Jack Levine, “Café”

Art of Our Time: Selections by the Class of 1974 
May 4 – August 4, 2024
Gallery 3

Jack Levine, Café
1960, oil on canvas, Eleventh purchase made possible by the Louise Jordan Smith Fund, 1960; 49th Annual Exhibition.
Collection of the Maier Museum of Art at Randolph College.

The colors are very 60s-70s. Also, it reminds me of Eleanor Struppa who founded (and taught) the R-MWC dance program but was retired when we were there. My cousin Becky Hamburger and I were invited to visit because she knew our grandparents in Columbus, GA. She may have had this in her house and also Ring Around the Rosy by Elliott Twery which I also like. ~ Caroline Hairston English ’74

The breezy, sketchy, thinly painted style of Levine’s works appeals to me.  This piece is a caricature of middle-aged ladies seated in a café, on maybe the Boulevard St Germain, witnessing the diversity of city life.  I’d like to be seated at the table with them… relaxed, enjoying a glass of wine and immersing myself in the French culture. As a 20-year-old, Café captured my voyageur desires to see the world.  I still have wanderlust! ~ Katharine “Kitty” Stark Caldwell ’74  

I love these ladies! They are so American. ~ Joy Taylor ’74 

I wondered at the artist’s skill at evoking an animated ladies’ conversation with a minimal number of lines. It also reminds me of many good times. ~ Marguerite “Margie” Morris Dubay ’74