From Wikipedia - Reading time: 7 min
| The Stations of the Cross | |
|---|---|
| Artist | Barnett Newman |
| Year | 1958–1966 |
| Medium | Magna, oil and acrylic on canvas |
| Movement | Abstract expressionism |
| Location | National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. |
The Stations of the Cross is a series of fifteen abstract expressionist paintings created between 1958 and 1966 by Barnett Newman, often considered to be his greatest work.[1] It consists of fourteen paintings, each named after one of Jesus's fourteen Stations, followed by a coda, Be II. Unlike most depictions of the Stations of the Cross, Newman did not intend for this to be a narrative journey of Jesus's suffering. Rather, it was intended to evoke the central question of the Passion, lema sabachthani (why have you forsaken me?).[2] The secular, Jewish Newman used this central theme of Christian theology to probe the human condition rather than towards its historical purpose of devotion or worship.[3]
The series has been seen as a memorial to the victims of the Holocaust.[4]
The painting series was unveiled at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in 1966, in an exhibition titled The Stations of the Cross: Lema Sabachthani.[5][6][7]
The National Gallery of Art bought the paintings in 1987 from Newman's widow for an estimated $5 to $7 million, through a donation from Robert and Jane Meyerhoff.[8][9] They were put on permanent display.[10]
| Image | Title | Year | Medium |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Station | 1958 | Magna on canvas | |
| Second Station | 1958 | Magna on canvas | |
| Third Station | 1960 | Oil on canvas | |
| Fourth Station | 1960 | Oil on canvas | |
| Fifth Station | 1962 | Oil on canvas | |
| Sixth Station | 1962 | Oil on canvas | |
| Seventh Station | 1964 | Oil on canvas | |
| Eighth Station | 1964 | Oil on canvas | |
| Ninth Station | 1964 | Acrylic on canvas | |
| Tenth Station | 1965 | Magna on canvas | |
| Eleventh Station | 1965 | Acrylic on canvas | |
| Twelfth Station | 1965 | Acrylic on canvas | |
| Thirteenth Station | 1965/1966 | Acrylic on canvas | |
| Fourteenth Station | 1965/1966 | Acrylic and Duco on canvas | |
| Be II | 1961/1964 | Acrylic and oil on canvas |
| Dates | Museum | City | Show |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 20 – June 19, 1966 | Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum | New York City | The Stations of the Cross: Lema Sabachthani[5][6][7] |
| October 21, 1971 – January 10, 1972 | Museum of Modern Art | New York City | Barnett Newman[11][12] |
| June 1, 1978 – January 14, 1979 | National Gallery of Art | Washington, DC | American Art at Mid-Century: The Subjects of the Artist[13][14][15] |
| May 31 – July 13, 1980 | Schloss Charlottenburg | Berlin | Signs of Faith, Spirit of the Avant-Garde: Religious Tendencies in 20th Century Art |
| March 24 – July 7, 2002 | Philadelphia Museum of Art | Philadelphia | Barnett Newman[16] |
| September 19, 2002 – January 5, 2003 | Tate Modern | London | |
| June 7 – October 12, 2014 | de Young Museum | San Francisco | Modernism from the National Gallery of Art: The Robert + Jane Meyerhoff Collection[17] |
| March 14 – June 7, 2015 | Miho Museum | Kyoto | Barnett Newman: The Stations of the Cross[18] |