INDIANAPOLIS, IN.- The Indianapolis Museum of Art announced that it has acquired 230 objects over the past 12 months. The new works enhance the Museum’s encyclopedic collection and span eight curatorial departments: American, Asian, Contemporary, Design Arts, European before 1800, European 1800-1945, Prints and Drawings, and Textile and Fashion Arts.

Highlights among the year’s acquisitions include:

• 18th-century sculpture Christ at the Column attributed to Caspicara. Created by the bestknown sculptor of 18th-century Quito, Ecuador, the polychrome wood figure features idealized anatomy emphasizing Christ’s human condition and his divine nature, downplaying the physical effects of his torture and focusing instead on his inner torment. The naturalistic effects achieved through the painted imitation of flesh tones and the use of glass eyes are characteristic of devotional sculpture produced in both Spain and colonial Spanish America (1723-1796, 16 ½ in. Maisie Eden Power Endowment Fund).

• Morning – Old Schofield Mill by Indiana artist T.C. Steele. This gift marks the rediscovery of one of the most important canvases by Indiana’s pre-eminent landscape painter, created during the early years after his return to Indianapolis from Munich. (1889, oil on canvas, 30 1/4 x 45 1/2 in. Gift of Rosemary A. Gatewood and Kenneth Gatewood. 2011.132).

• La Vérité Méconnue (Truth Unacknowledged), by French artist Jules Dalou. This bronze by late 19th-century Paris’s major artist of public sculpture offers a universal allegory about confronting truth as well as a specific commentary on the Dreyfus Affair that divided France in the 1890s. (created after 1890, bronze, 13 x 11 1/2 x 7 1/2 in. Gift in memory of John and Cass Virts. 2011.130)

• Body in Flight (Delta), by Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla. Commissioned by the IMA for the U.S. Pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia, the 54th International Art Exhibition, the performative sculpture is a full-scale reproduction of a state-of-the-art business class airline seat that is activated through a performance by a female gymnast (2011, carved and stained wood, Purchase made possible through support of several donors and IMA purchase funds).

• Tea & Coffee Piazza service designed by Michael Graves. Since creating the Department of Design Arts in 2007, the IMA has focused on building a comprehensive collection of contemporary design after 1980. The growing collection includes masterpieces of design, including this silver service set by Graves (1980-1984; manufactured by Alessi; 925/1000 silver, lacquered aluminum, mock ivory, and Bakelite; Gift in honor of Joyce A Sommers with funds provided by V. Simon Abraham, Cornelius M. and Dorothy Alig, Ruthelen Burns, William J. and Vickie Cafaro, Robert M. Davis, Scott Evenbeck, Russell and Penny B. Fortune, William L. Fortune Jr. and Joseph D. Blakely, Mark M. and Carmen S. Holeman, John David Hoover, Frederick M. King, Kay F. Koch, James E. and Patricia J. LaCrosse, Catharine D. Lichtenauer, Katherine C. Nagler, Nancy J. Ramsey, George J. Seybert, Trent Spence, James A. and Cheryl S. Strain, James P. and Anna S. White, Design Arts Society Fund. 2011.2.1-.5A-C).

• Rocket Poster Paper Dress by Harry Gordon. With this acquisition, the IMA has the complete set of five paper dresses designed by graphic artist Harry Gordon in 1968. The five designs are 'eye', 'hand', 'cat', 'rose' and 'rocket'. Taking his cue from poster imagery, Gordon treated the simple A-line dresses as canvas, featuring large photographic blowups covering the entire front and back surfaces (75% rayon, 25% nylon; 35 1/4 x 24 3/8 in. Deaccessioned Textiles Fund. 2011.15).

• Works by Japanese artist Tawara Yūsaku. Working primarily in ink on paper, Tawara used the cumulative effect of many brushstrokes to create powerful expressive works. In November 2011, the IMA opened Universe Is Flux: The Art of Tawara Yūsaku, the first large-scale exhibition of Tawara’s paintings, and acquired 29 of his works. 2011.141-169.

Other acquisitions include:

Asian
• Waterfall, about 1900, Mochizuki Gyokusen, Japanese, ink and silver on silk, Gift of the Asian Art Society of the Indianapolis Museum of Art, 2011.140

Contemporary
• A Line Describing the Sun, 2010, William Lamson, American, two-channel high definition video, 13:35 minutes; Jane Weldon Myers Acquisition Fund, Cecil F. Head Art Fund, 2011.133A-H

• Break of Day (video), 2011, Kate Gilmore, American, single channel video on DVD, 18:34 minutes; Commissioned by the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Frank Curtis Springer & Irving Moxley Springer Purchase Fund, 2011.114

• The 48 Steps, 2010, Marco Maggi, Uruguayan, plastic slide mounts, paper and paint; Lucille Stewart Endowed Art Fund, 2011.134A-YY

Design Arts
• Blue Bench sofa, 1997; Maarten van Severen (designer), Belgian; polyurethane and metal; Edra S.p.A. (manufacturer); Roger G. Wolcott Fund, 2011.4

• C2 Solid side chair, 2004; Patrick Jouin (designer), French; resin; Materialise.MGX (manufacturer); Mrs. Pierre F. Goodrich Endowed Art Fund and Deaccessioned Decorative Art Fund, 2011.53

Prints and Drawings
• La Porte Verte (The Green Door), 1907, Maude Hunt Squire, American, color etching and aquatint on cream laid paper; Gift of Dr. Steven Conant in memory of Mrs. H. L. Conant and Miss Joan D. Weisenberger, 2011.101

• Peacock Waterfall, 2001, Pat Steir, American, screenprint on white Somerset paper; Gift of Dr. Steven Conant in memory of Mrs. H. L. Conant and Mrs. H. E. Conant, 2011.92

Textile and Fashion Arts
• Playsuit, Jacket and Dress, about 1950, Claire McCardell (designer), American, cotton and brass hooks; Caroline Marmon Fesler Fund, 2011.14.1-3