Pulitzer Arts Foundation

3716 Washington Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63108
314-754-1850

Admission and parking are free. 

https://pulitzerarts.org 

Opened in 2001

In the 1990's Joseph and Emily Pulitzer began the process to create a space to display their personal art collection. They commissioned Japanese architect Tadao Ando in 1991 to design the space, and it became his first free-standing public building in the United States. The museum is in the Grand Center Arts District between the Sheldon Art Galleries and the Contemporary Art Museum. 

The decision was made to not house the Pulitzer's collection but to make this a non-collecting museum.  The museum organizes special exhibits that change every few months.  When we visited, one gallery was dedicated to a Mexican photographer and the other five to Ruth Asawa (1926-2013), a Japanese-American artist whose work is well-known on the West Coast where she lived and worked.  This was the first ever major museum exhibition outside the West Coast of her work and it has received much notice across the country.  The Washington Post calls it "this year's most beautiful exhibition."    

Upon entering the Entrance Gallery, one sees one of Asawa's earliest works, ca. 1952. All of her works are untitled thus the museum uses descriptions to "title" them. This one is "Hanging, Single-Lobed Six-Layered Continuous Form within a Form"   iron wire

Still in the Entrance Gallery: Hanging Two-Lobed Continuous Form, 1949 oxidized copper wire; and Hanging Two Spheres Attached with Chain, ca. 1951-1952    brass wire and brass chain

Asawa envisioned multiple sculptures grouped together to form a single work.  This 1961 example is also in the Entrance Gallery. 

This is one of twenty paintings on display.  It shows Asawa's interest in an interlocking pattern.  She painted this in the late 1950's. 

This 1962 sculpture was one of her first tied-wire pieces and shows her interest in nature. It hangs at the entrance to the Main Gallery. Hanging Tied-Wire, Single-Stem, Multi-Branched Form Based on Nature  galvanized steel wire

Hanging near it is Hanging Tied-Wire, Double-Sided, Open-Center, Multi-Branched Form Based on Nature, 1964   oxidized copper wire

In 2017 we saw our first Ruth Asawa piece at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and fell in love with it.  This piece is now on loan to Pulitzer for this exhibit. Wall-Mounted Tied-Wire, Closed-Center, Twelve-Petaled Form Based on Nature, 1965-70   bronze wire

 Close-up one can see the tied wires. 

In the Main Gallery her pieces are grouped as she often did. 

The following are among the 22 in the Main Gallery: Hanging Miniature, Eight-Lobed, Single-Layered, Continuous Form, 2000   stainless steel wire

Hanging Seven-Lobed, Multilayered Interlocking Continuous Form with a Sphere Suspended in the Top and Fifth Lobes, ca. 1958  copper and brass wire

Hanging Nine Open Hyperbolic Shapes Joined Laterally, ca 1958  oxidized copper wire

Hanging Four Layers of Hour-Glass Forms Surrounding a Bud-Shaped Center with an Intersecting Disk in Top, ca. 1962  galvanized steel and iron wire

The next works are on display in the Cube Gallery.  Below is Hanging Electroplated Tied-Wire, Center-Tied, Spherical Multi-Branched Form Based on Nature, ca. 1963 electroplated copper wire

Two Freestanding Electroplated Tied-Wire organic Forms based on Nature, 1963 and 1965. electroplated copper wire

Wintermass, ca 1974  Hanging Tied-Wire, Double-Sided, Open-Center, Five-Branched Form Based on Nature stainless steel wire tipped with resin

 Wintermass close-up

Wall-mounted Electroplated Tied-Wire, Center-Tied, Four-Branched Form Based on Nature, ca. 1963    electroplated copper wire

One of five paintings in this gallery - Three Views of Cast-Tied-Wire Sculpture and one of Electroplated, ca 1978  pen and black ink on newsprint

Tied-Wire Sculpture Drawing with Six-Branch Center and Drops at the End, ca 1963-1969  pen and black ink on Japanese paper

Tied-Wire Sculpture Drawing with Five-Pointed Star in Center and Asymmetrical Branches, after 1965    pen and black ink on paper

The Lower Level South Gallery has several cone-shaped works. 

