Helen Altman
Encyclopedia
Helen Altman is an artist based in Fort Worth, Texas
. Altman received both her BFA, in 1981, and MA, in 1986, from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. In 1989 she earned her MFA from the University of North Texas, Denton.
Altman’s work includes quilted moving blankets imprinted with found images of nature. Through these works Altman juxtaposes nature with artificiality; her subjects are innate while the materials and means of creating the work are synthetic. Altman also creates birds made from wire whose exoskeletons encompass various found objects.
Altman ‘s “torch” drawings of animals range in subject matter from exotic animals to household pets. She created these drawings by first soaking paper in water and then carefully burning an image into the surface with a propane torch. This process leaves little room for error as the surface must remain wet otherwise it will ignite; there is no re-torching. The end result is an image that floats in the center of the page with varying hues of brown fading into the paper like a mirage.
In a 2009 solo exhibition at DCKT Contemporary, Altman displayed Goldfish, a 45 gallon aquarium filled with dozens of cast plastic goldfish weighed down individually by fishing weights. Apart from the recurring theme of natural subjects represented by artificial means, Altman is also questioning individuality, loneliness and loss of identity.
Altman attempted to take fear out of death in the exhibit “Dead or Alive” at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York. She used several types of herbs and other natural foodstuffs ranging from juniper berry to lavender to yellow mustard seed to cast human skull sculptures. Altman intended for the viewer to approach the skulls and be captivated by their fragrance instead of repulsed by their association with death. “It’s like the traditional sugar skulls you see in Mexico for Day of the Dead,” she said. “You make death into a sweet thing to be eaten so that people don’t fear it.”
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Altman received both her BFA, in 1981, and MA, in 1986, from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. In 1989 she earned her MFA from the University of North Texas, Denton.
Work
Altman's earlier works include sculptures made from household appliances, and use humor to draw attention to more serious themes. For example, Weeping Iron is a leaking iron encased within a laundry basket resting upon an ironing board which is smothered by men’s dress shirts. The absurdity of a crying iron is only the first layer of meaning, the second relating to a woman trapped under the weight of household duties.Altman’s work includes quilted moving blankets imprinted with found images of nature. Through these works Altman juxtaposes nature with artificiality; her subjects are innate while the materials and means of creating the work are synthetic. Altman also creates birds made from wire whose exoskeletons encompass various found objects.
Altman ‘s “torch” drawings of animals range in subject matter from exotic animals to household pets. She created these drawings by first soaking paper in water and then carefully burning an image into the surface with a propane torch. This process leaves little room for error as the surface must remain wet otherwise it will ignite; there is no re-torching. The end result is an image that floats in the center of the page with varying hues of brown fading into the paper like a mirage.
In a 2009 solo exhibition at DCKT Contemporary, Altman displayed Goldfish, a 45 gallon aquarium filled with dozens of cast plastic goldfish weighed down individually by fishing weights. Apart from the recurring theme of natural subjects represented by artificial means, Altman is also questioning individuality, loneliness and loss of identity.
Altman attempted to take fear out of death in the exhibit “Dead or Alive” at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York. She used several types of herbs and other natural foodstuffs ranging from juniper berry to lavender to yellow mustard seed to cast human skull sculptures. Altman intended for the viewer to approach the skulls and be captivated by their fragrance instead of repulsed by their association with death. “It’s like the traditional sugar skulls you see in Mexico for Day of the Dead,” she said. “You make death into a sweet thing to be eaten so that people don’t fear it.”
Permanent Collections
- Art Museum of Southeast TexasArt Museum of Southeast TexasThe Art Museum of Southeast Texas is an art museum in Beaumont, Texas, United States. Established in 1950 as the Beaumont Art Museum, it acquired its current name in 1987 and exhibits 19th century to contemporary American art.-History:...
, BeaumontBeaumont, TexasBeaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
, Texas - Dallas Museum of ArtDallas Museum of ArtThe Dallas Museum of Art is a major art museum located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas, USA, along Woodall Rodgers Freeway between St. Paul and Harwood. In 1984, the museum moved from its previous location in Fair Park to the Arts District, Dallas, Texas...
, Dallas, Texas - Museum of Contemporary ArtMuseum of Contemporary Art San DiegoThe Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego , in San Diego, California, USA, is an art museum focused on the collection, preservation, exhibition, and interpretation of works of art from 1950 to the present.-History:...
, San Diego, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... - Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas
- Sarah Moody Gallery of Art, University of AlabamaUniversity of AlabamaThe University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
, Tuscaloosa, AlabamaAlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
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Solo Exhibitions
- Art Museum of Southeast TexasArt Museum of Southeast TexasThe Art Museum of Southeast Texas is an art museum in Beaumont, Texas, United States. Established in 1950 as the Beaumont Art Museum, it acquired its current name in 1987 and exhibits 19th century to contemporary American art.-History:...
, Beaumont,Texas - DCKT ContemporaryDCKT ContemporaryFounded in 2002, by Dennis Christie and Ken Tyburski, DCKT Contemporary is a contemporary art gallery based in New York's Lower East Side. The gallery represents emerging and established contemporary artists. Its programming ranges from, but is not limited to, painting and sculpture to video art...
, New York City, New York - The Grace MuseumThe Grace MuseumThe Grace Museum is a museum located in Abilene, Texas, USA. The museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums . The Grace Museum houses five art galleries displaying temporary exhibitions and works from its permanent art collection; a children's museum; and a history gallery with...
, Abilene, Texas - Dunn and Brown ContemporaryDunn and Brown ContemporaryDunn and Brown Contemporary is a commercial art gallery located on 5020 Tracy Street Dallas, Texas that shows emerging to established artists. It was founded in 1999 by Talley Dunn and Lisa Brown...
, Dallas, Texas - The Glassell School of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas
- Barry Whistler Gallery, Dallas, Texas
- Carrie Secrist Gallery, Chicago
- Moody Gallery, Houston, Texas
- Museum of Contemporary ArtMuseum of Contemporary Art San DiegoThe Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego , in San Diego, California, USA, is an art museum focused on the collection, preservation, exhibition, and interpretation of works of art from 1950 to the present.-History:...
, San Diego
Group Exhibitions
- Dead or Alive: Nature Revisited, Museum of Arts and Design, New York, New York
- Texas Vision: The Barrett Collection, The Meadows Museum, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas
- Flock & Fable- Animals and Identity in Contemporary Art, Chelsea Art MuseumChelsea Art MuseumThe Chelsea Art Museum is a contemporary art museum located at 556 West 22nd Street on the corner of Eleventh Avenue in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City....
, New York, New York - The Inward Eye: Transcendence in Contemporary Art, Contemporary Arts MuseumContemporary Arts Museum HoustonThe Contemporary Arts Museum – Houston is a not-for-profit institution in Houston, Texas, dedicated to presenting the contemporary art of our time to the public....
, Houston, Texas - Burn: Artists Play with Fire, Norton Museum of ArtNorton Museum of ArtThe Norton Museum of Art is an art museum located in West Palm Beach, Florida. Its collection includes over 5,000 works, with a concentration in European, American, and Chinese art as well as in contemporary art and photography.-History:...
, West Palm Beach, Florida; The Columbia Museum of Art, Columbus South Carolina - Natural Deceits, Modern Art Museum of Fort WorthModern Art Museum of Fort WorthThe Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth was first granted a Charter from the State of Texas in 1892 as the "Fort Worth Public Library and Art Gallery", evolving through several name changes and different facilities in Fort Worth...
, Fort Worth, Texas