Art: Directors’ Choice

The Providence art museum’s Director Gordon Washburn had asked colleagues in 17 eastern museums to send their favorite contemporary U.S. paintings to an exhibition entitled “Museums’ Choice.” Last week the results were on view. Artists best liked by the museum directors: the late great Marsden Hartley, Maine modern whose rough-cut, bright-colored canvases were scorned by museums 20 years ago; Japanese-American Yasuo Kuniyoshi, whose slick, complex workmanship is especially admired by fellow artists.