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• Yellowstone to Yukon ~ The Journey of Wildlife and Art at Museums and On-line
• The New Arts Gallery Shows Alexander Shundi's Mystic Wonders
• Bert Green Fine Art Shows Carl Ramsey's Downtown Los Angeles Paintings
• The Fahey/Klein Gallery Shows Mark Laita's New Photography
• Bank of America Merrill Lynch to Loan 60 Works of Art for Exhibition in Paris
• Bonhams to Sell Maharaja's Tiger Hunting Rolls Royce
• Gérard Seghers: Survey at Musée des Beaux-Arts de Valenciennes
• Catholic Diocese Offers to Buy Financially Struggling Crystal Cathedral
• Coeur d' Alene Art Auction Sale in Nevada Tops $16.7 Million
• The Nairobi National Museum Presents an Exhibition Centered on Trees
• Masterworks from Oberlin College's Museum Summer at The Met
• Heckscher Museum Celebrates Artists Who have Lived in Long Island, NY
• The Frick Art Museum opens "Icons of American Photography" in Pittsburgh
• Antiquity Revived ~ Neoclassical Art of the 18th Century at the MFA in Houston
• Albertina Museum exhibits 150 Works Made by Van Gogh at a Major Retrospective
• Wilhelm Sasnal solos at the Center for Contemporary Art in Malaga (CAC)
• Arken Museum to Show Impressionists & Postimpressionists from The Israel Museum
• Baltimore Museum of Art presents Rarely Shown British Landscapes
• Museum of Fine Arts Houston to feature Scenes of Italy by Maurice B. Prendergast
• Art Knowledge News Presents "This Week In Review"

