Left: Jack Portland, Sassolini, 2015, oil and acrylic on canvas, 70 x 48.75 inches framed; Right: Hilda Morri, Muted Harp (maquette), c. 1962, cement, pigment over wire, 26 x 24 x 11 inches
Russo Lee Gallery is excited to announce that works by Hilda Morris and Jack Portland have been recently acquired by the Hallie Ford Museum of Art in Salem, OR for their permanent collection. Hilda Morris's Muted Harp, 1962 is, per HFMA, "an iconic example of Hilda's work and a study for a larger sculpture owned by the City of Seattle and located in the elevator lobby of McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer Street, in Seattle. Surprisingly, HFMA did not have a sculpture by this important Oregon sculptor, so its acquisition will fill a key gap. The late Roger Hull, who was keenly interested in mid-twentieth-century Oregon modernism, would be extremely pleased with this purchase." Also acquired was Jack Portland's Sassolini, 2015. The piece, and its acquisition, serve as a meaningful reminder of Portland's artistic impact in the region following the news of his passing earlier this month.