Hal David
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warbachavid
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Hal David
The Eunice and Hal David Collection of 19th and 20th Century Works on Paper David is the lyric-writing half of the Burt Bacharach/Hal David team, what the Internet's All Music Guide site calls "the greatest songwriting duo of the postwar era." Now he and his wife, Eunice, have taken on another challenge: assembling a collection of drawings by artists ranging from Pablo Picasso to Winslow Homer to David Hockney.
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warbachavid
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- Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2004 8:30 pm
Got it!’ moment captivates collectors
Lyrical couple’s art offers a glimpse at the creative process
By JILL SPITZNASS Issue date: Tue, May 18, 2004
The Tribune
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hal David was stuck.
The lyricist known for his collaborations with Burt Bacharach had figured out the title of the song but couldn’t get the rest of the words to flow.
“I had ‘What the World Needs Now Is Love,’ but nothing else was taking shape,†says David, who also penned the words to such hits as “Alfie,†“The Look of Love†and “Walk on By.†“And then, two years later, it just came to me.
“That’s the funny thing about the creative process: Something can take a long time to come about, and then it all happens in that moment.â€
The inherent struggle — and joy — of the creative process is also what inspired David and his wife, Eunice, to collect works on paper by some of the world’s greatest artists.
Portlanders can enjoy the results of their efforts through July at the Portland Art Museum, where the Eunice and Hal David Collection is on display.
David, 82, draws a parallel between the process of writing and that of drawing.
“They’re the same in many ways — different talents, but the process is similar,†he says. “And I’ve always found the process a lot more fun than the finished product. Sure, it’s great to have a hit, but I just love the fun of writing, that sense of ‘I got it!’ when you capture something. I’m sure it’s the same with painting.â€
Eunice David, a former interior designer, shares her husband’s deep respect for the creative process. “We’re both drawn to it,†she says. “It’s the beginning of something, the understanding of what the artist was trying to say, that appeals to us.â€
Human form is central
The 58-piece collection, which eventually will be on permanent display at the Grunwald Center at the University of California at Los Angeles’ Hammer Museum, spans nearly 200 years of artistry, ranging from an 1830s pen and ink sketch by Eugène Delacroix to a mixed-media study done by Red Grooms in 1995.
Other artists represented in the collection include Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Georgia O’Keeffe and Pierre Bonnard, whose female nude study was the first piece acquired by the Davids in 1994 — and the one that inspired their decision to become serious collectors of works on paper.
The human form, both abstract and representational, is a common thread that runs throughout the collection.
Art students will find comfort in the fact that Edgar Degas struggled with the challenges that the subject matter presents: His pencil sketch of a dancer shows his attempts to find just the right lines to define the subject’s profile and gesture. It’s not known whether the title of the work, “Dancer, Arm Too Far Behind the Head,†is a critique of the young woman’s form — Degas was well-versed in ballet — or of his own execution of the sketch.
Works are artists’ ‘notes’
Unlike the finished products typically seen in a museum, the works on paper are a fascinating reflection of the artists who created them.
“In many ways, these pieces are also a study of the artists’ perception,†says Annette Dixon, the museum’s curator of prints and drawings. “They’re like ‘mental notes’ for the artists, many of which were not meant for public consumption. Artists such as Bonnard saved these works to be referred to later — a repertoire meant to be dipped into.â€
Indeed, many of the sketches were never signed by the artist and simply bear the signature stamp of their atelier, or studio. The sketches often were done on whatever paper was available. Picasso sketched his ideas for “The Dance†on blue airmail stationery, while Bonnard’s “Woman in an Interior†was done on brown kraft paper.
The works have been hung in chronological order of their creation in order to lend continuity to the collection, itself a wide range of artistic styles, media and frame treatments.
Employing their philosophy of “Buy only what you love,†the Davids continue to collect works on paper. But the airy approach is not without its challenges.
“We have to agree on whatever we buy,†Hal says. “But that doesn’t mean that I don’t try to talk her into things!â€
Contact Jill Spitznass atjspitznass at portlandtribune.com .
