Pam Foss
Sculpture Artist
Peggy Guggenheim inspired "Gallery in a Box"
Peggy Guggenheim's Art of This Century gallery opened in December of 1942 with a show on objects of art featuring works by Marcel Duchamp (Valise), Laurence Vail (Encrusted Bottles), and Joseph Cornell (Shadow Boxes). To commemorate the 70th anniversary of this show, I created a pair of objects of art in the form of wooden boxes within which is a miniature version is a miniature version of Art Of This Century's Surrealist and Abstract galleries.
Peggy Guggenheim will be remembered as a fearless advocate of the new. A cultural visionary who will be forever known as "The Mistress of Modernism".
Her vast collection of modern art celebrating Abstract Expressionism and Surrealism was assembled at a time when such works were both nascent and culturally contentious. Led by her personal preferences, she soon amassed an incredible wealth of art, both when examined in terms of coinage and cultural impact.
A few years ago on the eve of the 70th anniversary of Art of This Century I began looking for a way to honor Peggy's memory and her tremendous contribution to American modern art. I honestly couldn't think of a better way of doing that that with creating my own objects of art in the form of a "gallery in a box" for both Art of This Century's Surreal and Abstract Galleries. I'm pleased to say that the response to my Galleries in a Box has been most rewarding as evidenced by the following:
Dear Ms. Foss—my apologies for not responding sooner. I did indeed see the dioramas—intriguing, enjoyable, even impressive. And I’m grateful for the attention they bring to Peggy and to Kiesler and to their story. Forgive the ignorance, or even ingenuousness—what does one do with them? They aren’t multiples for sale I don’t suppose? If the answer is: they are what they are, then they are splendid.
Philip Rylands
Director, Peggy Guggenheim Collection
Foundation Director for Italy
January 18, 2014
Please enjoy the video presentations of my Art of This Century galleries in a box. Please schedule a visit to my studio if you would like to see them in person.
Peggy Guggenheim led a truly remarkable life. Her contribution to art as a collector, gallerist, and patron is nothing less than extraordinary. As a gallerist she provided an incubator for development of one of the major art movements of the twentieth century, abstract expressionism. As a patron of the arts, Peggy, through her financial assistance made it possible for artists as diverse as writer Djuna Barnes and painter Jackson Pollock to advance and sustain their careers. As a collector, Peggy would assemble one of the greatest collections of modern art in the world for less than $40,000...a collection that today would be easily valued at well over one billion dollars..
She stands as living proof that art, in its purest form, reaches far beyond the simple reflection of a Sunday’s afternoon; it gives what one puts into it, and in Peggy’s case, her love and sincere appreciation for all that art stood for helped not only save it, but expand it to the horizons of millions that might never have been able to enjoy it. She was, in a world of inventors and creators and innovators, an emissary of admiration, and a true aesthete of the modern world.
With this in mind, and with the anniversary of her passing apparent, I thought it appropriate to create a personal ode to Peggy Guggenheim, someone who not only inspired me in my pursuit of artistic recognition, but who would have valued my art and effort, and who would have given me the confidence to pursue it further.
Peggy Guggenheim was a true bohemian who lead a personal life no less fascinating than her life in the art world. Peggy would marry three times, and by her own admission enjoy countless lovers along the way. Her husbands were artist and "King of Bohemia" Laurence Vail who was also the father of her two children, Sindbad and Pegeen, famed surrealist painter, Max Ernst, and publisher Douglas Garmon. A brief list of her lovers would include writer and love of her life, John Holmes, playwright Samuel Becket, and modernist painter Yves Tanguy.
Pam Foss Gallery in a Box
Have a great time looking through my Gallery, you can click on the art to learn more about it and to see if the sculptures are available for purchase.
To purchase my abstract sculptures, you can give us a call or you can fill out this form and we will be in contact with you.
To make it even easier to purchase a Pam Foss Sculpture, while you are viewing the art closer in full view there is a link below the description to direct you to a purchase form or our phone number.
We ship all of Pam Foss Sculptures from North Carolina to anywhere in the world.
Close-up view of miniature reproductions of works by Kandinsky, Still, Vail, and others in Pam Foss's acclaimed Gallery in a Box.
Exterior of one of the two Art of This Century's celebrated Gallery in a Box by Pam Foss
Fully opened interior of Pam's Gallery in a Box celebrating Art Of This Century's Surrealist Gallery.
To purchase my abstract sculptures, you can give us a call or you can fill out this form and we will be in contact with you.
To make it even easier to purchase a Pam Foss Sculpture, while you are viewing the art closer in full view there is a link below the description to direct you to a purchase form or our phone number.
We ship all of Pam Foss Sculptures from Florida to anywhere in the world.