The Chrysler Museum of Art Presents the Original Tale of Pinocchio

NORFOLK, Va. (Jan. 27, 2020) – The Chrysler Museum of Art will present the original story of a beloved character in Jim Dine’s Pinocchio. On view Feb. 28–May 17, the exhibition features the entire portfolio of lithographs by Dine, an internationally acclaimed multimedia artist.  A gift to the Chrysler from Richmond-based collectors Charlotte and Gil Minor, the portfolio is new to the Museum’s collection and includes images as well as words from the first story of Pinocchio.

“The Chrysler’s exhibition of Dine’s images pairs the old with the new. Though Pinocchio’s story dates back more than a century, Dine’s contemporary creativity exudes from his interpretations, introducing visitors to a very different version of a character they think they know,” said Kimberli Gant, Ph.D., the Chrysler’s McKinnon Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art.

Jim Dine’s Pinocchio coincides with the Chrysler Museum’s presentation of Edvard Munch and the Cycle of Life: Prints from the National Gallery of Art. On view simultaneously,  both exhibitions highlight lithography, etching and woodcuts and demonstrate how the various processes of works on paper have evolved over time.

When Pinocchio debuted in theaters in 1940, Dine became enamored with the rambunctious wooden puppet’s sordid journey to become a real boy. “I was six years old when I saw the Disney film. It was really frightening,” Dine said. “His story resonates with me as a person who’s been a boy. It is also a wonderful metaphor for the idea of making art; it’s alchemical. It’s an incredibly direct way of speaking about the act.”

As an established artist, Dine incorporated Pinocchio into his practice. However, the artist didn’t model his work after the iconic Disney film. Instead, he harkened back to Carlo Collodi’s Le avventure di Pinocchio: Storia di un burattino (The Adventures of Pinocchio: Story of a Puppet). The work of the Italian writer and journalist was published in the serial newspaper Il Giornale per i bambini (Journal for Children) in 1881 and found Pinocchio breaking promises and facing life-threatening dangers. Collodi initially wrote 15 chapters of the story, with Pinocchio dying a violent death by hanging. However, readers loved the figure so much that Collodi resurrected Pinocchio and went on to write 21 additional tales, finally ending the serial in spring 1883. In that same year, a publisher compiled all the stories and bound them into one volume titled Le avventure di Pinocchio (The Adventure of Pinocchio) with illustrations by Enrico Mazzanti.

Programming

Public Lecture: Once Upon a Time… Disney and the Classic Fairy Tale
Saturday, April 18, 2020
Kaufman Theatre
1 p.m. │ Free for Museum Members, $5 for non-members

Learn about the evolution of some of the most famous fairy tales. Carmenita Higginbotham, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of art history at the University of Virginia, will discuss the cultural impact of Disney’s animated movies. Inspired by but often diverging from classic fairy tales, Disney has shaped the understanding of these stories for generations.

ABOUT THE CHRYSLER MUSEUM OF ART

The Chrysler Museum of Art is one of America’s most distinguished mid-sized art museums, with a nationally recognized collection of more than 30,000 objects, including one of the great glass collections in America. The core of the Chrysler’s collection comes from Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., an avid art collector who donated thousands of objects from his private collection to the Museum. The Museum has growing collections in many areas and mounts an ambitious schedule of visiting exhibitions and educational programs each season. The Chrysler has also been recognized nationally for its unique commitment to hospitality with its innovative gallery host program.

The Perry Glass Studio is a state-of-the-art facility on the Museum’s campus. The studio offers programming for aspiring and master artists alike in a variety of processes including glassblowing, fusing, flameworking, coldworking and neon. The studio has also cultivated a reputation for its cutting-edge performance evenings and was the host venue of the 2017 Glass Arts Society Conference.

In addition, the Chrysler Museum of Art administers two historic houses in downtown Norfolk: the Moses Myers House and the Willoughby-Baylor House, as well as the Jean Outland Chrysler Library on the campus of Old Dominion University. General admission is free at all venues. For more information on the Chrysler Museum of Art, visit chrysler.org

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