Yellowstone to Yukon ~ The Journey of Wildlife and Art at Museums and On-line Posted: 26 Jul 2011 08:55 PM PDT Jackson, WY.- The National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, Wyoming is proud to host "Yellowstone to Yukon: The Journey of Wildlife and Art", organised by the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Iniative, and on view at the museum until August 14th. This exhibition presents paintings and sculptures from the permanent collections of the National Museum of Wildlife Art and the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies. In addition, as a special commissioned part of the show, the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative sent acclaimed artist Dwayne Harty into the field to discover anew the landscape and wildlife along the Yellowstone to Yukon corridor. The exhibition will also be on view at the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies in Banff, Alberta, Canada in the summer of 2012. However, it can also be seen at any time on-line at the Yellowstone to Yukon website: http://www.y2y.net For three summers, Dwayne Harty traveled and painted in some of the most remote regions of the area, capturing scenes that few, if any, painters have sketched firsthand. 140 years ago, Thomas Moran painted vibrant watercolors of the Yellowstone and Grand Teton region as the official artist accompanying the 1871 Hayden expedition. His sketches, along with photographs by William Henry Jackson, helped convince the United States Congress to establish Yellowstone, the world's first National Park.Since that time, artists have explored the natural corridor leading from the Wind River Range up through the Rocky Mountains to the Yukon Territory, capturing the pristine nature, dramatic scenery, and abundant wildlife of the Yellowstone to Yukon corridor. Works by deceased masters including Carl Rungius, Charlie Russell, Walter Phillips, and Bob Kuhn and living artists such as Robert Bateman, Tucker Smith, and Maureen Enns are featured in the show alongside Dwayne Harty's commissioned work. Though still remarkably intact, in places human incursion has broken apart the prime contiguous habitat of the corridor. The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative was formed to ensure that the world-renowned wilderness, wildlife, native plants, and natural processes of this region continue to function as an interconnected web of life, capable of supporting all of its natural and human communities. In 1984, 10 founding trustees chose Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with its abundant wildlife, beautiful mountain setting, and high tourism, as a unique and appropriate setting for an art museum focused on images of wildlife. The original museum opened as Wildlife of the American West Art Museum on May 16, 1987 on Jackson's Town Square. By 1992, the NMWA had outgrown its three-gallery, 5,000 square-foot storefront. A capital campaign was launched to raise $10 million for a new facility and $2 million for an operating endowment. In September 1994, the NMWA opened its new facility, a 51,000 square-foot state-of-the-art building that allowed for expanded exhibition space, museum programs, and educational programming. Representing the culmination of a lifetime of study and collection of wildlife art by Joffa and Bill Kerr who, over a 30-year period, developed a collection of wildlife art unsurpassed in the United States, the Museum is comprised of 14 exhibition galleries, an interactive gallery for children, a conference room, two full-sized classrooms, a 200-seat auditorium, the Rising Sage Café, Members' Lounge, Library & Archives, and administrative space. The Museum's permanent collection of over 5,000 cataloged items includes paintings, sculpture, and works on paper by over 100 distinguished artists ranging from early American Tribes through contemporary masters. The Museum's permanent and temporary exhibitions are augmented with innovative educational and scholarly programs emphasizing art appreciation, art history, natural science, creative writing, and American history. The Museum has become an important educational center and meeting place for the Jackson Hole region. In 1994, the National Museum of Wildlife Art received the Wyoming Humanities Award for exemplary efforts in fostering the humanities in Wyoming. More than 76,000 people visit every year, and over 10,000 children visit the Museum each year, often as part of their school curricula. Situated on a dramatic cliff overlooking the Jackson National Elk Refuge, the National Museum of Wildlife Art appears to emerge from the earth like a natural outcropping of rock. The Museum's location provides a rare opportunity to view wildlife in its natural habitat, as does the artwork that pays tribute to it. Constructed of rough stone to blend seamlessly into the native terrain of Jackson, Wyoming, the building captures and reflects the area's natural beauty. The resulting 51,000 square-foot building is original, contextually relevant, and timeless. Although the red Arizona sandstone and low profile of the building are reminiscent of the ancient architecture of the desert Southwest, the profile of the Museum's building was inspired by the ruins of Slains Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Visit the museum's website at ... http://www.wildlifeart.org The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) is a joint Canada-US not-for-profit organization that seeks to preserve and maintain the wildlife, native plants, wilderness and natural processes of the mountainous region from Yellowstone National Park to the Yukon Territory. Y2Y takes a scientific approach to conservation and is recognized as one of the planet's leading mountain conservation initiatives. Y2Y was officially established in 1997 and has two offices located in Canmore, Alberta and Bozeman, Montana. Combining science and stewardship, we seek to ensure that the world-renowned wilderness, wildlife, native plants, and natural processes of the Yellowstone to Yukon region continue to function as an interconnected web of life, capable of supporting all of its natural and human communities, for now and for future generations. Y2Y connects and supports a network of organizations, agencies, and individuals doing on-the-ground conservation work in the Yellowstone to Yukon region. These groups are known as our partners. Without a unified vision for this deeply interconnected landscape, local conservation efforts may be isolated and less effective. Y2Y seeks to ensure conservation efforts throughout the region are aligned in support of large scale objectives, and therefore become continentally significant. Visit the iniative's website at ... http://www.y2y.net

The New Arts Gallery Shows Alexander Shundi's Mystic Wonders Posted: 26 Jul 2011 08:54 PM PDT Litchfield, CT.- The New Arts Gallery is proud to present "Alexander Shundi: Mystic Wonders", on view at the gallery from July 16th through August 28th. Alexander Shundi's works are in many public and private collections in the United States and abroad as well as being the subject of many articles in news papers and magazines. Alex spent seven summers racing "off the road" vehicles in international rallies throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa. He has traveled for twenty years exploring the American Southwest, with particular focus on both ancient and current Pueblo culture, art, and mythology.

Bert Green Fine Art Shows Carl Ramsey's Downtown Los Angeles Paintings Posted: 26 Jul 2011 08:21 PM PDT Los Angeles.- Bert Green Fine Art announces their third solo exhibition of the works of Carl Ramsey, whose paintings are stylized takes on daily existence in and around Downtown Los Angeles. Loosely based on photographs he takes of people and places, these paintings are meant to be independent compositions which elicit specific feelings of place and immortalize a certain moment in time. Carl Ramsey was an illustrator for many years. He has always considered himself fortunate to have spent his youth in the then still semi-rural environs of southern San Diego County. At nearby Southwestern College (1964-66) he came under the guidance of an excellent art department faculty, including the conceptual artist John Baldessari, who suggested Chouinard Art Institute as a developmental next step.

