Today, Philadelphia is home to many emerging and established metalsmiths who teach, create, and exhibit their work here and elsewhere. On display in this gallery are pieces by several significant Philadelphians—Olaf Skoogfors, Stanley Lechtzin, Jan Yager, Bruce Metcalf, and Sharon Church, to name just a few—as well as recognized artists from around the country.

The collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Library and Archives have many notable associations with Arshile Gorky, ranging from books bequeathed to the Library by Alfred E. Gallatin (founder of New York University’s Gallery of Living Art, which Gorky frequently visited) to the papers of Julien Levy (Gorky’s New York art dealer). These documents, along with Library books and journals from other sources, provide a snapshot of what informed and inspired Arshile Gorky during his brief career and life.

The diverse examples of contemporary special occasion and evening wear in this gallery, obtained through the auspices of Saks Fifth Avenue, are a welcome addition to the Museum’s outstanding collection of costume and textiles. These gifts showcase the individual designers’ creative flair and serve as a lasting tribute to the esteem and affection that Tom Marotta inspired.

The Two Qalams explores the relationship between calligraphers and artists through five exemplary works of calligraphy, drawing, and painting dating from the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries.