BRUCE GUENTHER
PROFESSIONAL
EXPERIENCE
2000 to Present CHIEF CURATOR (February
2001)
CURATOR OF MODERN AND
CONTEMPORARY ART,
Curatorial duties
include: initiation, planning, and coordination of museum’s exhibition program
and permanent collection presentations in modern and contemporary art, and
supervise all PAM exhibition activity from 1900 to present. Solicit gifts and
propose acquisitions in area for permanent collection (acquisitions to date
include important works by Marcel Duchamp, Ronald Davis, Guy Anderson, and Kiki
Smith); responsible for research and writing of publications for collection,
museum-originated exhibitions, and all in-gallery texts. Provide public lectures
and docent training for exhibitions and collection. Play an active role in all
aspects of trustee and donor development and solicitation. Responsible for
developing collector base in community and programming for Contemporary Arts
Council including lecture series and travel.
Administratively responsible for Curatorial Division, which includes seven Curatorial, Registrar, Conservation, Library, and Preparator Departments (27 full-time and up to 10 part-time or volunteer workers). Budget development and monitoring of operations, exhibitions, and special projects for all departments of division. Division reorganized in 2004 as part of larger institutional initiative to include Curators and Library only. Work closely with PAM Director to plan overall objectives and policies of museum, including program, development, staffing, budgets, and public relations.
1991-1999
CHIEF CURATOR,
(Newport Harbor
Art Museum until July 1996)
Curatorial duties included: initiation, planning, and coordination of
museum's exhibition program and permanent collection presentations in post-1945
contemporary art with a special focus on art of
Administratively responsible for Curatorial Division, which included
Curatorial, Registrar and Preparator Departments (6 full-time and up to 10
part-time or volunteer workers), and oversight of NHAM Education Department
(1993-96). Budget development and
monitoring of operations, exhibitions, and special projects for all departments
of division. Worked closely with
NHAM Director to plan overall objectives and policies of museum, including
program, development, staffing, budgets, and public relations. Represented Curatorial Division on
senior staff planning and Museum Renovation Committees. During 1996, worked with Archimuse
Architects to develop all aspects and features of new gallery spaces including a
special Installation Space for museum renovation and new Sculpture Garden
(January 1997). Responsible for
1987-1991
CHIEF CURATOR,
Curatorial duties included: initiation, planning, and coordination of
museum's exhibition program in contemporary art since 1945 with a mandate to
introduce a multicultural perspective; developed and managed annual exhibition
budgets ranging from $400,000 to $650,000, with individual special exhibition
project budgets in excess of $750,000; solicited gifts and proposed all
acquisitions for the permanent collection (purchases included major works by J.
Baldessari, S. Burton, J. Kosuth, and A. Piper); public lectures and docent
training sessions for all museum exhibitions; active in trustee and donor
development and solicitation.
Administratively responsible for Curatorial Division, which included
Curatorial, Registrar, and Preparator Departments (8 full-time and up to 12
part-time or volunteer workers).
Created budget and monitored operations, exhibitions, and special
projects for all departments of division. Worked closely with Director and
Development staff to plan and execute government, corporate, and foundation
fundraising for curatorial/educational functions. Planned museum collectors group trips to
1988-1989
CO-ACTING DIRECTOR,
In addition to all Chief Curator's duties, assumed responsibilities for
supervising all functions of Education Division and physical plant. Developed preliminary new building
architectural program. Shared full administrative and budgetary responsibility
for operation of museum with Associate Director, as well as all trustee relation
functions.
1979-1987
CURATOR OF CONTEMPORARY ART,
Curatorial duties included: initiation, planning, and coordination of all
exhibitions and permanent collection installations in museum galleries of
American and European art since 1850. Solicited gifts and proposed acquisitions
for the permanent collection (76% of all museum's acquisitions from 1979 to
1987--purchases included A. Dove, R. Stankewicz, L. Golub, R. Ryman, R. Mangold,
and Gilbert and George.) Researched
and documented museum's permanent collection; present public lectures and docent
training in connection with all
Administratively responsible for 89 exhibits out of Museum's 126 total
for period (initiated 49 out of the 89).
Participated in docent training for exhibits and presented exhibits. Wrote two successful cataloguing grants
(NEA and LUCE Foundation) and supervised those activities. Head of Modern Art Department, which
included Associate Curator of Photography, Curatorial Assistant, Administrative
Assistant, and interns. Worked
closely with Director, trustees, and other senior staff to plan overall
objectives and policies of the museum, including development, public relations,
staffing, budgets and overall programs.
Represented Curatorial Division on Strategic Planning, Five-Year Plan,
and New Museum Planning Committees.
