WA MATRIX 167 Brochure-4.

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VIRGIL MARTI ODE

MATRIX 167 O for a Life of S
JOHN KEATS, 1817

ODE TO A HIPPIE While there is t

PAUL THEK, 1987

Thousands of obj
Wadsworth Athen
a fortunate few.
explore those se
Mask of John Kea
seen the light of
poets face as th
tarnished object
photograph of th
self-portrait effig
popularly known

The seemingly di
(American, 1933
is also an inventi
his poetry. Over M
the artist has reg
elegant and witty
and low culture, f
collaborations w
In Grow Room (20
chandeliers cast
fabric design in m
flocked black-lig
high school bullie

John Keats, a ma
on a Grecian Urn
having never ach

AUGUST 1, 2013 JANUARY 5, 2014

WADSWORTH ATHENEUM MUSEUM OF ART COVER: ITALIAN, 19TH CENTU
DEATH MASK OF JOHN KEATS
DISPLAYED ON PYTHON FABR
PHOTO: ALLEN PHILLIPS/WAD
ATHENEUM
 WA MATRIX 167 Brochure-4.1_WA MATRIX 167 Brochure 7/19/13 9:15 PM Page 2

RTI ODE TO A HIPPIE

PAUL THEK TIMES TWO, 196
PAUL THEK (1933 1988) AS
EFFIGY OF HIMSELF, NEW YO
1967. THE PIECE WAS EXHIBI
THE INSTALLATION THE TOMB
PHOTO BY FRED W. MCDARRA

67 O for a Life of Sensations rather than of Thoughts! 1

JOHN KEATS, 1817

PIE While there is time, lets go out and, and feel everything. 2
PAUL THEK, 1987

Thousands of objects reside behind the locked doors of the art storage rooms in the
Wadsworth Atheneum. Some have never been exhibited, and are gazed upon only by
a fortunate few. Philadelphia-based artist Virgil Marti was given special access to
explore those secure areas, and there he discovered the nineteenth-century Death
Mask of John Keats. Since it was donated to the museum in 1924, the mask has not
seen the light of day, until now. Marti credits this morose plaster cast of the dead
poets face as the initial inspiration for his site-specific MATRIX project. For Marti, the
tarnished object immediately conjured the image of Paul Thek Times Two (1967), a
photograph of the long-haired, mustached artist lying side by side with his sculptural
self-portrait effigy, the centerpiece of Theks most significant work The Tomb (1967),
popularly known as Death of a Hippie.

The seemingly disconnected spirits of John Keats (English, 17951821) and Paul Thek Thek saw early su
(American, 19331988) unite in Virgil Martis Ode to a Hippie, an homage to Thek that hyper-realistic ch
is also an inventive evocation of an English garden, where Keats found inspiration for the anti-establish
his poetry. Over Martis twenty years of sculpture and textile-based installation work, AIDS in 1988 at t
the artist has regularly combined seemingly incongruous subjects and objects in acclaimed by art
elegant and witty arrangements, revealing surprising affinities. He often fuses high unanticipated ye
and low culture, fine art and craft, in a complicated process requiring numerous Yet shortly after
collaborations with artisans including upholsterers, metalworkers, and carpenters. and moved to Eur
In Grow Room (2002), French rococo meets rustic hunting lodge in Venetian-style elaborate installa
chandeliers cast from deer antlers. In Bully Wallpaper (1992), a traditional French the mid-1970s, h
fabric design in muted tones featuring flowers and country scenes is reimagined as Therefore, in his
flocked black-light wallpaper in Day-Glo colors depicting yearbook portraits of junior represents a sum
high school bullies in place of the quaint rural landscapes.

