There's plenty to see besides King Tut at the Denver Art Museum

Comments (0) By Michael Paglia Tuesday, Dec 14 2010

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While you're in the Architecture, Design and Graphics galleries, don't miss the small but interesting Olivetti: Innovation & Identity, which looks at the Italian business machine company's post-war commitment to fine industrial design and graphics. The exhibit pairs smart-looking typewriters and adding machines with chic print ads and posters. Even the font used to spell out "Olivetti" is a masterpiece. It would be great if this show were the start of a series on manufacturers that embrace excellence in design.

The last stop on this whirlwind tour is Robert Benjamin: Notes on a Quiet Life, on view in the photography gallery on the seventh floor. Except to experts, Colorado-based photographer Benjamin is virtually unknown. Curator Eric Paddock discovered him through Robert Adams, the famous photographer who once worked here. Paddock calls Benjamin "a photographer's photographer."

"Untitled," by Marc Brandenburg, graphite on paper.

"Roadrunner" chair, by DoubleButter, MDF with linseed oil and pine-resin finish.

Details

Marc Brandenburg, through February 20, 2011
Western Horizons, through August 28, 2011
What Is Modern? and Olivetti, through November 30, 2011
Robert Benjamin, through May 29
Denver Art Museum, 100 West 14th Avenue Parkway, 720-865-5000, www.denverartmuseum.org.

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All of the photos capture everyday sights — not just Benjamin's family and friends, but domestic interiors and shop windows. Those shop-window shots are really something, with the glare on the glass adding a surrealist element. All of the photos are done in large-format Chromogenic prints and are exquisitely rich in their range of shades. The show's title perfectly captures the character of the pictures. Benjamin has said that he has personal connections with all his subjects, and this is obvious from the loving conception of the compositions, a characteristic that seems to flow from the pictures.

Take Tut or leave it, there are still plenty of other displays worth checking out at the DAM right now. And there's more to come, with curator Nancy Blomberg unwrapping a long-awaited reinstallation of the Native Arts galleries in mid-January.