Latest Heckscher Museum of Art acquisitions celebrate women

The Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington has acquired new artwork from two leading women artists: Stella Waitzkin and Gabriella Gonzalez Dellosso. “These acquisitions strengthen the Museum’s collection and affirm our commitment to giving a voice do diverse audiences,” said to Curator Karli Wurzelbacher.

Stella Waitzkin (1920−2003) began creating art in the 1950s while living in Great Neck. She began as abstract expressionist painter but is best known for her sculptures and installations. Waitzkin cast old, leather-bound volumes in resin as single objects that became elements of larger installations, including freestanding shelves, small bookcases, or entire library walls. These pieces of art made her one of only a few female “environment” builders. 

Waitzin’s constructions are composed almost entirely of books, or other cast objects such as clocks, birds, fruit, or human faces. Waitzkin received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation in 1995. 

The Museum will acquire 16 pieces from the Estate. 

Gabriela Gonzalez Dellosso is a contemporary figure painter with deep art historical knowledge. The Museum acquired five of the works in her series Homage Odes. The artworks take the form of illuminated manuscripts inspired by historical female artists. 

A number of Homage Odes were part Dellosso’s solo exhibition at the Museum in 2019, A Brush with Herstory, where Dellosso paid tribute to great female painters from the Renaissance through the modern era. Dellosso often melds her own image to that of artists from the past, creating self-portraits conveying the inspiring stories of historical women.  

“These works allow us to insert these important historical women artists into the narrative that we are already able to tell with the permanent collection,” noted Wurzelbacher.  

Located in scenic Heckscher Park at 2 Prime Avenue, the Heckscher Museum of Art provides a dynamic schedule of changing exhibitions on American art, inspiring education experiences for students and an exciting series of public programs both in person and online for all ages. 

Now entering it’s second century as a source of art and inspiration, The Heckscher Museum of Art was founded in 1920 by philanthropist August Heckscher, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Museum’s collection comprises more than 2,300 works from the 16th to the 21st century, including European and American painting, sculpture, works on paper, and photography. 

Currently on view is Connie Fox: The Sammy’s Beach Series through April 11 and Wood Gaylor and American Modernism through May 23. Hours are Thursday to Sunday from noon to 5 p.m., closed Monday to Wednesday. For more information, call 631-380-3230 or visit www.heckscher.org.