the initial mot

Marti notes that
John Keats, a major figure of English Romantic poetry perhaps best known for his Ode
on a Grecian Urn (1819), died prematurely from tuberculosis at the age of twenty-five, Following throug
having never achieved any real success during his lifetime. Likewise, although Paul corpse in Paul
to represent Kea
5, 2014 untamed English
objects from the
M OF ART COVER: ITALIAN, 19TH CENTURY,
DEATH MASK OF JOHN KEATS
American trompe
made from the Ch
DISPLAYED ON PYTHON FABRIC.
PHOTO: ALLEN PHILLIPS/WADSWORTH
Armory fire of 18
ATHENEUM
 WA MATRIX 167 Brochure-4.1_WA MATRIX 167 Brochure 7/19/13 9:15 PM Page 3

PIE
PAUL THEK TIMES TWO, 1967. PORTRAIT OF AMERICAN ARTIST VIRGIL MARTI, THANATOPSIS
PAUL THEK (1933 1988) AS HE POSES BESIDE A LIFE-SIZE PHOTO: GREENHOUSE MEDIA.
EFFIGY OF HIMSELF, NEW YORK, NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 16,
1967. THE PIECE WAS EXHIBITED IN A STEPPED PYRAMID IN
THE INSTALLATION THE TOMB AT STABLE GALLERY.
PHOTO BY FRED W. MCDARRAH/GETTY IMAGES

e rooms in the
upon only by
al access to
century Death
mask has not
of the dead
t. For Marti, the
wo (1967), a
h his sculptural
e Tomb (1967),

) and Paul Thek Thek saw early success in America in the 1960s with his entirely original sculpture of
ge to Thek that hyper-realistic chunks of meat and human body parts rendered in flesh-like beeswax,
inspiration for the anti-establishment artist was all but forgotten by the art world when he died from
stallation work, AIDS in 1988 at the age of fifty-four. Theks iconic installation, The Tomb (1967), was
objects in acclaimed by art critic and historian Robert Pincus-Witten as one of the most
en fuses high unanticipated yet representative masterworks of American sculpture of the sixties. 3
numerous Yet shortly after its premiere at the Stable Gallery in New York, the artist packed up
d carpenters. and moved to Europe. Thek met with continued success abroad, collaborating on
etian-style elaborate installations with various colleagues, but when he moved back to America in
tional French the mid-1970s, he was never quite able to regain a foothold in the New York art scene.
eimagined as Therefore, in his review, Pincus-Witten was prescient in stating that [The Tomb]
traits of junior represents a summation and an adieu. 4

the initial motivation for a work that can become less important as themes play out.
Marti notes that the Keats death mask serves his MATRIX project as the McGuffin 5
own for his Ode
e of twenty-five, Following through on the motif of life and death, visualized by the living artist and his
lthough Paul corpse in Paul Thek Times Two, Marti requested a Keats life mask for the exhibition
to represent Keats and Thek in both states. In developing the setting of a natural,
untamed English garden, Marti makes reference to numerous nineteenth-century
objects from the Atheneums collection: Hudson River School landscape paintings;
American trompe-loeil paintings; a Carlo Bugatti chair; a tte--tte chair; furniture
made from the Charter Oak; and the fused metal and revolver parts from the Colt
Armory fire of 1864. 6
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VIRGIL MARTI, THANATOPSIS, 2013. FREDERIC EDWIN CHURCH, C

PHOTO: GREENHOUSE MEDIA. VIRGIL MARTI MOUNT DESERT, 1863. OIL ON
BEQUEST OF CLARA HINTON G

al sculpture of
h-like beeswax,
en he died from
mb (1967), was Shimmering psyc
he most their scroll-cut o
of the sixties.3 materialcast u
ist packed up like rough wood p
orating on depicted in Willia
ck to America in flash vibrant hor
York art scene. to landscape, but
The Tomb] seen in specific w
by European Rom
Movement that in
e McGuffin5 skies also link Ro
themes play out.
g artist and his The Hippie Movem
the exhibition felt estranged fr
of a natural, simultaneously lo
th-century against conserva
e paintings; rather than ratio
hair; furniture drugs like mariju
m the Colt likewise experim
WA MATRIX 167 Brochure-4.1_WA MATRIX 167 Brochure 7/19/13 9:15 PM Page 5