Hanging Two Interlocking Cones with a Center Disk, ca. 1952  brass wire

Hanging Eight Separate Cones Suspended through Their Centers, ca. 1952  iron wire

Hanging Sphere with Two Cone that Penetrate the Sphere from Top to Bottom, ca. 1954   galvanized steel wire and brass wire

Hanging Three-Lobed, Continuous Form with Penetrating Cones within Each Lobe, ca. 1955  enameled copper and brass wire

The next two works were created in 1948 when she worked in a school laundry room. Below she used the Double Sheets stamp to create stars.   stamped black ink on newsprint

This one has BMC (name of school) stamped on newsprint.  This work is owned by Harvard.  stamped black ink on newsprint

In the Lower Main Gallery are two paper works. This Wall-Mounted Paper Fold was created ca 1970's. brushed black ink on paper

This is a Wall-Mounted Folded Paper Form, ca. 1968-1970   bronze, dark brownish-green patina

The fifth and last gallery to exhibit Asawa's work is the Lower East gallery. This is Hanging Asymmetrical Twelve Interlocking Bubbles, ca. 1957. galvanized steel, brass, and iron wire

Hanging Miniature Five Interlocking Double Trumpets, ca. 1978  Copper Wire    copper wire

Hanging Miniature Single-Lobed, Three Layered Continuous Form within a Form, ca. 1981-82. Gold-filled wire.   gold-filled wire

Hanging Miniature Two Interlocked , Three-Layered Spheres, ca. 1978. Copper wire. 

 Grouping in this gallery

Freestanding Reversible Undulating Form, ca. 1975, Bronze, natural verdigris

Freestanding Stalagmite Form, 1997   Bronze, golden brown patina 

Hanging Single Section, Open Windows Form, ca. 1962  copper wire

One lone Asawa creation hanging over a staircase.  There are nearly sixty of her sculptures in this exhibit. 

The sixth and final gallery has a photography exhibit: Lola Álvarez Bravo: Picturing Mexico.  She lived from 1903-1993 and was one of Mexico's first female photographers. 

The exhibit includes 47 black and white photographs produced between the 1930's and the 1970's. This one is There She Goes ca 1950. 

Wreaths for the Dead, 1940

Spinning Mills of the North II, ca 1944 is one of the few collages she created.

There is a second floor in the building that has a lounge which looks out onto the Water Courtyard.  During the Asawa exhibition, there is a film about her available in this room. There are not art pieces on display on this level.  

The museum has five works that it permanently owns.  Blue Black at the bottom of the steps in the Lower Main Gallery was painted in 2000 by Ellsworth Kelly for this building.

This 1999 Richard Serra sculpture, Joe, likewise was created for this building.  It sits in the courtyard and may be entered three people at a time. 

As it is made of weathering steel, you are told not to touch the walls when you are inside. 

Our group took advantage of this this piece which is made to be sat upon, and enjoyed the Water Court in which it resides.  It was created out of granite by Scott Burton and is titled Rock Settee.

The museum also owns two torsos including this one in the courtyard: Torso, Study for Venus by Aristide Maillol, 1925, cast in 1960. 

After visiting the museum we chose from a long list of excellent restaurants nearby to go to Vicia in the Cortex Innovation Community.  In 2017 when Vicia opened they were listed on several Top New Restaurant lists including USA Today's list of top ten new restaurants in USA where Vicia was listed second. In 2018 Chef Michael Gallina was listed 5th best new chef by Food & Wine. 

Vicia "celebrates vegetable-forward cuisine" so it is not surprising to see even in January, vegetable beds around the building. 

We found the inside very relaxing and full of light.  

We sat right by the kitchen allowing us to watch the staff prepare the food. 

The menu only contains six items to order but they were excellent.  We tried all but the sandwich! 

Beet Salad, Sweet Potato Soup, and porridge bread

Wheat Berry Salad and Tartine - yes those are marinated radishes on the tartine. 

Maine Crab and Lobster Salad.

Comments:  We very much looked forward to seeing Ruth Asawa's works and definitely were not disappointed. We are so glad that a St. Louis museum chose to exhibit her work. 

If I were to go again I would call enough ahead of time to get a tour scheduled.  I tried the day before we were going and it was too late for them to schedule it. They do offer audio tours but they only have three headsets and recorders available for use.  You are encouraged to bring earpieces for your Smart phones and to listen to the audio tour that way.  I was glad I called before coming and was told this. This museum has no labels or signs with the works on display so we were encouraged to use the audio tour or the gallery guide.  We all chose the audio tour.  Unfortunately as we toured we realized we should have taken both as at times we were unsure to what piece of art the audio was referring.  It was rather frustrating at times. We all missed not having visual labels. That being said the script and delivery of the tour were excellent once you figured out about which piece she was talking. 

Every room had a staff member or docent in it.  Because we were so immersed in listening to the recording we never stopped to talk to any of them until we were finished with the last gallery. It was then we learned how informative and helpful these people could be.  The woman in this gallery was excellent and very knowledgeable.  Interestingly, they switch galleries every thirty minutes. 

The museum is only open four days a week so be sure to check their website for their hours.  They offer many activities listed on their website. 

Vicia was a great restaurant!   Even with a limited choice we all found food we really enjoyed.  It was fun to eat something different!  The staff was all friendly and the environment excellent. We would definitely return.  They have a tasting at the dinner hour which sounds like pure fun!