1972: 50 Works for 50 Years
Ulfert Wilke
"The 14th of July, 1970"
Ulfert Wilke (1907-1987) was born in Bavaria, studied in Germany and Paris and came to the United States in 1938. He studied at Harvard and the University of Iowa and was director of the University of Iowa Museum of Art, 1968-1975. The "14th of July, 1970" was purchased from the South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã Art Museum’s first Northwestern Biennial Exhibition of 1972. July 14th was Wilke’s birthday as well as Bastille Day and that date became the title each year of what he considered his most successful painting of the year.
In one of the many animated letters he exchanged with the artist, South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã Art Museum Director Joseph Stuart admitted that this painting was his favorite in the permanent collection. "That painting remains my favorite in the collection, and it takes real willpower to refrain from showing it too much for proper conservation." Stuart was a champion of contemporary and modern art. His legacy lives on through his sensitive curation of acquisitions for the museum, several of which are on display in this exhibition.
Reference: Joseph Martin Stuart biography, "Beyond Order and Chaos" exhibit object label.
"The 14th of July, 1970"
acrylic on canvas, 1970
South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã Art Museum Collection, 1972.05.1.
South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã Art Museum Purchase (Friends Fund).
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