FREDERIC EDWIN CHURCH, COAST SCENE, VIRGIL MARTI, LIFE, DEATH, A

MOUNT DESERT, 1863. OIL ON CANVAS. PHOTO: GREENHOUSE MEDIA.
BEQUEST OF CLARA HINTON GOULD, 1948.178

Shimmering psychedelic colors pop from the muted walls on oversized looking glasses,
their scroll-cut outlines derived from Chippendale mirror designs. The looking-glass
materialcast urethane laminated to MDF boardhas been manipulated to appear
like rough wood paneling, resembling the painted trompe-loeil (trick the eye) walls
depicted in William Harnett and John Frederick Petos compositions. Martis mirrors
flash vibrant horizontal bands of color suggesting Mark Rothkos abstractions relating
to landscape, but in actuality Marti has created interpretations of the dramatic skies
seen in specific works of Hudson River School artists.7 They, in turn, were inspired
by European Romantic landscape painters, who were part of the same Romantic
Movement that included Keats. And the impossibly fantastical color palettes of the
skies also link Romanticism to hippie culture.

The Hippie Movement borrowed its ideology, in part, from Romanticism. The Romantics
felt estranged from a world increasingly engaged with logic and technology, while
simultaneously losing touch with nature and feelings. In the 1960s, hippies reacted
against conservative tendencies with peaceful actions based on spontaneous feeling
rather than rational thought. The fact that hippies have generally been associated with
drugs like marijuana, mushrooms and LSD also aligns them with the Romantics, who
likewise experimented with hallucinogenic drugs, in the form of absinthe and opium.8
 WA MATRIX 167 Brochure-4.1_WA MATRIX 167 Brochure 7/19/13 9:15 PM Page 6

VIRGIL MARTI, LIFE, DEATH, AND IMMORTALITY, 2013 (DETAIL).

PHOTO: GREENHOUSE MEDIA. VIRGIL MARTI

looking glasses, VIRGIL MARTI, ON SOME FARAWAY

BEACH AND BENCH STUDY, 2013.
ooking-glass PHOTO: GREENHOUSE MEDIA.
ated to appear VIRGIL MARTI

he eye) walls
artis mirrors
ractions relating
dramatic skies
ere inspired
Romantic
alettes of the

m. The Romantics
ology, while
ppies reacted
aneous feeling
associated with VIRGIL MARTI, BENCH STUDY, 2013
mantics, who (DETAIL). COURTESY THE ARTIST.
PHOTO: GREENHOUSE MEDIA.
he and opium. 8 VIRGIL MARTI
WA MATRIX 167 Brochure-4.1_WA MATRIX 167 Brochure 7/19/13 9:15 PM Page 7

VIRGIL MARTI, TO ENGENDER PLEASANT

DREAMS (FOR A LIFE MASK OF JOHN KEATS), 2013.
PHOTO: GREENHOUSE MEDIA. VIRGIL MARTI

Martis English g
can idle to conte
The rustic seatin
The log and branc
to the historic Ch
more Charter Oa
possibly have yie
So, nothing is qu
wood), fabricate
again relating to
They are illusioni
of macram pass
by Theks effigy,
Carlo Bugatti cha
tte--tte chair
shaped in an s
the dialogue betw

The life and deat

reliquaries desig
upholstered with
palette dominate
star quilt design,
life mask of Keat
By contrast, the
of aluminum drift
and revolver part
Keatss fellow Ro
Shelley famously
anoints Keats an
a vessel used to
the Eucharistic h
STUDIO OF BENJAMIN HAYDON, LIFE MASK OF JOHN
KEATS, 20TH CENTURY (FROM ORIGINAL 1816 CAST), whose work is pe
AND VIRGIL MARTI, TO ENGENDER PLEASANT DREAMS Cemetry Gates,10
(FOR A LIFE MASK OF JOHN KEATS), 2013 (DETAIL).
PHOTO: GREENHOUSE MEDIA. VIRGIL MARTI the gallery, trans
and a church inte

In Ode to a Hippie
Movement throug
longed for immor
artistic contribut
 WA MATRIX 167 Brochure-4.1_WA MATRIX 167 Brochure 7/19/13 9:15 PM Page 8