The Fahey/Klein Gallery Shows Mark Laita's New Photography Posted: 26 Jul 2011 07:46 PM PDT Los Angeles.- The Fahey/Klein Gallery is pleased to present three new bodies of work from photographer "Mark Laita: Amaranthine, Sea, and Serpentine". Mark Laita's previous exhibitions at the Fahey/Klein Gallery were based on an eight year body of work entitled Created Equal, consisting of American diptych portraits that succeed in challenging or reinforcing our perceptions of American archetypes, and explore themes such as wealth, beauty, occupation, and age. In this most recent exhibition however, Mark Laita strays away from human subject matter all together, and instead focuses on beautifully preserved birds, mesmerizing snakes, and ethereal sea life. "Mark Laita: Amaranthine, Sea, and Serpentine" is on view at the gallery from July 28th  through September 3rd, with a reception for the Artist on Thursday, July 28th from 7 – 9 p.m.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch to Loan 60 Works of Art for Exhibition in Paris Posted: 26 Jul 2011 06:34 PM PDT PARIS.- The Mona Bismarck Foundation will present The Wyeths: Three Generations of American Art, an exhibition showcasing more than 70 works of art from one of America's foremost artistic families. For three generations, the Wyeths have captured the imagination and admiration of a wide audience. Featuring paintings, drawings, and illustrations by N.C. Wyeth, his son, Andrew Wyeth, and grandson, Jamie Wyeth, this exhibition is drawn from the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Collection, with additional pieces from distinguished museums, the private collections of the Wyeth family, and other lenders. Many of these works have never been on view in Paris and span almost one hundred years of creative output. They reveal the breadth of the Wyeth family's prodigious talent, showing their common themes and their distinctive achievements.

Bonhams to Sell Maharaja's Tiger Hunting Rolls Royce Posted: 26 Jul 2011 05:29 PM PDT SAN FRANCISCO.- A truly unique, handmade automobile will be auctioned by Bonhams at its forthcoming Quail Lodge sale, held each August in Carmel, California during the world-famous Pebble Beach Car Week. The custom-made 1925 Rolls-Royce New Phantom was originally commissioned by Sahib Bahadur of India, officially known as Umed Singh II, Maharaja of Kotah, for the purpose of tiger hunting. The Rolls-Royce Limited company–then in Derby, England– employed preferred coachbuilders Barker & Company of London who created the highly specialized and bespoke Sports Touring body for His Highness the Maharaja. It is estimated to sell for $750,000 to $1,000,000.

Gérard Seghers: Survey at Musée des Beaux-Arts de Valenciennes Posted: 26 Jul 2011 05:20 PM PDT VALENCIENNES, FRANCE - Gérard Seghers (1591 - 1651), painter of Antwerpen by big religious paintings, was subordinated for such a long time by the history to his illustrious contemporary Pierre-Paul Rubens (on 1577 - 1640). We can find tracks of the rubenian art in the painting of Seghers but no more than at the other antwerpers painters of the same generation The art of Gérard Seghers thinks in the other problems. The title of this exhibition shows well the questioning lifted by Seghers. On view at at Musée des Beaux-Arts de Valenciennes through 16 August.

Catholic Diocese Offers to Buy Financially Struggling Crystal Cathedral Posted: 26 Jul 2011 04:45 PM PDT GARDEN GROVE, CA - A Roman Catholic diocese made a $50 million cash offer to buy Southern California's financially struggling Crystal Cathedral, officials said Friday. The Diocese of Orange said its proposal could pull the megachurch, which was founded more than 50 years ago by pioneering televangelist Rev. Robert H. Schuller, out of bankruptcy by the end of the year. On July 3, 2011, local newspapers and other outlets reported that Robert H. Schuller had been voted off the church's board of trustees by the other board members.

Coeur d' Alene Art Auction Sale in Nevada Tops $16.7 Million Posted: 26 Jul 2011 02:46 PM PDT RENO, NEVADA - A capacity crowd of over 600 buyers of Western Art filled the Grand Ballroom of the Silver Legacy Resort in Reno on July 23, 2011 for the 26th annual Coeur d' Alene Art Auction. In what has long been the single largest event in the field of Classic Western Art, prices soared from the beginning to the very end of the 304-lot sale, reaching a total of approximately $16.7 million with 90% of the lots selling.

