SUArt Galleries Presents ‘A World Apart: Art from the Samuel T. Pees Collection of Ethnographic Art’

Friday, August 23, 2013, By Syracuse University Art Museum
Roechiyat, "Before the Bharata Yudha War," 1973

Roechiyat, “Before the Bharata Yudha War,” 1973

The Syracuse University Art Galleries is presenting “A World Apart: Art from the Samuel T. Pees Collection of Ethnographic Art,” an exhibition that highlights artwork gifted to the University Art Collection by collector Samuel T. Pees.

Curated by SUArt Galleries Director Domenic J. Iacono, the exhibition will present 30 pieces of original artwork featuring a breadth of media from oil to printmaking to dye batiks. The exhibition highlights more than 20 artists, with nationalities as diverse as Haitian, Paraguayan, Indonesian, Thai, Grand Cayman and Malaysian. This is the first exhibition to examine artwork in the Pees Collection since 1989.

The exhibition will run Sept. 5- Oct. 20 in the Shaffer Art Building. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m., and Thursdays 11 a.m.-8 p.m.  The SUArt Galleries will host a free opening night reception from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5. Patrons are welcome to view the exhibition until the gallery closes at 8 p.m.  The reception is open to the public.

G. Georges, "Four People in a Landscape," n.d.

G. Georges, “Four People in a Landscape,” n.d.

In 1988, Samuel Pees made a substantial gift of more than 250 original pieces of artwork to the Syracuse University Art Collection, followed by another gift of additional artwork in the mid-1990s.  An alumnus of Syracuse University, Samuel Pees earned his master’s degree in geology in 1959. As a professional consultant, Pees was able to travel frequently to South America, Latin America, Indonesia and the Southeast.  It was during these travels that he actively collected art, which includes work by well-known artists Tohny Joesof and Ricardo Carpani.

The exhibition “A World Apart: Art From The Samuel Pees Collection of Ethnographic Art” is being displayed as part of the SUArt Galleries International Arts Year celebration that includes the exhibitions “Nyumba ya Sanaa: Works from the Maryknoll Collection,” “Print Making Revolution: Mexican Prints and the Taller Grafica Popular,” “Mithila Painting—The Evolution of an Art Form” and “Contemporary Printmaking from South Africa.”

Select programming associated with the exhibition includes a Lunchtime Lecture with curator of the exhibition Domenic Iacono on Wednesday, Oct. 2, at 12:15 p.m. The exhibition and programs are free and open to the public. Information and related programming is available at the official exhibition website at