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Seeing Stein

Legendary lesbian artist the subject of Portrait Gallery exhibit

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Francis Picabia's 'Portrait of Gertrude Stein,' a 1933 work included in the National Portrait Gallery's current 'Seeing Gertrude Stein' exhibit. (Image courtesy the Portrait Gallery)

The National Portrait Gallery’s (8th and F streets) newest exhibit, “Seeing Gertrude Stein: Five Stories” uses paintings, photos, videos and more to visually tell Stein’s life story.

The exhibit, curated by Wanda M. Corn and Tirza True Latimer, begins in the hallway on the second floor with the first story, “Picture Gertrude.”

This part includes several images of Stein and her family, beginning when she was just a little girl, the youngest of five children.

The oddest piece in this area is “Portrait of Gertrude Stein” by Francis Picabia, done in 1933. Around this time, Stein has gotten a very short haircut, sometimes referred to as a Caesar cut, and Picabia portrayed her as “imperial.”

Unlike like other photos and paintings, Picabia fictionalized the background and Stein’s clothing, painting her in a toga like dress, leaving her arms bare. No other images in the collection picture Stein in even short sleeves.

The second story, “Domestic Stein” really explores the relationship between Stein and partner Alice B. Toklas, specially their life at home.

This part of the exhibit includes many photos of the couple’s home and some of their belongings, including two vests, or “waistcoats,” worn by Stein and a few pieces of jewelry. A section of the room is wallpapered with a pattern the couple used in their bedroom.

The third story, “Art of Friendship,” looks at the wide circle of artists Stein befriend throughout her life, including a group of lesser known younger male artists, writers and composers.

A quotation by Stein, painted above a grid of some of these younger artists, reads “We are surrounded by homosexuals, they do all the good things in all the arts.”

One of these younger artists was Sir Francis Cyril Rose, whom Stein thought would be the next Picasso. After her death, Rose created a silk scarf, featuring a neoclassical bust of Stein surrounded by an inaccurate version of her most famous maxim, “rose is a rose is a rose is a rose,” and each corner of the scarf had a different focus.

The fourth story, “Celebrity Stein,” focuses on a six-month tour Stein went on in the U.S. and her activities during the world wars.

In the middle of a room between the fourth and fifth “story,” there’s a single, Buddha-like sculpture of Stein by Jo Davidson. A recording of Stein reading two of her word portraits, “If I Told Him: A Completed Portrait of Picasso” and “An Early Portrait of Henri Matisse,” echoes through the room.

This part of the exhibit serves as a transition from Stein’s life to works inspired by her after her death.

One of the most interesting pieces in the exhibit is part of the fifth story, Legacies, which explores the influence Stein had on American artists such as Andy Warhol, Deborah Kass and more.

“After Picasso” by Devorah Sperber is an interesting take on what is probably the most classic image of Stein. Sperber strung 5,024 spools of thread on chains to create what at first appears to be an abstract image, but when viewed through a clear acrylic sphere, the image is inverted and the “pixels” comes together.

A book by Corn and Latimer, also titled “Seeing Gertrude Stein: Five Stories” accompanies the exhibit and is available for purchase in the museum’s gift shop.

The gallery has also organized special programs and events in conjunction with the exhibit.

Proof Restaurant (775 G St., N.W.) will have a special, four-course menu inspired by Toklas for $59 while the exhibit is open. There will also be two portrait story days with a focus on Stein on Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m. Younger visitors will have the opportunity to listen to a story about Stein as well as create their own piece of art.

On Nov. 4, the Art History Program of American university is holding a lunch, tour and program as part of the second annual Feminist Art History Conference. For more information on this event, visit american.edu/cas/art-history/femconf/index.cfm.

The exhibit opened Oct. 14 and will run through Nov. 3.

 

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Photos

PHOTOS: Silver Pride

Rayceen Pendarvis serves as emcee

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Rayceen Pendarvis was the emcee of Silver Pride 2025. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The 2025 Silver Pride Resource Fair and Tea Dance was held at the Eaton Hotel on Wednesday, May 21.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

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Out & About

Queer film festival comes to D.C.

DC/DOX to showcase LGBTQ documentaries made by LGBTQ filmmakers

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DC/DOX film festival will take place in D.C. on June 12.