Martis English garden includes rough-hewn outdoor furniture on which the visitor fame, both indivi
can idle to contemplate the sublime landscape vistas through the looking glasses. to current and fu
The rustic seating seamlessly blends with the artists allusion to a natural landscape. techniques and d
The log and branch forms of the benches and chairs, including Throne, make reference project and work
to the historic Charter Oak furniture in the museum collection. 9 Interestingly, far Virgil Martis Ode
more Charter Oak objects exist than the wood from the mythic fallen tree could the sublime, but
possibly have yielded, an absurdity that only fuels the legend and Martis narrative. and creative coll
So, nothing is quite what it seems. The artists garden furniture is faux bois (false
wood), fabricated in steel, aluminum and cement, their naturalistic textures and forms PATRICIA HICKSO
again relating to the museums American paintings in trompe loeil (trick the eye). Emily Hall Tremaine C
They are illusionistic, like Theks hyperrealistic, sculptural Meat Pieces. The addition
of macram passages to the log benches invokes the hippie craft accessories worn
by Theks effigy, and also alludes to the knotted-tassel details of the museums
Carlo Bugatti chair, a bizarre hybrid of Gothic, Japanese and Islamic design. Martis
tte--tte chaira seat intended for two people, typically facing each other and
shaped in an s formalso finds its basis in the collection, but perfectly visualizes
the dialogue between Keats and Thek, the juxtaposed masks, and life and death.

The life and death masks of John Keats are separately enshrined in customized
reliquaries designed by Marti. The life mask rests atop a sumptuous ottoman
REFERENCE IMAGES
upholstered with quilted fabric of smooth and crushed velvet and rabbit fur, its vivid
palette dominated by purple, electric blue, magenta and gold. Inspired by a traditional
star quilt design, the cushions single, six-pointed gold star radiates from the pristine
life mask of Keats, in part a reference to his celebrated love poem Bright Star (1819).
By contrast, the death mask lies on a python-print pillow ensconced in a tangled nest
of aluminum driftwood branches. The twisted forms echo the collections fused metal
and revolver parts from the Colt factory fire, and also allude to the funeral pyre of
Keatss fellow Romantic poet Percy Shelley, who drowned in a shipwreck in 1822.
Shelley famously wrote Adonais (1821), an elegy to his friend John Keats. Marti
anoints Keats and Thek with holy status entitling the piece Monstrance, named for
a vessel used to exhibit sacred relics. A monstrance is best known as the display for
the Eucharistic host at a Roman Catholic mass, which also relates it closely to Thek,
N
ST), whose work is pervaded with Catholic allusions. The religious references continue in
AMS Cemetry Gates, 10 approximations of stained glass windows installed at the far end of
.
the gallery, transforming the overall space into a cross between an outdoor garden
and a church interiora cathedral of nature.

In Ode to a Hippie Virgil Marti seamlessly intertwines Romanticism and the Hippie
Movement through the tragic figures of John Keats and Paul Thek. The two artists
longed for immortality through their work, but died too young to believe that their
artistic contributions would have longevity. Marti acknowledges their mortality and
 WA MATRIX 167 Brochure-4.1_WA MATRIX 167 Brochure 7/19/13 9:15 PM Page 9

