“In Pursuit of Abstraction” features early 20th century works of fine and decorative art that explore the modern age through spirituality and mystical experience. This remarkable exhibition comes from the collections of Jeri L. Wolfson and Mitchell Wolfson Jr, and will be on display at the Wolfsonian-FIU in Miami Beach until April 16th.
On October 14th, 300 guests, including members of the Wolfsonian, VIPs and the press, discovered this transcendental display, and met Jeri Wolfson and curator, Mathew Abess, who collaborated for two years to bring this exhibition to the public.
Photos: World Redeye
In preparation for the event, Executive chef, Vincent Gourmet, and event producer, Caron Cole, perused the exhibit and customized a menu and presentation that visually complemented the art. Vincent created a 3D model of one of the exhibit’s signature works, a portrait painted by German expressionist, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. The 3D model of the head was used as a vessel for presentation of hors d’oeuvres. Another crowd pleaser were the “Butternut Squash, Crème de Marron with Reconstituted Cranberry” which were presented as small geometric shapes that reflected some of the forms in the works on show.
Other popular menu items passed butler-style were Purple Potatoes filled with Curry Chicken and Goat Cheese Parcels with Crushed Macademia Nuts topped with Aged Balsamic Syrup.
This rarely displayed theater curtain by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner was painted with Dionysian figures for a performance in the 1920s. It was painted over in 1931. The 7x16 foot curtain shows both scenes by revealing the bleed through of the original work on the back.
The Wolfsonian is located at 1001 Washington Avenue in the heart of historic Miami Beach, surrounded by the area's famous Art Deco hotels. The Art Deco District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Hundreds of buildings built between 1923 and 1943 make up the largest concentration of Art deco buildings in the world.
The Wolsonian's collection includes over 180,000 objects from the 1850s to the 1950s in a variety of media such as furniture; industrial design objects; works made of glass, ceramic and metal; rare books; periodicals; ephemera; paintings; textiles and medals. The collection spans the 100 years from the Industrial Revolution through the aftermath of the second world war and is renowned for its unrivaled collection of modern material culture.