DC/DOX will host a film festival beginning on Thursday, June 12, at the Regal Gallery Place, Eaton Cinema, and the U.S. Navy Memorial Burke Theatre. 

This festival will premier LGBTQ documentaries made by LGBTQ filmmakers. Each screening will be followed by in-person Q&As with the filmmakers. 

For more details, visit dcdoxfest.com

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Movies

Gay director on revealing the authentic Pee-wee Herman

New HBO doc positions Reubens as ‘groundbreaking’ performance artist

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The HBO Original two-part documentary ‘PEE-WEE AS HIMSELF,’ directed by Matt Wolf), debuts Friday, May 23 (8 p.m.-11:20 p.m. ET/PT) with both parts airing back-to-back on HBO and will be available to stream on Max. (Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.)

In the new HBO two-part documentary, “Pee-wee as Himself,” director Matt Wolf gives viewers a never-before-seen look into the personal life of Paul Reubens, the comedic actor behind the much loved television persona, Pee-wee Herman. 

Filmed before Reubens passed away in 2023 from cancer, Wolf and his creative team created the riveting documentary, interspersing several interviews, more than 1,000 hours of archival footage, and tens of thousands of personal photos.

Determined to set the record straight about what really happened, Reubens discussed his diverse influences, growing up in the circus town of Sarasota, Fla., and his avant-garde theater training at the California Institute of the Arts. 

Ruebens joined the Groundlings improv group, where he created the charismatic Pee-wee Herman. He played the quirky character during the Saturday morning show, “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” and in numerous movies, like “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” and “Big Top Pee-wee.” He also brought Pee-wee to Broadway, with “The Pee-wee Herman Show.”

To get an enigma such as Reubens to open up was no easy task for Wolf.

“I felt determined to get Paul to open up and to be his authentic self,” acknowledged Wolf at a recent press conference. “And I was being tested and I wanted to meet my match in a way so I didn’t feel frustrated or exhausted, I felt determined but I also, it was thrilling to go this deep. I’ve never been able, or I don’t know if I ever will, go this deep with another human being to interview them in an intimate way for over 40 hours.”

Wolf described the collaborative interview experience as a dream, “like we were in a bubble where time didn’t matter.” he also felt a deep connection to the material, having come of age watching “Pee-wee’s Playhouse.”

“I wouldn’t have been able to put words to it at the time, but I think it was my first encounter with art that I felt emotionally involved in,” noted Wolf.

“He continued: “I recognize that that show created a space for a certain kind of radical acceptance where creativity thrives. And as a gay filmmaker, I also recognize things like Pee-wee Herman marrying a bowl of fruit salad at a slumber party or dancing in high heels to the song, ‘Fever.’ That stuff spoke to me. So that was my connection to it.”

During the documentary, Reubens comes out as a gay man.

“Paul went into this process wanting to come out,” said Wolf. “That was a decision he had made. He was aware that I was a gay filmmaker and had made portraits of other gay artists. That was the work of mine he was attracted to, as I understood. And I wanted, as a younger person, to support him in that process, but he also was intensely sensitive that the film would overly emphasize that; or, focused entirely from the lens of sexuality when looking at his story.”

Their complicated dynamic had an aspect of “push and pull” between them. 

“I think that generational difference was both a source of connection and affinity and tension. And I do think that the level to which Paul discusses his relationships and intimacy and vulnerability and the poignant decision he made to go back into the closet. I do have to believe to some extent he shared that because of our connection.”   

Wolf hopes that the “Pee-wee as Himself” positions Reubens as one of the most “groundbreaking” performance artists of his generation who in a singular way broke through into mainstream pop culture.

“I know he transformed me. He transformed how I see the world and where I went as a creative person. And it’s so clear that I am not alone in that feeling. For me, it was fairly abstract. I couldn’t necessarily put words to it. I think people who grew up on Pee-wee or were big fans of Pee-wee, seeing the film, I hope, will help them tap into intangible and specific ways how transformative his work was for them. It really is a gift to revisit early seminal experiences you had and to see how they reverberate in you.” 

He added: “So, to me, this isn’t so much about saying Paul Reubens is a genius. I mean, that’s overly idealizing and I don’t like hero worship. It’s more about understanding why many of us have connected to his work and understanding where he lives within a legacy of performance art, television, and also, broader pop culture.”

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