Realia

I had read enough about Bruce Goff before we went to the recent exhibit Bruce Goff: Material Worlds at the Art Institute to expect drawings and photographs of fantastical buildings but was surprised to find what the exhibit labels referred to as Realia. The Art Institute is home to a vast Bruce Goff collection and archive which includes his collection of a “mix of everyday and extraordinary objects that reflect his diverse interests and enthusiasms.” A museum label explained that it is unusual to find such personal belongings in an archive “which typically preserve written and printed materials” but that the “included selection of items provides a window into the passions and ideas that shaped Goff’s material worlds.”

Goff had a large collection of Asian objects and a life long interest in East and Southeast Asian art and culture.

I took note of the label that mentioned he only visited Asia in 1969 after decades of collecting because it reminded me of the time that a visitor to our apartment assumed that we were world travelers due to our collections. I was especially tickled to find a label towards the end of the exhibition that mentioned Goff’s “preference for experiencing the world at a remove, at home with his tuxedo cat and record player.”