Gertrude Stein remains a major figure in the arts 65 years after her death; her love of influential painters such as Matisse and Picasso is eclipsed only by her contributions to the written word. Two exhibits running concurrently in the San Francisco Bay Area seek to celebrate her life, work, and influence this summer – and one does it with help from Scripps College’s Denison Library.
Surprisingly, Denison plays host to one of the largest and unique Stein collections in the world. “It’s the most valuable one in existence except for the one at Yale,” notes Stein literary executor Carl Van Vechten. The collection includes first editions, translations, correspondence, paintings, recordings, and other extensive memorabilia.
But how did a major collection on one of the foremost modernist writers and cultural leaders of the 20th century come to Scripps? Stein historian Addison Metcalf approached the College in 1959 to see if it would be interested in his research. Over the course of almost 25 years, Metcalf grew his donation through meticulous research and extensive correspondence with people close to Stein.
“Just as multiple ways of seeing Gertrude Stein have become visible in this major exhibition, Denison’s Steiniana Collection has been unveiled as a vast trove of diverse objects illuminating Stein’s legacy and influence”, says Judy Harvey Sahak, Sally Preston Swan Librarian for Denison Library.
Of the two exhibits currently on display, Seeing Gertrude Stein: Five Stories borrowed more than 70 items from the Metcalf Collection. Curators Wanda Corn and Tirza True Latimer were amazed at the breadth of Stein material housed at Scripps; research within Denison led to some unexpected discoveries.
“Our research on Stein uncovered some major themes that have been missing from the composite image built up by biographers,” says Latimer.
Corn and Latimer’s exhibitions runs in tandem until September 6 with The Steins Collect: Matisse, Picasso, and the Parisian Avant-Garde; the former is at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, the latter at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. (Interested parties will be happy to learn the buildings are just across the street from one another.) Pieces on loan from the Metcalf Collection explore Stein’s role as muse to several generations of artists, writers, and composers. Patrons of the arts are encouraged to visit before it travels to Washington, DC for a run at the National Portrait Gallery.
Visit both the SF MOMA and the CJM websites for more information.