VIR
h the visitor fame, both individually and interchangeably, as well as their continued significance EDUCATION
ing glasses. to current and future generations of artists. But Thek, who used complicated crafting
1990 Skowhegan S
ural landscape. techniques and diverse materials in many of his works, speaks directly to Martis
Sculpture, Su
make reference project and working methods. The remarkably complex assemblage of art objects in 1990 Tyler School
stingly, far Virgil Martis Ode to a Hippie is a tribute not only to life and death, and beauty and M.F.A. Painti
tree could the sublime, but also to Theks legacy of inventive materials, unexpected pairings,
tis narrative. and creative collaboration. SELECTED SOLO
x bois (false
2010 Set Pieces, C
tures and forms PATRICIA HICKSON of Contempo
ck the eye). Emily Hall Tremaine Curator of Contemporary Art 2008 Ah! Sunflowe
s. The addition Richmond, Vi
cessories worn 2007 Virgil Marti/P
museums and Sculptur
2003 Project Room
sign. Martis Santa Monic
ch other and The Flowers o
ctly visualizes Contemporar
and death.
SELECTED GROU
stomized
2010 The Jewel Th
toman Museum, Ski
REFERENCE IMAGES
it fur, its vivid Springs, NY
by a traditional 2007 Biennale de M
WILLIAM MICHAEL HARNETT, JOHN H. MOST, CHARTER OAK
om the pristine THE FAITHFUL COLT, 1890. OIL CHAIR, 1857. OAK AND BRASS.
ght Star (1819). ON CANVAS. THE ELLA GALLUP THE ELIZABETH JARVIS COLT
GRANTS AND AW
SUMNER AND MARY CATLIN COLLECTION, 1905.1579
a tangled nest SUMNER COLLECTION FUND, PHOTO: ALLEN PHILLIPS/ 2011 Joan Mitchel
ns fused metal 1935.236 WADSWORTH ATHENEUM Sculptors Gra
PHOTO: ALLEN PHILLIPS/
eral pyre of WADSWORTH ATHENEUM
2005 Pennsylvania
ck in 1822. 2003 Pennsylvania
ats. Marti
PUBLIC COLLECT
e, named for
he display for Art Resources Transf
osely to Thek, CARLO BUGATTI, CHAIR, Cooper-Hewitt, Natio
c. 1895. WALNUT, VELLUM,
es continue in STAMPED BRONZE, SILK, IVORY,
Center for Curatorial
the far end of AND PAINT. GIFT OF SAMUEL P.
Fabric Workshop and
AVERY, B EXCHANGE, 1983.3 New Museum of Cont
tdoor garden PHOTO: ALLEN PHILLIPS/
WADSWORTH ATHENEUM

the Hippie
METAL AND FUSED REVOLVER PARTS
two artists RECOVERED AFTER THE DESTRUCTION BY
ve that their FIRE OF THE COLT ARMORY, 1864. METAL.
1905.X.10
mortality and PHOTO: ALLEN PHILLIPS/WADSWORTH
ATHENEUM
 WA MATRIX 167 Brochure-4.1_WA MATRIX 167 Brochure 7/19/13 9:15 PM Page 10

VIRGIL MARTI
Born in Saint Louis, M
Lives and works in Ph

significance EDUCATION WORKS IN THE E

icated crafting
1990 Skowhegan School of Painting and 1984 School of Fine Arts, Washington University, Unless otherwise not
y to Martis
Sculpture, Summer B.F.A. Painting and courtesy the arti
art objects in 1990 Tyler School of Art, Temple University,
beauty and To Engender Pleasant
M.F.A. Painting
John Keats)
ed pairings, Velvet, rabbit fur, trim
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS 34 x 40 x 40 in.
2010 Set Pieces, Curatorial project for Institute 2002 Grow Room, Participant, Inc., New York Studio of Benjamin H
of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia 2001 Morris Gallery, Pennsylvania Academy of Life Mask of John Kea
2008 Ah! Sunflower, Visual Arts Center, the Fine Arts, Philadelphia cast of 1816)
Richmond, Virginia 2000 Beer Can Library, Habitat, London Plaster
2007 Virgil Marti/Pae White, Hirshhorn Museum 2000 Couch, Points of Departure, Ardmore 9 3/4 x 6 5/8 x 5 1/2
and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC Station, Ardmore, Pennsylvania Collection of Suzanne
2003 Project Room, Santa Monica Museum of Art, 1998 Hot Tub, Thread Waxing Space, New York
Monstrance
Santa Monica 1996 White Room, White Columns, New York
Aluminum, fabric, trim
The Flowers of Romance, Institute of
39 x 48 x 48 in. (over
Contemporary Art, Philadelphia
Italian, 19th century
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS Death Mask of John K
Plaster
2010 The Jewel Thief, Frances Tang Teaching 2004 Whitney Biennial 2004, Whitney Museum of 9 3/8 x 6 5/8 x 5 in
Museum, Skidmore College, Saratoga American Art, New York, NY Wadsworth Atheneum
Springs, NY 1997 Apocalyptic Wallpaper, Wexner Center for Gift of Miss Mary C. B
2007 Biennale de Montral, Montreal, Quebec the Arts, Columbus, OH Windows
N H. MOST, CHARTER OAK
AIR, 1857. OAK AND BRASS. Cemetry Gates
ELIZABETH JARVIS COLT
GRANTS AND AWARDS
Aluminum and uretha
LECTION, 1905.1579
OTO: ALLEN PHILLIPS/ 2011 Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters & 1997 Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award 84 x 46 1/4 in. (each
DSWORTH ATHENEUM Sculptors Grant Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowship
2005 Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowship 1995 Pew Fellowship
2003 Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowship Art Matters Fellowship

