In conjunction with the completion of major construction and renovation, the Morris Museum has opened a new wing and several new galleries. The largest of those galleries on the second level promenade of the Museum Court features the exhibition “Sculpture by Sassona Norton and From The Collections of the Morris Museum,” on view through May.
The inaugural exhibition is a general survey of sculpture owned by the museum, plus three bronzes on loan from New Jersey sculptor Sassona Norton.
“We elected to celebrate our new wing and expanded museum by presenting a selection of three-dimensional works from the permanent collection of the museum,” said executive director Steve Miller.
Norton’s monumental sculpture was on view here in 2006. Although her work originates in traditions of casting in bronze, her interpretation is dominated by the desire to reflect on contemporary issues of strength and vulnerability in a way far from the decorative traditions for figurative sculpture.
The three Norton works on display †”Unquenchable Thirst,” “Memories of Sweetness” and “An Hour Before Dawn” †anchor a selection of sculpture from the collection that form a brief historical and cultural overview of the museum’s holdings.
A fine example of a ritual stela from India of the “Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara” is the oldest attributed piece on view, a limestone dating from Fourteenth to Fifteenth Century. Also from India, though of uncertain date, is a pair of carved wooden panels from the southern part of the country. The panels depict goddesses from the Hindu pantheon.
The exhibition also features prominent works by major Twentieth Century sculptors: Roy Crosse, Miklós Sebek, John Kahn and Jean (Hans) Arp. The Arp work, “Figure Recuillie,” a bronze cast in 1956, is a work from the artist’s mature years.
Perhaps the most mysterious object in the exhibition is the “Life-Sized Mannequin,” a wooden, articulated figure of unknown date. It appears to be an artist’s mannequin of the type still made today, though unlike the modern versions, the museum’s mannequin has distinctive facial features.
The Morris Museum is at 6 Normandy Heights Road (at the corner of Columbia Turnpike). For information, www.morrismuseum.org or 973-971-3700.