The Nairobi National Museum Presents an Exhibition Centered on Trees Posted: 26 Jul 2011 02:33 PM PDT Nairobi, Kenya - In support and celebration of 2011, the 'International Year of Forests' Maasai House has organized an exhibition to raise awareness and create dialogue around trees and the environment entitled the "Tree of Life" at the Nairobi National Museum . The exhibition boosts the International Year of Forests efforts to raise awareness through art on display in the hope that Kenyans will become more sensitive to the environment and how what we do or what we don't do will affect our forests, lives and that of the generations we hope will follow. Kenya and Finland share the same sentiment when it comes to forests and the exhibition is being supported by the Finnish embassy. This exhibition was organized in support and in celebration of the 'International Year of Forests'. Maasai House thanks all those who have assisted with the exhibition and special thanks is given to the individual artists who have contributed to the ongoing discussion and education of Kenya's forests and in particular Karura Forest in Nairobi with their interpretation of the 'Tree' theme through their paintings, sculpture and photography. Several artists have taken direct inspiration form Karura Forest and Maasai House welcomes their attempts to help raise awareness and create dialogue around trees and the environment. Karura Forest is a 1300 hectare, pristine jewel of both indegineous and exotic trees right in the City of Nairobi. The Friends of Karura Forest have secured this forest by erecting a fence around it. Its now open for public enjoyment for that morning jog, a serene nature walk, a discovery walk of the Mau Mau caves along Karura river amidst a misty waterfall or a quiet birdwatching experience where more than sixty birdspecies make the place their home. A place for everyone young and old. Kenyans, especially forest adjacent communities rely on forests for essential goods and services for their livelihoods. More than 80% of Kenyans outside urban areas depend on forests for firewood, grazing, herbal medicine, and water among other benefits. The role of forests to the economy is also critical for mainstay sectors including agriculture, tourism, and energy. In light of these benefits to Kenyans and millions of people around the world, 2011 was declared the International Year of Forests by the United Nations as a means to raise awareness and strengthen the sustainable forest management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests for the benefit of current and future generations. The exhibition highlights the harmony that should exist, specifically between man and nature, with life in the forests as' the focus. The history of the Nairobi National Museum dates back in 1910 when a museum was established in Nairobi by the then East Africa and Uganda Natural History Society. The group consisted mainly of colonial settlers and naturalists who needed a place to keep and preserve their collections of various specimens. Its first site was at the present Nyayo House. The site soon became small and a larger building was put up in 1922 where the Nairobi Serena Hotel stands. It was not until 1929 that the colonial government set aside land at the Museum Hill and construction work started at the current site. It was officially opened in Sept. 22 1930 and named Coryndon Museum in honour of Sir Robert Coryndon, one time Governor of Kenya and a staunch supporter of Uganda Natural History Society. On the attainment of independence in 1963, it was re-named NMK. Since 1960s, NMK has expanded its services and assets to include Regional Museums, and has acquired under its jurisdiction Sites and Monuments which the Government has set aside as monuments of national heritage. Each of the Regional Museums has its own identity and develops its own programmes. Towards the end of 1990s, NMK received financing from European Union within the framework of National Museums of Kenya Support Programme (NMKSP) to finance much needed change. The "Museum in Change" programme, as is popularly known, was geared towards making NMK an outward looking institution that responds to visitors' needs while providing quality services and products. The climax of the change process has been a new corporate brand identity for NMK. The new identity is meant to position NMK as the destination choice in the heritage tourism sector resulting into a vibrant, strong and progressive institution. The new identity positions NMK as a 'Custodian of heritage' with the following brand values: Authentic, reliable, unifying, caring and authoritative. Nairobi National Museum is located at the Museum Hill,approximately 10 minutes drive from the Nairobi city centre accessible both by public and private means. Built in 1929, this is the flagship museum for the National Museums of Kenya, housing celebrated collections of Kenya's History, Nature, Culture and Contemporary Art. The Museum aims to interpret Kenya's rich heritage and offers a one stop for visitors to sample the country's rich heritage both for education and leisure. In addition to the museum, visitors are treated to a variety of shopping and dinning facilities, as well as botanical gardens that offer a serene environment. Visit the museum's website at ... http://www.museums.or.ke

