A Beautiful Day at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts

June 4, 2022

The lovely Utah Museum of Fine Arts (or UMFA) is located on the campus of University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. I was there on a very quiet day in the middle of July and felt I had the whole campus and museum to myself. While the museum is not large, it features a beautiful sampling of art from around the world. Of course, my specialty is European art, but I was so delighted to find art from Japan, China, Africa, the Pacific, Latin America and more. Plus, the museum itself is visitor friendly and sleekly designed and features a great gift shop on the way out. The staff was friendly and parking was easy.

I was very excited to see some well-known artists, like Sol LeWitt , Joan Mitchell and Helen Frankenthaler as well as some other artists that I wasn’t familiar with. Below is just a sampling of what is in the museum, they are some of my favorites, highlighted here, in chronological order:

Honfleur_TheordoreEarlButler_Utah Museum of Fine Arts_gscinparis — “Honfleur” (1907) by American artist Theodore Earl Butler as seen at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts

1. “Honfleur” (1907) by Theodore Earl Butler

Here we see the cityscape Here we see the cityscape of the busy port of Honfleur, located at the mouth of the Seine river in France. Painted in 1907 by the artist Theodore Earl Butler, an American, we see he is quite inspired by Claude Monet’s impressionism. Fun fact- Butler married Monet’s step-daughter and became close with the famous founder of Impressionism. Personally, I have wonderful memories of Honfleur from my time living in France. It was an easy train ride from Paris and as a Southern California native, sometimes I just needed to see and smell the sea.

Canyonlands_ConradBuff_Utah Museum of Fine Arts_gscinparis — “Canyonlands” (ca. 1935) by Swiss born artist Conrad Buff as seen at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts

2. “Canyonlands (circa 1935) by Conrad Buff

Born and raised in Switzerland, Born and raised in Switzerland, artist Conrad Buff (1886-1975) moved to Los Angeles in his mid-twenties and began his work on depicting the southwest. He had a modern interpretation of the landscapes he found, using architectural composition and disjointed color patterns to highlight the desert. The piece here is titled, “Canyonlands”. I have spent much time in Utah over the past few years. I love how this painting, with its vivid hues and distinctly carved rock, shows off the stunning beauty of the landscapes found in Utah.

HelenFrankenthaler_Wizard1963_Utah Museum of Fine Arts_gscinparis — “Wizard” (1963) by Helen Frankenthaler as seen at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts

3. “Wizard” (1963) by Helen Frankenthaler

Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011) was an innovative abstract painter. She would thin her paint to stain raw canvas which caused the paint to become one with the weave of the canvas. She would pin her canvasses to the floor and use sponges and mops to apply watery paint which allowed the colors to mix, blend and bleed. Her colorful work “Wizard” (1963) is on display at the museum. I love running into these bold female abstract artists at museums from Paris to Palm Springs to Utah…

SolLeWitt_WallDrawing33_1970_Utah Museum of Fine Arts_gscinparis_1 — “Wall Drawing 33” (1970) by Sol LeWitt as seen at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts

SolLeWitt_WallDrawing33_1970_Utah Museum of Fine Arts_gscinparis — “Wall Drawing 33” (1970) by Sol LeWitt as seen at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts

4. “Wall Drawing 33” (1970) by Sol LeWitt

This one was so hard to capture in an image but is so completely fascinating. In Sol LeWitt’s “Wall Drawing 33” (1970), he used mathematical, geometric formulas to dictate the artwork. He didn’t produce the work at all but rather produced the instructions and had his students at the time produce the original. In the UMFA, artists from the University of Utah produced it in 2019. It’s a fascinating floor-to-ceiling piece that captivates the viewer.

MazeII_JudithGodwin_Utah Museum of Fine Arts_gscinparis — “Maze II” (1976) by Judith Godwin as seen at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts

5. “Maze II” (1976) by Judith Godwin

Judith Godwin (1930-2021) is an American abstract artist that I just discovered. During her time in New York in the 1950’s, she met Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock and others in the avant-garde movement… but as a woman, her work did not gain the same recognition. Her art was heavily influenced by her friend and dancer/choreographer, Martha Graham- which can be seen in her bold, diagonal brush strokes. She also was inspired by architectural space and nature, which we see here in “Maze II” from 1976.

JoanMitchell_BedfordIII_1981_Utah Museum of Fine Arts_gscinparis copy — “Bedford III” (1981) by Joan Mitchell as seen at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts

6. “Bedford III” (1981) by Joan Mitchell

Joan Mitchell (1925-1992) was a member of the American abstract expressionist movement, even though she lived and worked most of her life in France. I’ve seen her work in many different museums both in the US and in France – her work tends to be large scale, often covering multiple panels. She was often influenced by landscapes and she used dramatic brushstrokes to convey her themes. The UMFA has a lithograph called “Bedford III” (1981) on display – but I will be honest, I had a hard time finding any information on this painting, even on the Joan Mitchell Foundation website.

NabilNahas_Untitled_1985_Utah Museum of Fine Arts_gscinparis — “Untitled” (1985) by Nabil Nahas as seen at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts

7. “Untitled” (1985) by Nabil Nahas

Born in Beirut in 1949, Nabil Nahas earned his M.F.A. at Yale University in 1973. While this piece definitely features elements of mid-century American abstract art, he also incorporates Islamic art influences into his work. His works tend to feature biological growth and patterns found in nature.

SigneStuart_BlueAlluvia_Utah Museum of Fine Arts_gscinparis — “Blue Alluvia” (1988) by Signe Stuart as seen at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts

8. “Blue Alluvia” (1988) by Signe Stuart

“Blue Alluvia”, 1988, is by American artist Signe Stuart (born 1937). Made of acrylic, canvas and wood. I see the influences of her Swedish heritage. However, information on the pioneering female artist and this particular piece was very scarce. Someone should write a book about her!

ViolaFrey_EthnicMan_1991_Utah Museum of Fine Arts_gscinparis — “Ethnic Man” (1991) by Viola Frey as seen at the UMFA

9. “Ethnic Man” (1991) by Viola Frey

Ceramic artist Viola Frey (1933-2004) created the 12 feet tall “Ethnic Man” (1991). Frey’s work defied traditional small scale ceramic artform. Her work tends to be monumental in height, often weighing thousands of pounds. This piece is so impressive and was very hard to capture the size and scale on camera!

DiscardedMemories_2008_Chakaia Booker_Utah Museum of Fine Arts_gscinparis — “Discarded Memories” (2008) by Chakaia Booker

10. “Discarded Memories” (2008) by Chakaia Booker

Made of tires, wood, metal and paint, the sculpture is a critique of our throwaway culture. Yet the movement and shapes are alluring.

Conclusion

There was so much more to see at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. I have highlighted only a few pieces, mainly from the contemporary time frame. There was a whole collection of art from other regions, like Asia and Africa.