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS 1
See John Keats, The Letters
2
This quote is painted in curs
3
Robert Pincus-Witten, Thek
Art Resources Transfer, Inc. Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts record of Paul Theks The Tom
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum Philadelphia Museum of Art three fingers.
4
Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art Ibid.
5
The term McGuffin, also sp
Fabric Workshop and Museum Victoria & Albert Museum Hitchcock.
6
New Museum of Contemporary Art Whitney Museum of American Art Most of these objects are cu
chair that inspired Marti. Ho
museum. For collection imag
7
Three of the five mirrors find
museums 1844 Thomas Col
Thanatopsis is based on Fred
cultural references from lite
the projects themes.
8
See Arash Farzaneh, The Ins
9
Located in Hartford, Connec
Charter of 1662 was hidden
a storm in 1856 and its prec
10
With Cemetry Gates, the mis
cite Keats in the lyrics.
 WA MATRIX 167 Brochure-4.1_WA MATRIX 167 Brochure 7/19/13 9:15 PM Page 11

RTI
Born in Saint Louis, Missouri, 1962
Lives and works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

WORKS IN THE EXHIBITION ARTIST TALK

shington University, Unless otherwise noted, all works are dated 2013 Looking Glasses MATRIX Gallery Talk
and courtesy the artist. Virgil Marti
Golden Hours
Thursday, August 1
To Engender Pleasant Dreams (For a Life Mask of Life, Death, and Immortality
6 pm
John Keats) On Some Faraway Beach
Marti will discuss his
Velvet, rabbit fur, trim, and wood Starman
Ode to a Hippie in the
34 x 40 x 40 in. Thanatopsis
Urethane, MDF, and silver plating
t, Inc., New York Studio of Benjamin Haydon
72 x 36 x 4 in. (each)
vania Academy of Life Mask of John Keats, 20th century (from original
hia cast of 1816) Chairs
at, London Plaster
Tte--tte
ture, Ardmore 9 3/4 x 6 5/8 x 5 1/2 in.
Cement, steel, and nylon
sylvania Collection of Suzanne R. Hoover
39 x 47 x 36 in. (overall)
Space, New York
Monstrance
umns, New York Throne
Aluminum, fabric, trim, and wood
Cement, steel, and nylon
39 x 48 x 48 in. (overall)
56 x 33 x 45 in. (overall)
Italian, 19th century MATRIX 167 is supporte
Benches Foundation, Inc.
Death Mask of John Keats
Plaster Cold Pastoral The MATRIX program is a
Whitney Museum of 9 3/8 x 6 5/8 x 5 in. Cement, steel, and nylon founding members of th
, NY Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, 52 x 56 x 22 in. (overall) Arts Contemporary Coa
Wexner Center for Gift of Miss Mary C. Barton, 1924.432a Support for the Wadswo
The Golden Bough
Windows Cement, steel, wood, and gold leaf the Greater Hartford Art
and the Connecticut Dep
42 x 37 x 13 in. (overall)
Cemetry Gates Community Developmen
Aluminum and urethane Gremlin in the Studio receives support from th
oundation Award 84 x 46 1/4 in. (each of two) Cement, steel, and aluminum Arts, a federal agency.
n the Arts Fellowship 20 1/2 x 53 x 16 in. (overall)

