Catalogues Raisonnés
A catalogue raisonné "is a comprehensive, annotated listing of all the known artworks by an artist either in a particular medium or all media."
- New York Public Library
The works are described in such a way that they may be reliably identified by third parties.
The GVSU Art Gallery serves as the steward of two comprehensive artist holdings, or catalogues raisonnés. These two catalogues rainsonnés not only consists of the largest public collections of physical artwork known but also each artists' life timeline, scholarship, and recorded interviews. In addition, we are currently developing new catalogues raisonnés and will be launching new services at the end of the year.
Mathias J. Alten
Based in Grand Rapids, Alten created more than 3,000 works of art during his prolific career, including landscapes, seascapes, portraits, and floral and still-life compositions. Working in a traditional representational style of painting, Alten incorporated the aesthetics and techniques of the Impressionist Movement in his paintings by infusing them with light and punctuating them with deft brushwork.
Early twentieth-century Grand Rapids delighted in Mathias Alten’s art. Impressed with his prodigious output, reviewers, collectors, and casual observers drew inspiration from canvases that brought painterly views of recognizable vistas, as well as the world outside of West Michigan, to the inhabitants of the Furniture City.
Armand Merizon
Merizon’s artistic career began in 1927 when he was only seven years old. His mentor was a graphic designer who happened to be the father of his neighborhood friend. This relationship was validation and encouragement from an adult who shared Merizon’s passion for representing the world on paper and canvas. The artist pursued his artwork through the support of his community and family until the end of his life in 2010.
Armand Merizon was born to Dutch immigrants of French extraction in Kalamazoo, Michigan. When he was three years old, his family moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he spent his life focused on his artwork. He enjoyed forays to the Southwest, the East Coast, and Europe. His work has a wide range of subject matter, medium, and genre, and is found in many institutional and private collections.
SiTE:LAB
SiTE:LAB is a nomadic all-volunteer artist-led initiative focused on creating site-specific public projects and events in underutilized and unique spaces.
SiTE:LAB creates temporary public art projects aimed at facilitating dynamic collaborations between the art, design, education, business, and cultural communities of Grand Rapids.
Founded: 2010
In Current Development - Launching fall of 2024
Building and maintaining accurate catalogues raisonnés involves active auction monitoring, correspondence with collectors worldwide, database management, and a passion for amplifying an artist's full contributions to one's community.
If you believe as we do that art matters because our stories matter; that visual art-viewing experiences have the power to spark conversations, action, and reflection on core themes of social justice, human rights, and empathy that align with the university's philosophy of liberal education, then please consider supporting this work today.