“Landscapes of the Collector: the Best of the Baron and Ellin Gordon Collection of Self-Taught Art”

October 06, 2016

In the mid-1980s, Baron and Ellin Gordon - for whom Old Dominion University's main art gallery is named - began traveling the country collecting contemporary self-taught art created by men and women untrained and uninfluenced by formal institutions.

The Gordons have been at the forefront of collectors since the field's inception, and the University is fortunate to have been gifted, in 2007, with 375 works from their premier collection. With this gift, the University became a repository of some of the finest examples of contemporary self-taught art in a public collection.

The exhibition, "Landscapes of the Collector: the Best of the Baron and Ellin Gordon Collection of Self-Taught Art," is a look at the Gordons' field trips across the American landscape. The show runs from Oct. 8 through Sept. 24, 2017. A reception, which is free and open to the public, will be held Oct. 21 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the gallery, located at 4509 Monarch Way. Parking is available in the 45th Street garage.

The couple eventually traveled nationwide, focusing mostly on the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast and Mississippi Valley regions of the country - with the latter contributing significantly to the African-American presence in their collection.

Eighty-five of the best objects from their donation to the University will be displayed to give guests a glimpse into their experience, the phenomenal breadth and variety of the American landscape and how it has influenced regional cultures that in turn have developed traditions of clay, wood, metal, painting and textiles. The Gordons collected from artists, dealers (who often led them to artists), auctions and other collectors.

The exhibition will be followed by a catalog celebrating the Gordons' gift and their important contribution to the cultural influence of the arts at Old Dominion University.

Gallery hours are Tuesday-Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, from 1 to 5 p.m. For more information, call 757-683-6271 or visit the Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries website.