1
See John Keats, The Letters of John Keats, various publications.
2
This quote is painted in cursive on Paul Theks painting titled While There is Time (1987).
3
Robert Pincus-Witten, Theks Tombabsolute fetishism Artforum, November 1967; p. 24. This review is considered to have the best descriptive
ne Arts record of Paul Theks The Tomb. The installation was not well documented and is no longer extant, with the exception of the right hand of the effigy and
three fingers.
4
Museum of Art Ibid.
5
The term McGuffin, also spelled MacGuffin, is a plot device primarily noted in literature and film (Marti is an avid film lover) popularized by Alfred
Hitchcock.
6
rt Most of these objects are currently on view at the museum, with the exception of the Bugatti chair, the tte--tte chair and the specific Charter Oak
chair that inspired Marti. However, there are other examples of Charter Oak furniture available to see in the American Decorative Arts galleries at the
museum. For collection images, visit www.wadsworthatheneum.org/collection-2/.
7
Three of the five mirrors find their source paintings in the collection of the Wadsworth Atheneum. Life, Death, and Immortality is based on the sky in the
museums 1844 Thomas Cole painting bearing the same title. On Some Faraway Beach is drawn from James Hamiltons Evening on the Seashore of 1867.
Thanatopsis is based on Frederic Edwin Churchs Coast Scene, Mount Desert, 1863. Martis titles are thoughtfully layered with arcane and popular
cultural references from literature, poetry, art and music, primarily from the eras of Romanticism and the Hippie Movement, and all directly relating to
the projects themes.
8
See Arash Farzaneh, The Inspirations behind the Hippie Movement at www.suite101.com, posted 25 March 2013.
9
Located in Hartford, Connecticut, the Charter Oak tree became a symbol of American independence. According to legend, in 1687, Connecticuts Royal
Charter of 1662 was hidden in a hollow of the tree to prevent its confiscation by the English, thus retaining the states autonomy. The mighty oak fell in
a storm in 1856 and its precious timber was acquired and fetishized in a variety of objects, many in the collection of the Wadsworth Atheneum.
10
With Cemetry Gates, the misspelling of cemetery is intentional. It follows the spelling of the title of a 1985-86 song by English band The Smiths, who
cite Keats in the lyrics.
 WA MATRIX 167 Brochure-4.1_WA MATRIX 167 Brochure 7/19/13 9:15 PM Page 12

ARTIST TALK The artist would like to thank Mimi Cheng, Allie
Emeric, Alyce Perry Englund, Suzanne R. Hoover,
MATRIX Gallery Talk Nick Lenker, Liz McIlvaine, Don Pirre, Chloe Reison,
Virgil Marti Kevin Strickland, and Jeb Wood, Ben Nichols,
Thursday, August 1 and Jonathan Maley from Independent Casting,
6 pm Philadelphia. And special thanks go to Peter
Marti will discuss his MATRIX project Barberie for moral support and challenging
Ode to a Hippie in the Eleanor H. Bunce Gallery. questions.

ng

MATRIX 167 is supported with funds from the The Dedalus

Foundation, Inc.

The MATRIX program is also supported by the current and

founding members of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of
Arts Contemporary Coalition. 600 Main Street
Hartford, Connecticut 06103
Support for the Wadsworth Atheneum is provided in part by
(860) 278-2670
eaf the Greater Hartford Arts Council's United Arts Campaign
and the Connecticut Department of Economic and
Community Development Office of the Arts, which also www.wadsworthatheneum.org
receives support from the National Endowment for the
Arts, a federal agency.

ve the best descriptive

right hand of the effigy and

er) popularized by Alfred

d the specific Charter Oak

rative Arts galleries at the

ity is based on the sky in the

ing on the Seashore of 1867.
with arcane and popular
and all directly relating to

1687, Connecticuts Royal

nomy. The mighty oak fell in
dsworth Atheneum.
glish band The Smiths, who