Art Matters
With Dan Tranberg

Baseball' exhibit early offering of in-house Clinic art program
Friday, June 30, 2006
Dan Tranberg
Special to The Plain Dealer

Born in San Francisco, artist David Levinthal has been exhibiting nationally and internationally for more than 25 years. With a master of fine arts degree in photography from Yale University, he is represented in dozens of prestigious public collections, from the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York to the Pompidou Center in Paris. A new public exhibition at the Cleveland Clinic's main campus (in corridor M, leading to the Children's Hospital at East 90th Street, between Euclid and Carnegie avenues) features selections from Levinthal's "Baseball" series, which he began working on in the late 1990s. The show opened on Thursday and is up through Friday, Sept. 29.

Like many bodies of work Levinthal has produced, the photographic images are created by shooting commercially manufactured toy figurines. He photographs these miniatures in a studio setting, often making the figures and the settings look real at first glance. In the late 1980s Levinthal became widely known, along with photographers such as Cindy Sherman and Laurie Simmons, for producing ironic images that helped define some of the central themes of postmodern art. Pulling imagery and objects from popular culture and placing them in a new context, he proposed a reconsideration of historical events and icons. Earlier works include images of Barbie Dolls, artificial Nazi soldiers, and toy cowboys and Indians. While much of Levinthal's work has its dark side, his "Baseball" series is comparatively light-hearted. The images often recall playful memories of baseball legends, such as Babe Ruth and Willie Mays, without so much as a hint of irony. This may be a sign of the times -- ironic art is nowhere near as fashionable as it was in the 1980s and early 1990s. Or the "Baseball" series may be an anomaly in Levinthal's oeuvre. In either case, it is no coincidence that the timing of the show coincides with baseball season. The show also coincides with the publication of a new book, "Baseball: Photographs by David Levinthal," which will be released by Empire Editions in August. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the Levinthal exhibition is that it is among the first to be organized by a new in-house art program at the Cleveland Clinic.

Headed by executive director and curator Joanne Cohen, the Clinic's art program staff includes two assistant curators, Jennifer Finkel and Bellamy Printz; a preparator, Brian Sharp; and a departmental assistant, Deborah Sherwood. According to Cohen, who has 20 years of professional experience as an independent curator and art advisor, the recently established art program is designed to serve patients, visitors, and employees of the Clinic as well as the larger community. In other words, the public is welcome to view its exhibitions. Cohen started her position in January. She and her staff maintain offices at the Clinic's Lyndhurst facility, though the program is responsible for the art collection, exhibitions and related education programs throughout the Clinic's Cleveland-area facilities.

Given Cohen's keen eye for art and vast experience with the art world, the Clinic may very well be on its way to having a world-class art program. The Levinthal exhibition is certainly a step in that direction. Call 216-297-8941 or go to www.clevelandclinic.org. Tranberg is an artist and writer living in Cleveland. Art Matters is a column that runs weekly in Friday! covering the art scene. To be considered for publication, items about shows or openings must be received three weeks in advance. Mail to Plain Dealer Art Critic, 1801 Superior Ave., Cleveland, OH 44114, or fax to 216-999-6269.

To reach Dan Tranberg:
trandan@core.com