works on paper
The Brooks’ collection of works on paper consists of more than 5,000 prints, drawings, photographs, and artists’ books. It spans nearly six centuries but is strongest in early-20th century American works. These collections are periodically displayed in the permanent collection galleries and in smaller thematic presentations throughout the museum. Patrons, teachers, or students interested in specific works may make an appointment to view them in the Marcus Orr Print Room by calling the Registrar’s Office at 901.544.6234 or 901.544.6235.
Prints
The Marcus Orr Print Room houses the museum’s graphic works, its largest single collection. More than half of the prints in this collection are 20th century American, ranging from an extensive selection of Associated American Artists prints to Pop Art of the 1960s and contemporary works by artists, such as Glenn Ligon and Willie Cole. European Old Masters are represented by the etchings and engravings of Albrecht Dürer and Rembrandt van Rijn; 18th and 19th century prints include works by Thomas Bewick, Francisco Goya, William Hogarth, and Honoré Daumier. A small selection of Japanese prints represents the Ukiyo-e school with woodcuts by masters such as Hiroshige and Kuniyoshi.
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Photography
In 1941, a photogravure by Edward S. Curtis became the first photograph to enter the Brooks’ collection. Presently, there are more than 1,200 works, the majority of which are from the 20th century, including large portfolios by regional photographers William Eggleston and William Christenberry, as well as works by Ernest Withers and Alfred Wertheimer. These are supplemented by a set of Library of Congress reprints of Farm Security Administration photographs by artists such as Marion Post Wolcott, Dorothea Lange, and Walker Evans. Recent additions to the growing list of photography are works by Paul Strand, Duane Michals, Carrie Mae Weems, Alex Soth, Sandy Skoglund, Vic Muniz, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Alfred Stieglitz, Alfred Eisenstaedt, Andre Kertesz, Aaron Siskind, Gordon Parks, Marcos Lopez, and Fred Wilson.
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Drawings
This collection consists primarily of 19th and 20th century American drawings and watercolors, including works by Everett Shinn, William Stanley Haseltine, Charles Demuth, Reginald Marsh, Charles Burchfield, Andrew Wyeth, Philip Pearlstein, Nancy Graves, Peter Saul, Jim Natt, and Manuel Neri. Nearly 600 drawings by 19th century Tennessee artist Carl Gutherz offer an extensive overview of a salon artist active during the belle époque. Other regional artists represented include Mississippi’s Walter Anderson, Memphis political cartoonist J.P. Alley, and painter Carroll Cloar. In addition, the collection contains a small selection of religious manuscripts from the 10th to the 18th centuries.
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Artists' Books
An extensive gift of artists’ books, given in 1990 by collectors Isabel Ehrlich and Charles F. Goodman, forms the nucleus of this collection, which consists primarily of 20th century editions. Some are the result of collaboration between an artist and a writer, such as Pablo Picasso and Yvan Goll, while others represent the cooperative efforts of many individuals such as 1¢ Life by Walasse Ting, which has 28 contributing artists. Among some of the recent acquisitions are The Vitreous Body by Kiki Smith, Paper Snake by Ray Johnson, and Such Things I Do to Make Myself More Attractive to You by Terence Koh. Many of these volumes include original graphics and handmade papers. Selections can be viewed in the Goodman Gallery that was created in 1999 to display works associated with the written word.
DETAILS
Edward S. Curtis (American, 1868-1952)
Getting Water--Apache from The North American Indian, 1903
Photogravure
15 1/4" x 11 7/8" (38.7 cm x 30.2 cm)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. O.M. Bennett 41.17