Cristin Tierney Gallery congratulates Judy Pfaff on the Mint Museum's acquisition of La Calle, La Calle Vieja (1990).
La Calle, La Calle Vieja (1990) represents the culmination of Pfaff's breakthrough decade in the 1980s and the crystallization of her genre-defying strategies. This monumental sculptural installation—a three-dimensional, abstract version of a still-life painting—combines a bright, riotous palette with sweeping lines and a playfully off-kilter sense of balance. The work is intended to emulate the experience of walking through a city, confronting a chaotic assemblage of visual stimuli. The background displays a sign advertising soft drinks and cigarettes, while the front extends from the wall with a gallon of olive oil, blue acrylic propellers, and a watering can. These objects maintain their distinct identities, standing out amidst a dizzying amalgam of abstract forms. Works from this period and style are held in the collections of the Whitney Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the High Museum in Atlanta, and now the Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC.
The Mint Museum’s collection spans centuries and disciplines.
From craft, design, fashion, African art, photography, decorative arts, contemporary, and American art. While these areas are organized into distinct curatorial departments, the works themselves rarely stay within tidy boundaries. Instead, they overlap and blur—crossing time periods, materials, and methodologies to inform one another in unexpected ways.
Each year, the collection continues to grow through the generosity of donors, grants, and gifts, guided by Mint curators who seek out compelling works from around the world. In Recent Acquisitions, on view in the Gorelick Gallery at Mint Museum Uptown, the museum presents works of art acquired over the past 12 months. In total, more than 50 works will be included in the exhibition.
La Calle, La Calle Vieja (1990) represents the culmination of Pfaff's breakthrough decade in the 1980s and the crystallization of her genre-defying strategies. This monumental sculptural installation—a three-dimensional, abstract version of a still-life painting—combines a bright, riotous palette with sweeping lines and a playfully off-kilter sense of balance. The work is intended to emulate the experience of walking through a city, confronting a chaotic assemblage of visual stimuli. The background displays a sign advertising soft drinks and cigarettes, while the front extends from the wall with a gallon of olive oil, blue acrylic propellers, and a watering can. These objects maintain their distinct identities, standing out amidst a dizzying amalgam of abstract forms. Works from this period and style are held in the collections of the Whitney Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the High Museum in Atlanta, and now the Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC.
The Mint Museum’s collection spans centuries and disciplines.
From craft, design, fashion, African art, photography, decorative arts, contemporary, and American art. While these areas are organized into distinct curatorial departments, the works themselves rarely stay within tidy boundaries. Instead, they overlap and blur—crossing time periods, materials, and methodologies to inform one another in unexpected ways.
Each year, the collection continues to grow through the generosity of donors, grants, and gifts, guided by Mint curators who seek out compelling works from around the world. In Recent Acquisitions, on view in the Gorelick Gallery at Mint Museum Uptown, the museum presents works of art acquired over the past 12 months. In total, more than 50 works will be included in the exhibition.
March 17, 2026