The Eunice and Hal David Collection
When: 10 a.m. to
5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, noon to 5 p.m Sunday, through July 25
Where: Portland Art Museum, 1219 S.W. Park Ave., 503-226-2811
Cost: $13-$15
Lyrical couple’s art offers a glimpse at the creative process
By JILL SPITZNASS Issue date: Tue, May 18, 2004
The Tribune
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hal David was stuck.
The lyricist known for his collaborations with Burt Bacharach had figured out the title of the song but couldn’t get the rest of the words to flow.
“I had ‘What the World Needs Now Is Love,’ but nothing else was taking shape,†says David, who also penned the words to such hits as “Alfie,†“The Look of Love†and “Walk on By.†“And then, two years later, it just came to me.
“That’s the funny thing about the creative process: Something can take a long time to come about, and then it all happens in that moment.â€
The inherent struggle — and joy — of the creative process is also what inspired David and his wife, Eunice, to collect works on paper by some of the world’s greatest artists.
Portlanders can enjoy the results of their efforts through July at the Portland Art Museum, where the Eunice and Hal David Collection is on display.
David, 82, draws a parallel between the process of writing and that of drawing.
“They’re the same in many ways — different talents, but the process is similar,†he says. “And I’ve always found the process a lot more fun than the finished product. Sure, it’s great to have a hit, but I just love the fun of writing, that sense of ‘I got it!’ when you capture something. I’m sure it’s the same with painting.â€
Eunice David, a former interior designer, shares her husband’s deep respect for the creative process. “We’re both drawn to it,†she says. “It’s the beginning of something, the understanding of what the artist was trying to say, that appeals to us.â€
Human form is central
The 58-piece collection, which eventually will be on permanent display at the Grunwald Center at the University of California at Los Angeles’ Hammer Museum, spans nearly 200 years of artistry, ranging from an 1830s pen and ink sketch by Eugène Delacroix to a mixed-media study done by Red Grooms in 1995.
Other artists represented in the collection include Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Georgia O’Keeffe and Pierre Bonnard, whose female nude study was the first piece acquired by the Davids in 1994 — and the one that inspired their decision to become serious collectors of works on paper.
The human form, both abstract and representational, is a common thread that runs throughout the collection.
Art students will find comfort in the fact that Edgar Degas struggled with the challenges that the subject matter presents: His pencil sketch of a dancer shows his attempts to find just the right lines to define the subject’s profile and gesture. It’s not known whether the title of the work, “Dancer, Arm Too Far Behind the Head,†is a critique of the young woman’s form — Degas was well-versed in ballet — or of his own execution of the sketch.
Works are artists’ ‘notes’
Unlike the finished products typically seen in a museum, the works on paper are a fascinating reflection of the artists who created them.
“In many ways, these pieces are also a study of the artists’ perception,†says Annette Dixon, the museum’s curator of prints and drawings. “They’re like ‘mental notes’ for the artists, many of which were not meant for public consumption. Artists such as Bonnard saved these works to be referred to later — a repertoire meant to be dipped into.â€
Indeed, many of the sketches were never signed by the artist and simply bear the signature stamp of their atelier, or studio. The sketches often were done on whatever paper was available. Picasso sketched his ideas for “The Dance†on blue airmail stationery, while Bonnard’s “Woman in an Interior†was done on brown kraft paper.
The works have been hung in chronological order of their creation in order to lend continuity to the collection, itself a wide range of artistic styles, media and frame treatments.
Employing their philosophy of “Buy only what you love,†the Davids continue to collect works on paper. But the airy approach is not without its challenges.
“We have to agree on whatever we buy,†Hal says. “But that doesn’t mean that I don’t try to talk her into things!â€
Contact Jill Spitznass atjspitznass at portlandtribune.com .
The Eunice and Hal David Collection
When: 10 a.m. to
5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, noon to 5 p.m Sunday, through July 25
Where: Portland Art Museum, 1219 S.W. Park Ave., 503-226-2811
Cost: $13-$15