Fifty Years of Collecting: Detroit Institute of Arts’ Friends of Prints, Drawings and Photographs Anniversary Exhibition

The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) celebrates the 50th anniversary of one of its long-standing auxiliary support groups, Friends of Prints, Drawings and Photographs (FPDP), with Fifty Years of Collecting: Detroit Institute of Arts’ Friends of Prints, Drawings and Photographs Anniversary ExhibitionAmong the featured works are Berenice Abbott’s New York at Night, Robert Frank’s Belle Isle Detroit, Erich Heckel‘s Die Brucke poster, Edvard Munch’s Lovers, Charles Burchfield’s In the Parlor, Helen Frankenthaler’s Tales of the Genji III, James McNeill Whistler’s Yellow House, Lannion, Martin Lewis’ Which Way? and selections from Robert Rauschenberg’s Bellini Series.Since its founding in 1965–66 as the Print and Drawing Club, (FPDP) has commissioned, purchased or given the DIA as gifts hundreds of works on paper. This exhibition acknowledges and honors past achievements of this dynamic group of museum devotees. “This exhibition would not have been possible without the support of Friends of Prints and Drawings,” said Salvador Salort-Pons, DIA director. “The generosity of its dedicated members has enabled us to add important works to the collection for our visitors to enjoy.”This is the final exhibition organized by Nancy Sojka, DIA curator of prints and drawings and department head of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs. Sojka will be retiring in January after 27 years with the DIA.“Over the years Nancy has organized dozens of exhibitions drawn from the museum’s rich collections of prints and drawings,” said Salort-Pons. “While we will miss Nancy’s ingenuity and expertise, we wish her the best in her retirement.” FPDP is dedicated to supporting the work of the museum’s Prints, Drawings, and Photographs department. In conjunction with its mission to help develop the collection, the auxiliary organizes a variety of educational and social programs each year for the many exhibitions presented by the department. Openings, previews, lectures, specialized gallery tours, workshops, and visits to artists’ studios and private collections are among regular activities, as well as trips to great art destinations in the United States. FPDP membership currently stands at 223. This eclectic exhibition is on view from Dec. 15, 2015 through June 18, 2016. Fifty Years of Collecting is free with museum admission. General museum admission is free for residents of Wayne Oakland and Macomb counties.  Image: Street Sounds East, Robert Rauschenberg, 1995, Photogravure printed in color. Detroit Institute of Arts

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