Financial Times, 23.03.2005
Corporate bonus that enlivens MoMA
When New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) opened in November, all agreed that the one big disappointment was the contemporary art. In massive high-ceilinged galleries, the small-scale works by fashionable names looked weak. Amid a chorus of praise for MoMA's architecture and a sympathetic rehang of masterpieces by Picasso, Matisse, Warhol et al, recent offerings fell short.
I had hoped Contemporary Voices: Works from The UBS Art Collection would come to the rescue, but the title is misleading. This is a show of classic pictures and drawings from leading artists of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. There are few surprises, and only two artists under 45.
But the exhibition, and the gift it celebrates, stem from a remarkable act of generosity by the financial services firm UBS, which has donated 40 of the 70 works, including pictures by de Kooning, Jasper Johns, Oldenburg and Richter.
It is an impressive present, notable for bold abstract and semi-abstract pictures by Americans such as Brice Marden, Susan Rothenberg, Robert Ryman and Cy Twombly. The German artists Baselitz, Kiefer, Polke and Palermo contribute uneven examples. With so little figurative art, Chuck Close's spectacular selfportraits and Lorna Simpson's witty photo installation on gender are welcome.
The selection was made some time ago by the late Kirk Varnedoe, then MoMA's chief curator, a fact reflected in the lack of current work.
Large collections of single works are notoriously difficult to display, Ann Temkin, curator, has arranged the show chronologically, starting with "the old masters" - de Kooning, Johns and Philip Guston. "The collection is eclectic ... so I decided chronology helps. The show begins with Guston's painting of himself, the dishevelled creator, at the easel - which we are thrilled to get. We owned fabulous late Guston paintings but no portrait. Likewise we have a great collection of de Kooning but nothing like this late oil from UBS. Many of Kirk's selections build on strengths with strength." However some acquisitions, such as Vija Celmins' pulsating painting of stars, "Night Sky 5" (1992), are a first for MoMA. Altogether the exhibition features 50 artists, of whom eight are women.
One of Temkin's groupings features sculptural wall pieces by the minimalists Dan Flavin, Donald Judd, Ryman and Tony Cragg, whose "Gray Moon" is the most appealing work here. Photographs by Cindy Sherman, Struth and Laurie Simmons hang together; the exhibition ends with Christopher Wool's big black stencil text of Muhammad Ali's famous phrase, "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee".
The gift and the collection are the brainchild of Donald Marron, whose 53-year Wall Street career began at the age of 17. In his 20 years at PaineWebber as chairman and chief executive officer he built not only its brokerage business but also its art collection. In 2000 UBS acquired PaineWebber for $11.8bn; it also acquired 700 pieces of art. Marron had long hatched the idea of gifting some PaineWebber pictures to MoMA - but it had not happened, and there was no legal commitment. It is hugely to the credit of UBS that it has honoured the promise.
Marron's personal involvement is crucial. "It's a personal collection that hangs in a corporation," he admits. A keen art lover, he says: "You spend a third of your life at work. Why not enjoy a stimulating atmosphere? On Wall Street we are in the business of predicting the future. I believe good contemporary art reflects the energy of today and great contemporary art can sometimes anticipate the future. With PaineWebber I began introducing contemporary aft by stealth! And I quickly decided, to avoid any conflict of interest, I would collect pre-second-world-war art for myself and post 1945 work for the firm."
He is proud of the fact that he bought many daring works soon after they were made. Richard Serra's huge, black, l7ft long "No Mandatory Patriotism" is an example of Marron's fearless buying. "He had the long view in mind," says Tempkin.
UBS is committed to keeping the collection and told me they will start collecting later this year. "I believe art is a treasure to be shared," adds UBS's chairman, John Costas
by Clare Henry
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