Strength and Splendor: Wrought Iron at the Barnes Foundation

The Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia presents 'Strength and Splendor: Wrought Iron from the Musée Le Secq des Tournelles, Rouen,' on view from September 19, 2015 to January 4, 2016. The exhibition juxtaposes ornamental ironworks from the Rouen museum with the Barnes's own collection, highlighting two distinct curatorial approaches. Sculptor Alain Kirili, who trained in France and worked with Samuel Yellin's workshop in Philadelphia, reflects on the significance of forged iron in sculpture and its historical hierarchy. He notes that French tradition relegates decorative arts to a secondary category, yet Albert Barnes integrated ironworks with paintings and furniture on equal footing. Kirili praises Barnes's installations for breaking hierarchies and creating a 'musical semiology' where functional objects resonate with pictorial signs. The show includes repoussé roosters, andirons, and other pieces that demonstrate the linear, calligraphic nature of ironwork. Kirili argues that ornamental ironwork prefigures modern sculpture's use of line and void, challenging ethnocentric art histories that credit Julio Gonzalez, Pablo Picasso, and others with this innovation. The exhibition reveals the different spirits of collectors: Le Secq des Tournelles emphasizes accumulation of functional objects, while Barnes decontextualizes them for aesthetic and humorous effect.