Friends of the Collection
If you believe in the growth, diversification, and strengthening of the PMA collection, this is the group for you.
Founded by a group of visionary women in 1983, the Friends of the Collection is instrumental in bringing greater diversity and equity to the PMA through the acquisition, conservation, and care for the collection and related programing. Thanks to the generosity of Friends of the Collection, the PMA is reaching a broader audience through the acquisition of works by Ahmed Alsoudani, David C. Driskell, Edward Hopper, Louise Nevelson, Isamu Noguchi, Marguerite Zorach, and many more, helping the museum fulfill its Art for All mission and shaping its extraordinary collection of more than 18,000 works.
2023 Focus: The Sights and Sounds of Night by Vincent Smith
Vincent Smith (United States, 1929–2003), The Sights and Sounds of Night, 1972, oil and collage on canvas, 42 x 50 inches. © The Estate of Vincent Smith, Courtesy Alexandre Gallery, New York
Born in 1929 in Brooklyn, NY, Vincent Smith began taking classes at the Art Students League after a transformational visit to the Cezanne retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in 1952. Describing his experience of that exhibition, Smith said, “I came away so moved with a feeling that I had been in touch with something sacred.”
In 1955, he was awarded a scholarship to attend the Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture in Maine, where he met Ben Shahn and Marguerite and William Zorach. Returning to New York, his subjects became the jazz concerts, families, and scenes of daily life in his Brooklyn neighborhood. Active participation in the Civil Rights and Black Arts movements prompted a deep interest in African art, and the works of African American artists such as Aaron Douglas, Lois Mailou Jones, and Jacob Lawrence.
In 1974, the PMA held a solo exhibition of Smith’s work that featured 13 paintings with the intention of “introduc[ing] this leading Black artist to Maine.” The Sights and Sounds of Night was included in that exhibition and drew from Smith’s interest in capturing the sound and atmosphere of jazz with the texture and feeling of close-knit urban environments. The PMA is thrilled to bring this work of art back to Maine almost 50 years later.
“Visit the quiet and passionately inquiring mind of Vincent Smith and what is gently revealed is an impressive and dynamic display of black history, memory and creative workmanship in a very unique visual experience.” –David Driskell
Smith was championed by David Driskell, and with contributions to Friends of the Collection, the PMA will bring this painting into the collection in honor of one of Maine’s most beloved and influential artists.
Past acquisitions and exhibitions supported by the Friends of the Collection
The Friends of the Collection has historically supported the acquisition of many iconic objects, including Hiram Powers’ marble bust of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; Marguerite Zorach’s Diana of the Sea; Celeste Roberge’s Rising Cairn; and Charles Duback’s The Coopers; among many others. More recently, the Friends of the Collection has contributed to incredible acquisitions including Isamu Noguchi’s Play Sculpture (circa 1975-1976) that now resides in The David E. Shaw and Family Sculpture Park; the acquisition of the painting Ghetto Wall #2 (1970) by the legendary American modernist David Driskell (1931–2020); American Bardo (2020) by sculptor Sheila Pepe and Humming at the Gate (2020) by painter Carrie Moyer, which were featured in the PMA’s exhibition Tabernacles for Trying Times; and most recently, photographs by LaToya Ruby Frazier and Carrie Mae Weems. This group also helps to fund acquisition-related expenses, including the shipment of Andrew Wyeth’s River Cove (1958), a gift made by David Rockefeller in memory of his son, Dr. Richard Rockefeller, and exhibitions including Stories of Maine: An Incomplete History.
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