 Dahlov Ipcar (United States, 1917), Bright Barnyard, 1965, oil on canvas, 30 1/4 x 24 1/4 inches. Gift of Owen W. and Anna H. Wells, 2003.43.6. | Press Kit: American Menagerie August 16 through November 9, 2008 From the earliest examples of American art until the present day, images of animals serve as vehicles for meaning. Native and exotic creatures alike help artists to explore issues of identity: the quality and nature of being American or foreign, human or beast, wild or civilized, innocent or worldly. These are all issues that artists grapple with in American Menagerie. Featuring 25 works drawn primarily from the Museum's permanent collection, this exhibition features artists such as Dahlov Ipcar, Bernard Langlais, Will Barnet, Wendy Kindred, Scott Leighton, and Edward Hicks. The exhibition also includes a special group of works related to political cartoonist Clifford K. Berryman, who is credited with the creation of the "Teddy Bear." Early in his long career, Berryman created this loveable and timeless character as both a personification of and a fictional companion to President Theodore Roosevelt. Illustrations by Berryman and a group of political pins featuring the teddy bear, all on loan from an important private collection, add another layer to the idea of American animals in this election year.
The drawings, postcards, and ephemera on view in this section of the exhibition relate to political cartoonist Clifford K. Berryman, who is credited with the creation of the "Teddy Bear." The figure of the little bear first appeared in 1902 in a cartoon Berryman drew for the Washington Post. Drawing the Line in Mississippi depicted a steadfast Theodore Roosevelt refusing to shoot a cowering bear cub. Eventually the cub became both a personification of and a fictional companion to President Roosevelt in Berryman's cartoons for the Post and the Washington Star. Berryman's witty, incisive, and unfailingly endearing images add another layer to our understanding of American animals in this election year. |