Evening star., 1963-01-13
BY FRANK GETLEIN
Star Art Critic

SbSA ~ y NiAtAS
Everyone in favor Of sex
is advised to take in the new
show at the Washington CAL
lery of Modern Art. The artist
is Reuben Nakian, the Ar
menian sculptor from Con-
necticut, and the show is a
considerable achievement for
the Gallery Of Modern Art.
The artist has been a ma
tionally and even interna-
tionally known figure for
years, but this is the first
exhibition of his work in an
East Coast art museum. He
has had shows in the West
and abroad and, of course,
at his New York dealers, the
Egan Gallery. But for vari-
Gus reasons, even after his
winning a major Ford Foun-
dation grant in 1859, Nakian
has not, until now, had a
museum show.
This being so, it's a shame
the present exhibition isn't
more thorough. The earliest
piece In the show is a bronze
head Of Marcel Duchamp,
1943, but the artist first ex-
hibited over 20 years earlier
and his first one man show,
at New York's Downtown Gal
lery, was held in 1893. The
Gallery of Modern Art thus
appears to be writing off
slightly more than half of
the mans career, including
the work, Of special interest
locally, he did here during
the WP.A. Nakian, now in
his mid-60s, began the mas
terry Of his art under Robert
Henri and Paul Manship and
later associated with CASTOR
Lachaise and Alexander
Brook. In one way or an
other, attitudes he shared
with all these artists are
present in most of his work.
The exhibition. by corlcen.-
trating on major pieces of the
last four or five years, creates
the misleading impression
that Reuben Nakian came out
Of the nowhere into the here
about 10 years ago.
Not In Abstract
This false impression is
particularly unfortunate be-
cause 1t seems to place
Nakian within the pehno-
menon Of Abstract Express
sionism. On the basis of
the work on view he has no
relationship to that movement
of the last decade at all.
Quite the contrary and on
two counts. The first is his
formidable craftsmanship, q
quality that was assumed,
when Abstract Expressionism
was in flower, to cramp the
artists style and to prevent
the full realization of his
mystical self. .f
Objective Point of View
Second. and perhaps more
important, Reuben Nakian is
intensely interested in things
that exist apart from himself.
his materials and his working
with his materials. When he
creates sculpture, he makes
objects; they are not simply
the inevitable residue Of his
actions with his materials; :,
they exist in themselves and
are intended TO do so. The
principal things he is inter-
ested In are the characters
and events of the Greek
myths. The Gallery Of Modern
Art is full Of pieces that are
fresh interpretations Of Leda.
OF Europa and Hecuba. TO
name three. Anyone who re-
members the New York art Of
the l950s will recall that the
only Greek myth then rele-
want 10 art was that OF
Narcissus. the boy who fell
In love with himself.
In general there are three
manners represented in the
show and the spirit OF the
artist dominates in all three.
Sex pretty we'll dominates in
all three, too. as you would
expect Of anyone interested
IN Greek myths.
Men Like Gods
The close reader Of the
Book OF Genesis has always
recognized II as a MASTER
piece OF sheer sexual energy
exploding. literally, all over
the world. as the patriarchs
from Noah 10 Joseph we're
NAAAAAANAAAANAAAAAAAA,