The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco Welcome Gifts of African Art from the Richard H. Scheller Collection

Celebrated in the upcoming exhibition Embodiments: Masterworks of African Figurative Sculpture

de Young \ January 31‒July 5, 2015

SAN FRANCISCO (August 14, 2014)—The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco announce gifts of African art from the extraordinary collection assembled over the past 30 years by Richard H. Scheller, a biochemist and the Executive Vice President of Research and Early Development at Genentech. Selected works were gifted to the Museums in 2013 and 2014, and the Museums will receive additional gifts from the collection in the future.

Distinctive for its geographical breadth and its variety of depictions of the human form, the Scheller Collection reflects the indigenous cultures of more than 140 distinct ethnic groups in 20 countries. The sculptures are constructed from a broad array of materials, including wood, metal, ivory, bone, fiber, pigment and shell, and range in style from naturalism to abstraction. The gifts will transform the Museums’ African art collection and will present exciting opportunities for the de Young to enrich knowledge of African visual culture.

“Richard Scheller has actively supported the Museums’ program of African art for a number of years. The Museums are fortunate to receive such important gifts of art from his collection, and it is exceptional to be able to share them in a meaningful way with audiences of all ages,” said Colin B. Bailey, director of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

The collection will be celebrated in Embodiments: Masterworks of African Figurative Sculpture, on view at the de Young from January 31 through July 5, 2015. Highlighting 120 pieces from the Scheller Collection, including gifts shared with the Museums’ public for the first time, the exhibition will feature sculptures considered classic and iconic in the corpus of African art, as well as unusual examples that challenge viewers and scholars alike to reconsider commonly held assumptions. Together they allow visitors to explore the histories and formal qualities of these works of art.

“The de Young’s founding collection of African art was drawn from the exhibitions of the California Mid-Winter Exposition in 1894, and in the 20th and 21st centuries, gifts from personal collections have been integral to its development,” said Christina Hellmich, curator in charge of the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas. “The Scheller gift, this exhibition, and its catalogue will expand public understanding of the connections between representation and meaning in African art, and our presentation will be enriched by Richard Scheller’s personal interest in scientific testing of and research on these artworks.”

In their original contexts, the Scheller Collection works represented ancestors, expressed community values, and served religious and ceremonial purposes. “My collecting has been guided by an interest in pieces that express the incredible diversity of representation of human forms in African art. I am especially drawn to figures that surprise me with their appearance and rarity, and I’m pleased that visitors to the de Young will now have an opportunity to enjoy them in the galleries,” said Richard Scheller.

Click here for more information on Embodiments: Masterworks of African Figurative Sculpture.

Exhibition Organization
This exhibition is organized by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. President’s Circle: Genentech.

Visiting \ de Young
Golden Gate Park, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco. Open 9:30 a.m.–5:15 p.m. Tuesdays–Sundays; open select holidays; closed most Mondays.

Admission Tickets
General admission tickets required. Tickets range from $6 to $10; free first Tuesday of each month. Please visit deyoungmuseum.org for more information.

About the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, comprising the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park and the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, is the largest public arts institution in San Francisco.

The de Young originated from the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition and became the Memorial Museum. Thirty years later, it was renamed in honor of Michael H. de Young, a longtime champion of the museum. The present copper-clad landmark building, designed by Herzog and de Meuron, opened in October 2005. It showcases the institution’s significant collections of American painting, sculpture and decorative arts from the 17th to the 21st centuries; art from Africa, Oceania and the Americas; costume and textile arts; and international modern and contemporary art.

The Legion of Honor was inspired by the French pavilion at San Francisco’s Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915, which was a replica of the Palais de la Légion d’Honneur in Paris. The museum opened in 1924 in the Beaux Arts–style building designed by George Applegarth on a bluff overlooking the Golden Gate. Its holdings span 4,000 years and include European painting, sculpture and decorative arts; ancient art from the Mediterranean basin; and the largest collection of works on paper in the American West.

Media Contacts
Erin Garcia \ egarcia@famsf.org

Arlo Crawford \ acrawford@famsf.org