Catching the Moment

Book excerpt: A dazzling array of contemporary American art acquired from Hall of Fame baseball catcher Ted Simmons and master printer and fine-art print publisher Maryanne Ellison Simmons. This exhibition catalogue showcases the diversity and relevance of the exceptional collection acquired from St. Louis collectors Ted L. and Maryanne Ellison Simmons. These new additions address a broad array of contemporary cultural issues and aesthetic topics from the 1960s to the present. Catching the Moment: Contemporary Art from the Ted L. and Maryanne Ellison Simmons Collection highlights one hundred stellar examples from the more than eight hundred works in a collection recently acquired by the Saint Louis Art Museum. The diverse collection of contemporary art, made mostly by artists active in the United States, includes prints, drawings, and photographs as well as sculptures and a painting. The book traces the Simmonses' focus on art and artists of their own time, and on the broader social, political, art historical, and technical issues that have engaged both the artists and the collectors.