christopher (May 10, 2012). "Art review: 'It Happened at Pomona' shows a brief, enduring period". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 9, 2022. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  17. ↑ "1969". Pomona College Timeline. Pomona College. November 7, 2014. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  18. ↑ "1970". Pomona College Timeline. Pomona College. November 7, 2014. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  19. 1 2 Muchnic, Suzanne (October 4, 2011). "How It Happened Again". Pomona College Magazine. Pomona College. Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  20. ↑ "1972". Pomona College Timeline. Pomona College. November 7, 2014. Archived from the original on February 15, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  21. ↑ "1973". Pomona College Timeline. Pomona College. November 7, 2014. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  22. ↑ "1977". Pomona College Timeline. Pomona College. November 7, 2014. Archived from the original on February 15, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Department History – Art History". Pomona College. Archived from the original on September 5, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  24. ↑ "2006". Pomona College Timeline. Pomona College. November 7, 2014. Archived from the original on January 4, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  25. ↑ Rees, Brenda (September 30, 2021). "How to Move a Museum". Pomona College Magazine. Pomona College. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Vankin, Deborah (February 27, 2019). "Southern California's newest art museum will be called the Benton". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  27. 1 2 Heeter, Maria (September 25, 2019). "New Pomona art museum set to open fall 2020". The Student Life. Archived from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  28. ↑ "Pomona College's desire for a museum splitting the community". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. May 15, 2016. Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  29. ↑ Browning, Kellen (April 26, 2018). "A fresh look at the Pomona College Museum of Art". Claremont Courier. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  30. 1 2 Rhodes, Mick (May 25, 2021). "Benton Museum of Art has plenty to see for everyone". Claremont Courier. Archived from the original on June 9, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  31. 1 2 "Benton Museum of Art". Machado and Silvetti Associates. Archived from the original on August 12, 2017. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  32. ↑ McCown, James (July 20, 2021). "The Benton Art Museum brings Mediterranean flair to Pomona College". The Architect's Newspaper. Archived from the original on September 16, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  33. ↑ Allen, Brian T. (November 13, 2021). "The Beautiful Benton Museum". National Review. Archived from the original on November 16, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  34. ↑ Lewis, Michael J. (December 15, 2021). "The Best Architecture of 2021: Constraints That Set Creativity Free". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  35. ↑ "Collections". Pomona College Museum of Art. October 2, 2014. Archived from the original on April 4, 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  36. ↑ "Rico Lebrun's Genesis". Pomona College Museum of Art. December 18, 2014. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  37. ↑ Sutton, Frances (April 29, 2020). "Framed: 'Genesis' is the divine judgment above Frary's steps". The Student Life. Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  38. ↑ Finkel, Jori (November 5, 2020). "Alison Saar on Transforming Outrage Into Art". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 5, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2020.

Further reading

  • Beebe, Marjorie Harth (1988). Art at Pomona, 1887–1987: A Centennial Celebration. Claremont, California: Galleries of the Claremont Colleges. ISBN 978-0-915478-57-6.
  • McGrew, Rebecca; Phillips, Glenn, eds. (August 31, 2011). It Happened at Pomona: Art at the Edge of Los Angeles 1969-1973. Claremont, California: Pomona College Museum of Art. ISBN 978-0-9818955-8-1.
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