Responsible for Contemporary Art Council and
Museum spokesperson to media for all modern art exhibitions and community
art issues.
Appearances in all local media, National Public Radio, Canadian Broadcast
Corporation, Nightline, NBC Today show, CBS Sunday Morning,
Voice of America, and Future File.
PROFESSIONAL
EXPERIENCE
(continued)
CURATOR OF CONTEMPORARY
ART,
Seattle Art Museum, Washington
Active participant in architectural programming for new downtown museum
(Robert Venturi, architect).
Involved in determining space requirements and allotments for exhibition,
storage, administration, and educational activities. Member of committee responsible for
planning transition phase to new facility.
1978-1979
DIRECTOR, Museum of Art, Washington State University,
Pullman.
1974-1978
CURATOR, Museum of Art, Washington State University,
Pullman.
Curatorial duties included planning all phases of exhibitions and
installation in museum galleries (10 - 12 exhibits annually). Preparation of catalogues, handouts, and
all information for the press.
Responsible for care of permanent collection and its installation in
selected sites around campus. Completed initial registration of collections and
developed locator file for collection.
Gallery talks for each exhibition.
Developed and coordinated 2 - 3 day regional arts symposia with a major
theme exhibition that featured nationally recognized speakers (including artists
such as R. Motherwell, M. Di Suvero, L. Poons, and scholars R. Field, A. Elsen,
and K. Tyler).
Administratively responsible for all exhibition budgets and
logistics. Hired and supervised all
student and work study employees.
Taught museum procedures class and supervised the practicum work of the
class. Responsible for selection of
artworks for and circulation of exhibitions for Washington State Art Services
and developed a workshop program for in-service training at art centers in the
state.
1976-1977
ACTING DIRECTOR, Museum of Art, Washington State University,
Pullman,.
Assumed full administrative and budgetary responsibility for operation of
museum during one-year leave of absence of Director, including Dean's Council
and concurrent with majority of curatorial duties previously mentioned. Wrote two NEA grants and developed
Friends of the Museum organization.
Represented museum to, and served as treasurer for, Washington State Art
Consortium.
1973-1974
CURATORIAL INTERN, Portland Art Museum, Oregon.
National Endowment for the Arts funded internship in museum
operations. Given complete
responsibility for design and installation of all temporary exhibits in museum
galleries. Conceived, developed,
and presented eight exhibits during year.
Assisted in planning and installation of galleries for 500 piece
Rasmussen Collection of Northwest Coast Indian Art. Conceived and organized museum's second
statewide mini-museology seminar, Installation
Solutions.
1967-1971
CHAIRPERSON, Art Center Committee, Southern Oregon College,
Ashland.
Prepared budget, selected and installed exhibits (10 - 12 exhibits), and
scheduled related educational programs for Center. Instrumental in building of an original
graphics collection (100 works), and the commissioning of a major outdoor
sculpture for the new College Union Building.
1968-1969
CHAIRPERSON, Exhibition Committee, Rogue Gallery, Medford,
Oregon.
Responsible for the selection of and supervision of installation for
monthly exhibition schedule
(10 - 12 exhibits annually) in this public association gallery in a
community of over 38,000.
OTHER
EXPERIENCE
1999
COLLECTION CONSULTANT, Creative Artists Agency,
Los Angeles
Hired to identify and select artists and work for a major new collection of contemporary art by Los Angeles based artists for agency headquarters (over 185 works).
1999
COLLECTION CONSULTANT, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Indiana
1975
INSTALLATION DESIGN CONSULTANT.
Portland Art Museum, Oregon.
Hired to design and supervise the installation of Masterworks in Wood:
The Twentieth Century
(Curator: Jan Van Der Marck).
1971
HEADSTART TEACHER, Ashland, Oregon.
1969-1970
V.I.S.T.A. / COLORADO MIGRANT COUNCIL, Denver,
Colorado.
Helped facilitate the organizing of community councils, taught Headstart
and Adult Basic Education, and pursued vigorous public awareness/education
campaign within the Aaglo community.
Assisted Migrant Council programs at all levels in the NE sector.
Co-founded commercial gallery to focus on established regional abstract
artists and showcase young artists during summers in 1880's gold rush town with
annual music festival.
2003
2003 Oregon Biennial. Portland Art Museum (64 works, 26 artists,
catalogue). Sole juror and
organized survey of contemporary art scene drawn from across
Oregon.
2001
Clement Greenberg: A Critics Collection. Portland Art Museum (155
works, catalogue). Exhibition
documenting acquisition of collection of America’s most famous art critic.
Traveled to.
2001 Oregon Biennial.
Portland Art Museum (57
works, 20 artists, catalogue). Sole
juror and organized survey of contemporary art scene drawn from across
Oregon.
2000
Tony DeLap. Orange County Museum of Art (151 works,
catalogue). Retrospective
exhibition of important early West Coast minimalist. Traveled to San Jose Museum
of Art.
1999
1999 Biennial. Orange County Museum of Art (33 works, 10 artists,
catalogue). Survey of latest
emergent artists on the contemporary art scene drawn from across
California.
Rauschenberg in
Transparency. Orange County Museum of
Art (10 works). Exhibition tracing
Robert Rauschenberg’s use of transparent grounds as a base for exploration from
1962 and the E.A.T. objects into the present
1998
Matthew McCaslin:
Work-Sites. Orange County Museum
of Art (14 works). Survey of ten
years work coordinated with three museums in Switzerland and Germany each
presenting a unique selection of work chosen by their curator and featuring a
site-specific work by the artist (catalogue).
Mark di Suvero / Orange
County.
Orange County Museum of Art (30 works, catalogue). Two part exhibition with 6 major outdoor
sculptures on a park site and 23 drawings at the museum.
1997
Joe Goode. Orange County Museum of Art (42 works, catalogue). Retrospective exhibition of this major
California artist tracing his development from proto-Pop to new
abstraction.
1997 Biennial.
Orange
County Museum of Art (34 works, 10 artists, catalogue). Biannual survey of contemporary art by
California artists, 1997 focused on the Los Angeles scene.
MAJOR
EXHIBITIONS
(continued)
1995
Machine. Newport
Harbor Art Museum (16 works, 10 artists).
Traced artist’s use of and response to the machine from Dennis
Oppenheim’s room-sized factory piece to the intimate tinkerings of Tim Hawkinson
and feminist whimsies of Terri Friedman.
Object and Image.
Newport Harbor Art Museum (74 works, 31 artists).
1994
The Essential Gesture.
Newport Harbor Art Museum (34 works, 21 artists, catalogue). Survey of sculptor’s use of the fragment
and partial figure from Rodin to Picasso and Giacometti through Joel Shapiro and
Kiki Smith.
1993
Fourth Newport Biennial: Southern California. Newport Harbor Art
Museum (51 works, 18 artists, catalogue).
Survey of the moment in California art scene.
Beyond the Bay: The Figure.
Newport Harbor Art Museum (34 works, 30 artists).
Jean-Michel Basquiat:
The Blue Ribbon Paintings. Newport Harbor Art Museum (12
works). First exhibition of seminal
series of silkscreen/drawn paintings by this African American artist. Subsequently traveled to four museums
under the auspices of Mount Holyoke College (catalogue).
1990
Toward the Future: Contemporary Art in Context. Museum of
Contemporary Art (108 works, 76 artists, gallery guide). Major presentation of permanent
collection organized to focus on dialogue of ideas between generations in Europe
and America, and set fresh standard for new museum building in the
planning.
1989
Object, Site, Sensation: New German Sculpture. Museum of
Contemporary Art (18 works).
Featuring Franz Erhard Walther, Gerhard Merz, and Wolfgang Laib. The exhibition included new works and
special site-specific installations developed especially for museum
spaces.
Sculpture from the Collection. Museum of Contemporary Art (25
Works). Showcase collection and new
acquisitions from minimalist to neoconceptual works.
1988
Three Decades: The Oliver-Hoffman Collection. Museum of
Contemporary Art (100 works,
catalogue). Selected from over 700
pieces to define major issues in contemporary art from 1960's, 1970's, and
1980's.
Francesco Clemente: The Fourteen Stations. Museum of Contemporary Art (16 works). The first U.S. exhibition of this
seminal group of Clemente paintings from the Saatchi
Collection.
The Marshall Frankel Collection. Museum of Contemporary Art (20 works, catalogue). Memorial exhibition of collection of
early supporter and donor to M.C.A..
1986
Jacob Lawrence: American Painter. Seattle Art Museum (149 works, catalogue, IBM / NEA
sponsorship). Fifty-year
retrospective of work of major black American artist. Seattle Art Museum, then five museum
tour: The Oakland Museum, California; High Museum of Art, Atlanta; The Phillips
Collection, Washington, DC; Dallas Museum of Art, Texas; The Brooklyn Museum,
New York.
1985
States of War: New European and American Paintings. Seattle Art Museum (44 works, 22 artists, catalogue). Thematic survey of NeoExpressionist
works delineating similarities and differences between European and American
artists in content and formal structure.
Gaylen Hansen, Paintings of a Decade . Seattle Art Museum (36 works,
catalogue). Co-curated with
Patricia Watkinson, Museum of Art, Washington State University. Seattle, then
four museum tour: Museum of Art, Pennsylvania State University, Philadelphia;
Portland Center for the Visual Arts, Oregon; San Jose Museum of Art, California;
Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, California.
