In 2019, the Morgan received a donation of some twenty- five works on paper from the collection of American poet John Ashbery (1927–2017) from his husband, David Kermani. These works form the core of this exhibition devoted to Ashbery and his artist friends. Ashbery, who worked as an art critic for three decades and often found inspiration for his poetry in the visual arts, developed numerous friendships with artists, including James Bishop, Joe Brainard, Jane Freilicher, Jean Hélion, Fairfield Porter, and Larry Rivers. With the exception of two sheets by Constantin Guys from the mid-nineteenth century, the drawings range chronologically from 1945 to 2007, with a concentration of works from the 1960s. Many were gifts to the poet from the artists.
The selection includes eight portraits of Ashbery. It also features one of the very first collages that Ashbery created, while a student at Harvard in the late 1940s, signaling his early interest in Surrealism. The display of drawings will be complemented by textual material from the Morgan’s collection, notably books showing Ashbery’s collaboration with artists.
Organized by Claire Gilman, Acquavella Curator and Department Head of Modern and Contemporary Drawings.
R.B. Kitaj, Untitled (Portrait of John Ashbery), 1979. Charcoal and pastel, 22 5/16 x 15 1/4 inches. The Morgan Library & Museum, Gift of David K. Kermani, from the Collection of John Ashbery, 2019.162. The Estate of RB Kitaj.