Masterworks from Oberlin College's Museum Summer at The Met Posted: 26 Jul 2011 02:22 PM PDT NEW YORK (REUTERS).- One museum's renovations are another's exhibition. Thus, 20 masterworks from  Allen Memorial Art Museum in Ohio will summer at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York while the Allen Museum is closed for renovations. From March 16 through August 29, 19 paintings and one sculpture from one of the finest college or university collections in the United States will be on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Met museum officials said. Each Allen Museum work will be juxtaposed with a Metropolitan Museum piece to create the most exciting conversation between the two works, said Maryan Ainsworth, curator of European paintings at the Metropolitan Museum. "We will be able to see the Allen Museum's 'Saint Sebastian Tended by Irene' by (Hendrick) ter Brugghen, one of the most important North Baroque paintings in the United States, next to ter Brugghen's 'Crucifixion' from the Met Museum," she said. For that reason, the exhibition is called "Side by Side." A special brochure about the works with maps of where to find them in the Metropolitan Museum's galleries will be published to accompany the exhibition. Besides the ter Brugghen painting, works visiting from the Allen Museum include Cezanne's "Viaduct at l'Estaque" and Kirchner's "Self-Portrait as a Soldier" as well as works by Altdorfer, Turner, Monet, and Rothko. The exhibition is organized at the Metropolitan Museum by Maryan Ainsworth, Curator in the Department of European Paintings, and an Oberlin College alumnus. Following the exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum, a collection of works from the Allen Memorial Art Museum will be on view at the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. for several months. The Allen Memorial Art Museum, founded in 1917 at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, is in an Italian Renaissance-style building designed by Cass Gilbert and named after its founder, Dr. Dudley Peter Allen (B.A. 1875), a distinguished graduate and trustee of Oberlin College. In 1977, Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates designed an addition that represents one of the earliest examples of postmodern architecture in the United States. The Allen Memorial Art Museum (AMAM) is one of the finest college or university collections in the United States. Comprising nearly 14,000 works of art from virtually every culture and spanning the history of art, the AMAM's collection  is a vital cultural resource for the students, faculty, and staff of Oberlin College as well as the surrounding community. Notable strengths include seventeenth-century Dutch and Flemish art, nineteenth and early twentieth-century European and contemporary American art, and Asian, European, and American works on paper. The collection is housed in an impressive Italian Renaissance-style building designed by Cass Gilbert and named after its founder, Dr. Dudley Peter Allen (B.A. 1875). The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the world's largest and finest art museums. Its collections include more than two million works of art spanning five thousand years of world culture, from prehistory to the present and from every part of the globe. Founded in 1870, the Metropolitan Museum is located in New York City's Central Park along Fifth Avenue (from 80th to 84th Streets). Nearly five million people visit the Museum each year.  Visit : www.metmuseum.org/

Heckscher Museum Celebrates Artists Who have Lived in Long Island, NY Posted: 26 Jul 2011 02:21 PM PDT HUNTINGTON, NY.- This fall, The Heckscher Museum of Art is presenting an exhibition that celebrates the rich, yet untold role of Huntington and the North Shore of Long Island in American art. For more than a century, Long Island has attracted and inspired innovative artists of the highest caliber who have created groundbreaking works of enduring importance. While the art produced on Long Island's East End has been well documented, the artistic history of Huntington and the North Shore is less known. Opened 3 October through 10 January, 2010.

The Frick Art Museum opens "Icons of American Photography" in Pittsburgh Posted: 26 Jul 2011 02:20 PM PDT PITTSBURGH, PA.- On October 3, 2009, Icons of American Photography: A Century of Photographs from the Cleveland Museum of Art opens at The Frick Art Museum. This exhibition is composed of fifty-nine photographs from Cleveland's extraordinary collection that chronicle the evolution of photography in America from a scientific curiosity in the 1850s to one of the most potent forms of artistic expression of the twentieth century. Culture and refinement of the Gilded Age at the Frick Art & Historical Center, located on beautifully landscaped gardens in Pittsburgh's East End. The museum and its multiple collections are the legacy of Helen Clay Frick, daughter of Henry Clay Frick, one of America's greatest industrialists and art collectors.