1984
American Sculpture: Three Decades. Seattle Art Museum (40 works, 1955-1985). Traced evolution of sculptural concerns
from David Smith through Eva Hesse to Jeff Koons. Showcase exhibit for recent museum
acquisitions and loans targeted for gifts from Northwest collectors.
The Richard and Jane Lang Collection. Seattle Art Museum (44
works, catalogue). Exhibition
organized to aid gift solicitation of this collection (successful) and showcase
important group of Abstract Expressionist works in community.
1983-1987
Documents Northwest: The PONCHO Series. Seattle Art Museum (PONCHO / NEA
sponsorship). An ongoing series initiated by me of one-person exhibitions of
Northwest artists; five per year, and I organized 18 of total. Accompanied by
illustrated brochure with essay, bibliography, biography, and checklist.
1981
Mark Boyle. Seattle
Art Museum (50 works, British Arts
Council and NEA sponsorship). Ten
year retrospective of English conceptual artist. Seattle Art Museum, then three museum
tour; Newport Harbor Art Museum, Newport Beach, California; Birmingham Museum of
Art, Alabama; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
ADDITIONAL
EXHIBITIONS
ORANGE COUNTY MUSEUM OF
ART / NEWPORT HARBOR ART MUSEUM
Out of the Box: Photo Portfolios, July 1999
James Turrell: Lightwork, June 1998.
Therman Statom, October 1998
The Graphics of Picasso, September 1997
Sophie Calle: The Blind, October 1995.
Joan Mitchell in Vêtheuil, March 1994.
David Salle: New Works, September 1993.
Nam June Paik, May 1993.
Skip Arnold: Punch and Dizzy, September
1992.
Guillermo Kuitca, February 1992.
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY
ART
Daniel Senise, May 1991.
Cheri Samba, January 1991.
Willi Kopf: Sculpture, May 1990.
Tunga: Lizart III, December 1989.
The Expressionist Impulse: Paintings from the Collection, May
1989.
Odd Nerdrum, July 1988.
SEATTLE ART
MUSEUM
Joel Shapiro Bronzes, March 1986.
Jonathan Borofsky: Chattering Men, September
1984.
Jenny Holzer: Truisms and Inflammatory Essays, March
1984.
New Minimalist Works in the Collection, October
1983.
Dennis Oppenheim: Fireworks, June 1983.
Nigel Rolfe Performance, April 1983.
Site Specific: Sculpture at NOAA, February
1983.
Oliver Jackson, September 1982.
Michael Burns, September 1982.
Brian Wall Sculpture, July 1982.
Neda Al-Hilali, July 1982.
Michael Spafford: Recent Works, February
1982.
Laurie Anderson Performance, July 1981.
Raymond Saunders, January 1981.
Manuel Neri, January 1981.
Northwest Artists: A Mid-Career Review, June
1980.
Paul Berger Photographs, January 1980.
MUSEUM OF ART,
WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY
Drawing 1900-1945: A Survey of American Works, October
1979.
Mel Katz: Works 1971-1978, February 1979.
Alden Mason: Burpee Garden Series, March
1978.
Diverse Directions: The Fiber Arts, October 1978. Traveled to The Henry Gallery,
University of Washington, Seattle.
American Printmaking, 1960-1975, October
1977.
Robert Smithson: Cayuga Salt Mine Project, April
1977.
A Temporary Possession: The Human Image in Twentieth Century
Photography,
October 1976.
6 from California, November 1976.
Judy Chicago: Paper and Porcelain, April
1976.
Retrospective exhibitions for Northwest artists: Margaret Tomkins, George
Laisner, Wendell Brazeau, and Andrew Hofmeister (50 - 100 works each,
catalogue).
PORTLAND ART
MUSEUM
Textiles from the Portland Art Museum Collection, June
1974.
The European Collection: Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, March
1974.
Hilda Morris Retrospective, January 1974.
Childe Hassam: Prints and Paintings, July
1973.
Frank Lobdell: The Art of Making and Meaning. (Introduction and
drawing essay) New York: Hudson Hills Press, 2003.
William Morris: Man Adorned. (Introduction) Seattle: University of
Washington Press, 2001.
Martin Mull: The Drawings, Watercolors and Paintings.
(Introduction) Boston:
Tuttle Books, 1995.
Guy Anderson. Seattle: Francine Seders Gallery, University of
Washington Press, 1986.
50 Northwest Artists. San Francisco: Chronicle Books,
1983.
(Received the Governor's Literary Arts Award,
1984).