In 1979, the Hunt Manufacturing Co. initiated a series of generous grants to the Philadelphia Museum of Art for the acquisition of "adventurous and risk-taking" contemporary art on paper. Hunt's spirited idea to focus on works that challenge established, safe concepts about art and embrace the rich diversity of energetically experimental contemporary trends has resulted in the creation of a collection that now constitutes the backbone of the Museum's contemporary holdings of prints, drawings, and photographs. The first phase of acquisitions culminated in an exhibition of the works of forty-six artists in 1988.

New Art on Paper 2 celebrates the conclusion of the second phase and presents new works by thirty-five artists made and acquired between 1988 and 1995. With Hunt's encouragement, the scope of collecting during this period was widened to include works of art making use of cameras, color copiers, and computers in addition to works that use more traditional mediums in new or innovative ways. The Hunt Collection at the Museum seeks to represent the exciting variety of concepts, techniques, materials, and subjects of contemporary works on paper and the unconventional, dynamic mood of the last decades of the twentieth century.

The exhibition and its catalogue are made possible by a grant from the Hunt Manufacturing Co.

Curators

Innis Howe Shoemaker
Martha Chahroudi