Antiquity Revived ~ Neoclassical Art of the 18th Century at the MFA in Houston Posted: 26 Jul 2011 02:19 PM PDT HOUSTON, TX.- At the end of the 18th century, fresh archeological finds in Herculaneum and Pompeii inspired artists, intellectuals, and the public all over Europe to be newly fascinated with antiquities. "Neoclassicism" is the term given to the various classicizing movements that developed in the late 18th to early 19th centuries and influenced fine arts, decorative arts, and architecture from Rome to Paris and from London to Saint Petersburg. Influenced by Enlightenment thinkers, the French Revolution, and Napoleon's rise to emperor, as well as the excavations that made antiquities popular, Neoclassicist artists responded to societal trends by reviving the simple designs and restrained ornament of ancient Greek and Roman art. Antiquity Revived is organized by Edgar Peters Bowron and Helga Aurisch, the MFAH's European art curators, in association with the Musée du Louvre, Paris. It will be on view in the Museum of Fine Arts Houston through May 30, 2011 in the Audrey Jones Beck Building.

Albertina Museum exhibits 150 Works Made by Van Gogh at a Major Retrospective Posted: 26 Jul 2011 02:18 PM PDT VIENNA, AUSTRIA - The Albertina's large autumn exhibition is presenting Vincent van Gogh from an entirely new perspective: the show unites both the painter and draughtsman Van Gogh, and its 150 works illustrate how much the artist's expressive brush work in the paintings was prepared by his dynamic draughtsmanship. This exhibition was compiled in collaboration with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and is the largest presentation of the artist's oeuvre since the jubilee exhibition in Amsterdam in 1990. Moreover, it is the first Van Gogh show in Austria for more than half a century. On exhibition 5 September through 8 December, 2008.

Wilhelm Sasnal solos at the Center for Contemporary Art in Malaga (CAC) Posted: 26 Jul 2011 02:17 PM PDT MALAGA, SPAIN - The Center for Contemporary Art in Malaga (CAC) presents, in collaboration with the Polish Institute of Culture in Madrid, the first large solo exhibition of Wilhelm Sasnal in a Spanish museum. Both his pictorial and film work, which he considers particularly important, are part of a freeform game that blends a variety of styles, techniques and representational methods. He works in a wide variety of mediums including comics, drawing, film, photography and painting. An oeuvre that moves between the abstract and the figurative; daily life and its relationship to the world is the central theme of this exhibition and the mainstay of his work. On view through 24 Januuary, 2010.

Arken Museum to Show Impressionists & Postimpressionists from The Israel Museum Posted: 26 Jul 2011 02:16 PM PDT COPENHAGEN.- They caused an outrage when they appeared. Today they rank among the most reproduced, popular and priceless artists in the world. Monet, Renoir, Degas, Pissarro, Rodin, van Gogh, Cézanne, Braque. They can all be seen at Arken Museum of Modern Art. Arken presents the fine collection of French Impressionists and Postimpressionists from The Israel Museum, Jerusalem. 53 paintings and sculptures come to Denmark for four months in the exhibition Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Gauguin. On view 31 January through 7 June, 2009.

Baltimore Museum of Art presents Rarely Shown British Landscapes Posted: 26 Jul 2011 02:15 PM PDT   Baltimore, MD - Majestic settings of the English countryside have inspired writers and artists from the poetry of William Wordsworth to the paintings of J.M.W. Turner. This fall, the BMA focuses on the transforming British landscape in Taking in the View: English Watercolors and Prints. On view through December 7, 2008, this one gallery exhibition features an array of more than 20 prints, watercolors, and books drawn from the Museum's collection.

