Tuesday, May 1, 2012

HIKIND & STRINGER CONVINCE MET TO DISCLOSE GERTRUDE STEIN’S NAZI PAST

PRESS RELEASE

PRESENTATION OF ‘STEIN COLLECTS’ AT METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART TO BE UPDATED FOR HISTORICAL ACCURACY

Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer (D-Manhattan) have convinced The Metropolitan Museum of Art to reveal that its exhibit “The Steins Collect” was owned and collected by fascist/Nazi-collaborator Gertrude Stein.

“The Steins Collect”—a popular exhibit currently on display at the Met, which includes art from Matisse, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Renoir and Picasso—noticeably overlooked some key historical details in its presentation: That the collection survived the Nazi plunder of France only because its owner, author/collector Gertrude Stein, was philosophically aligned with the Vichy Nazi collaborators. Stein not only translated Nazi puppet leader Marshall Philippe Petain’s speeches into English for submission to her New York publisher, she also lobbied for a Nobel Peace Prize for Adolph Hitler in 1938.

Following this glaring omission, Assemblyman Hikind met with representatives of the museum this morning who assured him that the presentation of “The Steins Collect” exhibit will be updated for historical accuracy.

“People are entitled to the facts,” said Assemblyman Hikind. “Visitors have the right to know that this collection exists because Gertrude Stein sold her soul; that she lived in comfort, aiding the Nazi cause while her fellow Jews were being robbed, tortured and murdered. “I am grateful to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for accepting the historical accountability of full disclosure. I also want to thank Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer for joining me in correcting this glaring omission.”

1 comment:

  1. Dear  ,
    You are right and they are right to tell the historic truth about Gertrude Stein in this however wonderfull exhibition,"The Steins Collect;Matisse,Picasso,Cezanne and the Parisian Avant Garde" in NewYork at the Metropolitan Museum of Art .
    Because what a pleasure to see the portrait of Gertrude Stein by Riba-Rovira .Who was as Picasso an antifascist and antinazi artist .Persecuted by Franco and the Nazis .
    But who is perhaps in this exhibition ,thanks to Rebecca Rabinow and Edward Burns ,
    the only one artist would fought them weapons in his hands .
    Whose father was in jail after the spanish civil war .Beside Tchelitchew and Balthus and Francis Rose near Picabia and Picasso in the last room of this exhibition .

    And you have an interesting article in Appollo London Revew about him .And also in Artes Magazine from San Francisco where the exhibition was before .The main document is with the mention beside the picture with the Preface Gertrude Stein wrote for his first Riba-Rovira's exhibition in the Galerie Roquepine in Paris on 1945 .
    Where we can read Gertrude Stein writing Riba-Rovira "will go farther than Cezanne...will succeed in where Picasso failed...I am fascinated " by Riba-Rovira Gertrude Stein tells us .

    And you are you also fascinated indeed as Gertrude Stein by Riba-Rovira ?

    Me I am when I see « L’Arlequin » on the free access website of « Galeria Muro ».

    But Gertrude Stein spoke also in this same document about Matisse and  Juan Gris .
    And we learn Riba-Rovira went each week in Gertrude Stein's saloon rue Christine with Masson ,Hemingway and others.By Edward Burns and Carl Van Vechten we can know Riba-Rovira did others portraits of Gertrude Stein .

    But we do not know where they are ;and you do you know perhaps ?

    With this wonderful portrait we do not forget it is the last time Gertrude Stein sat for an artist who is Riba-Rovira .
    This exhibition presents us a world success with this last painting portrait before she died .And her last Gertrude Stein's Art Retrospective before dead .
    Both ,it is one of the last text where she gives her last art vision .As a light over that exhibition now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York thanks to Curator Rebecca Rabinow .
    Coming from San Francisco "Seeing five stories" in the Jewish museum to Washington in National Portrait Gallery .And now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York for our pleasure .
    And the must is to see for the first time in the same place portraits by Picasso, Picabia, Riba-Rovira, Rose ,Tall-Coat, Valloton .Never before it was .
    You have the translate of Gertrude Stein's Riba-Rovira Preface on english Gertrude Stein's page on Wikipedia and in the catalog of this Roquepine exhibition you can see in first place the mention of this portrait .And also other pictures Gertrude Stein bought to Riba-Rovira .
    There is another place where you can see now Riba-Rovira's works in an exhibition in Valencia in Spain "Homenage a Gertrude Stein" by Riba-Rovira in Galleria Muro ,if you like art ...

    But we do not missed today that all over Europe a very bad wind is blowing again bringing the worth in front of us .And we must know that at least were two antinazis and antifascists in this exhibition but the only one fighting weapons in hands was Riba-Rovira and also who did one of the first three « affiches » supporting Republicans in the beguining Spanish civil war .
    Picasso fighting also but only with his brushes .

    ReplyDelete