by Jim Harrington
A stroll through the Anderson Collection is a crash course in 20th Century American art history. Housed in the Quadrus office complex--located off Sand Hill Road near the Highway 280 overpass in Menlo Park--are works from some of the most important names in recent modern art. There are examples of Frank Stella's three-dimensional sculpture/paintings, Robert Therrien's sleek and minimalist, untitled sculptures, Sabina Ott's abstract paintings and many others.
"This is considered an art museum-quality collection," said Sheryl Nonnenberg, associate curator. "You will see the same artists that you see at the Museum of Modern Art--both in New York and San Francisco."
If you haven't seen the collection, your next chance will be Oct. 17, when a free tour will be offered.
In total, the private collection of Harry W. and Mary Margaret Anderson contains about 800 pieces. Those who tour the Anderson Collection get a chance to see about 250 of those.
The collection contains works in a variety of media, from watercolors and inks on paper to sculpted aluminum and polyester resin-coated fiberglass. The pieces were all created following World War II and come from artists living primarily in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Some of the major post-World War II movements that are represented in the collection are Color Field Painting, Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism, Pop Art, Funk Art, Photorealism and the recent return to figurative painting and geometric abstraction.
Three-dimensional objects--be it painting, sculptures or a combination of the two--are a big part of the exhibit. Some of the art is serious and somber, other pieces are silly and seemingly senseless. Some of the most fun pieces come from the California Funk Art movement.
Auburn-native David Gilhooly is well-known for his ceramic pieces that prominently feature frogs. In "Hoarding My Frog Food," which is on display at Quadrus, Gilhooly has created a mountainous sandwich of frogs, topped with a chocolate moose, and a cartoonish man reaching his arms around the gigantic portion.
In "Sinking Brick Plate," Benecia-native Robert Arneson also uses ceramics to show the progress of a brick sinking into a plate. In a series of five plates, the partially submerged brick sinks a little bit deeper on each plate until it is finally submerged.
"These men wanted to elevate ceramics from a craft, which it had always been considered, to more of an art form," Nonnenberg explained.
Nonnenberg said not all the visitors to the collection appreciate every piece of contemporary art on display. She points out the untitled, minimalist Therrien sculptures and paintings of fairly basic shapes--such as snowmen or bent cones--are often questioned for their validity as art. Others would say that the simplicity of the works leaves them open to multiple interpretations and that Therrien leaves the works untitled so people can identify the works for themselves.
Many other works rely on the viewer's input to bring the pieces to full realization. In "The Quadrant," Stella uses a multitude of colors on waves of three-dimensional magnesium to create a swirling sea image that is said to have been inspired by "Moby Dick." Still, it can be pretty hard--at least for some--to see anything whale-like in the piece.
"An inspiration can just be a starting point; it doesn't have to be real literal," Nonnenberg said.
The Andersons began collecting art in the late 1960s, and until 1986, the collection was installed at the Saga Corporation headquarters--which is now the Quadrus complex. Saga was a leading food service company, of which Harry Anderson was one of the three founders. In 1986, Saga was bought by Marriott Corp., and a year later, the corporate buildings were sold to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. In 1987, the Saga complex was renamed Quadrus.
The six-building, 20-acre complex is now home to the Kaiser foundation and other tenants. Through an agreement with the Andersons and the Kaiser foundation, the Anderson Collection remains a private collection with works exhibited throughout the complex.
The collection is also housed in the Andersons' three homes, and pieces are loaned to various institutions and museums. Currently, about 70 works from the Anderson Collection are on display at the new wing of the Stanford Hospital.
What: Docent-led tours of the Anderson Collection of Contemporary Art
Where: Quadrus Office Complex, Building 2440, 2400 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park.
When: Public tours take place the third Thursday of each month, noon-1 p.m. The next tour is Oct. 17.
How much: Free
Information: 854-5160 (reservations are required)
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