Museum of Fine Arts Houston to feature Scenes of Italy by Maurice B. Prendergast Posted: 26 Jul 2011 02:15 PM PDT HOUSTON.- Prendergast in Italy, the first exhibition devoted entirely to the watercolors, monotypes, and oil paintings by the American modern artist Maurice Prendergast, will open at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston on February 14, 2010. Featuring more than 60 views of Venice, Rome, Siena, and Capri, Prendergast in Italy also includes the artist´s personal sketchbooks, letters, photographs, and guidebooks from his two trips to Italy, in 1898 and 1911. Prendergast was born and raised in Boston but developed his mature style during early trips abroad to France (1891-1895) and Italy (1989-1989). Renowned for his paintings full of joie de vivre, the view of Italy that Prendergast presents was informed by European trends filtered through the eyes of an American artist and tourist encountering Venice for the first time. This exhibition demonstrates the advances of abstract color and form that put Prendergast on the cutting edge of American modernism. "The Williams College Museum of Art has the largest collection of Prendergast works in the world, and coupled with loans from 50 other institutions, this is an unparalleled opportunity to see such a complete collection of the artist´s output from his trips to Italy on view here in Houston," stated Peter C. Marzio, MFAH director. "Museum guests can traverse the colorful canals of Prendergast´s Venice, complimented by views of the sea presented by John Singer Sargent in Sargent and the Sea." "Venice provided a spectacle of color and pattern that Prendergast transformed into stunning and bold works, all of which catapulted him into the front ranks of American artists," added Emily Ballew Neff, MFAH curator of American Painting and Sculpture. "Prendergast in Italy will show the enduring place Prendergast holds in American art as a technically superb watercolorist, and one whose buoyant surfaces and rhythmic patterns are are simply a joy to behold." Since the majority of the works in Prendergast in Italy are of Venice, the armchair traveler will come away from this exhibition with a vivid sense of that unique city, its canals, and famous monuments as seen through the eyes of an American on the forefront of 20th-century modernism. Five paintings are displayed so that both sides of the works are visible. These double-sided watercolors, in addition to many sketches, unfinished works, and archival materials, provide a special glimpse into the artist´s creative process. A large group of color monotypes showcases Prendergast´s daring approach and experimentation with the medium. Prendergast in Italy highlights a selection of the collection of over 400 works by artist-brothers Maurice and Charles Prendergast in the Williams College Museum of Art, the largest collection in the world. In addition to artworks from WCMA and the Terra Foundation for American Art, the exhibition features loans from over 50 institutions and private collections in the United States, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. About the Artist Maurice Prendergast (American, 1858—1924) made a name for himself in Boston and New York as a cutting-edge watercolorist who experimented with color monotypes. In his day, he was lauded by the more progressive art critics and attracted the support of modern art collectors. When he first departed for Italy (1898), he was an up-and-coming avant-garde artist who had recently returned to Boston from four years in Paris. The body of work that Prendergast produced shows his struggle to pay homage to the great art he encountered in Assisi, Siena, Rome, and Venice while he grappled with the new realities of modern, unified Italy and the progressive art of his time. Prendergast´s interpretation of Venice captures a unique blend of old and new. Watercolors from his first trip to Italy are characterized by Prendergast´s interest in the Italian flag and how it symbolized a "new" Italy; he depicted it many times during this first trip. These works were sent home and exhibited in Boston even while he was still abroad. In 1900, shortly after his return to America, they were showcased in his first one-person show. It was the Italian watercolors that catapulted Prendergast to a national reputation and a place among the most advanced artists in New York. Ten years later, after assimilating the new expressionistic and abstract art theories unveiled in Paris by Matisse, Picasso, and their circle, Prendergast again departed for Italy (1911). On his second trip, Prendergast focused on the bridges of Venice, applying his new style to the emblematic architecture of the canal city. This body of work shows the advances of abstract color and form that put Prendergast at the forefront of American modernism.

Art Knowledge News Presents "This Week In Review" Posted: 26 Jul 2011 02:15 PM PDT This is a new feature for the subscribers and visitors to Art Knowledge News (AKN), that will enable you to see "thumbnail descriptions" of the last ninety (90) articles and art images that we published. This will allow you to visit any article that you may have missed ; or re-visit any article or image of particular interest. Every day the article "thumbnail images" will change. For you to see the entire last ninety images just click : here . When opened that also will allow you to change the language from English to anyone of 54 other languages, by clicking your language choice on the upper left corner of our Home Page.  You can share any article we publish with the eleven (11) social websites we offer like Twitter, Flicker, Linkedin, Facebook, etc. by one click on the image shown at the end of each opened article.  Last, but not least, you can email or print any entire article by using an icon visible to the right side of an article's headline.

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