We are honored to announce that the Fresno Art Museum (FAM) has officially brought several significant works by Bella Feldman into its permanent collection. This acquisition marks a full-circle moment in Bella’s storied career and ensures that her "Anxious Objects" will continue to challenge and inspire audiences in the Central Valley for generations to come.

Bella’s history with Fresno is one of mutual distinction. In 1996, she was named the Distinguished Woman Artist by the museum’s Council of 100 — a pioneering group that made FAM the first museum in the U.S. to dedicate an entire year of programming exclusively to women.

1. Tipped (1999)

The pieces now held by FAM span over a decade of Bella’s practice, showcasing her evolution from industrial sculpture into complex, interactive clockwork and two-dimensional collage.

2. Out of Order (2010–2012)

Represented in the collection by both the internal mechanism and the full-scale pedestal installation, Out of Order reflects Bella’s later fascination with transparency and time.

• The Mechanism: Intricate steel gears and hand-drawn etchings on glass create a layered, "exploded" view of a machine.
• The Experience: Housed in a tall glass vitrine atop a crank-operated pedestal, the work invites the viewer to consider the futility and beauty of broken systems. It is a masterpiece of "black humor"—a machine that functions perfectly to show us that things are, indeed, out of order.

3. Collage #15 (2012)

This framed work offers a rare look at Bella’s two-dimensional process. Using charcoal and collage, she explores the same architectural and industrial themes found in her sculptures. It serves as a blueprint for her subconscious, where ladders, arches, and mechanical silhouettes collide.