Art Knowledge News - Keeping You in Touch with the World of Art...

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• The Meadows Museum to host "Mexican Modern Paintings from the Andrés Blaisten Collection"
• The Great Plains Art Museum hosts Anne Peyton as Artist-in-Residence
• Contemporary Art and Sculptures Highlight this year's Chelsea Art Fair
• Schantz Galleries to exhibit the glass work of Martin Rosol at SOFA NY
• Carnegie Museum of Art exhibits Henri Matisse’s "The Thousand and One Nights"
• Slotin Auction Spring Masterpieces Sale offers over 1,300 lots of Folk Art
• "Portraits of Renown: Photography & the Cult of Celebrity" at the J. Paul Getty Museum
• Art Brussels celebrates its 30th Anniversary this April
• Fifty-one Galleries will participate in the Berlin Art Weekend from 27-29 April
• The Rosenbach Museum & Library Presents Musical Influences on Maurice Sendak
• The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Presents New Works by Sean Scully & John Walker
• Contemporary Artists & Illustrators Reinterpret Norman Rockwell at the Muckenthaler
• Growing Conversion of Movies to 3-D Draws Mixed Reactions
• "Celebrating Nature: Klein Karoo and Wildlife" Exhibition At The Cape Gallery In Cape Town
• The Vatican Museums ~ 9 Miles Of Galleries Containing Some Of The Most Famous Artworks Ever Created
• The Cucci Cabinet ~ A Royal Gift ~ Sells for 4.5 Million Pounds at Christie's
• Modern Russian Art Gaining Interest Despite Rocky Economics
• Marilyn Monroe's 85th Birthday Celebrated with Rare Photos by Murray Garrett
• Norman Rockwell Museum Shows "The 3D Animation Art of Blue Sky Studios"
• Art Knowledge News Presents "This Week In Review"

The Meadows Museum to host "Mexican Modern Paintings from the Andrés Blaisten Collection" Posted: 09 Apr 2012 01:49 AM PDT Dallas, Texas.- This summer, visitors to the Meadows Museum will have the opportunity to experience one of the greatest collections of modern Mexican art in the world. "Mexican Modern Painting from the Andrés Blaisten Collection" will feature a selection of eighty paintings from this singular group of works and will be on display from April 29th through August 12th. Andrés Blaisten, whose collection is comprised of over 8,000 works of art—including paintings, sculpture, drawings, and print—first began collecting while studying painting at the Academy of San Carlos in Mexico City in the late 1960s. At first casually buying paintings from his academy friends, Blaisten soon dropped out of the academy and alongside his business ventures, devoted himself to selecting art that reflected his own relationship with Mexico. Although Blaisten has acquired works from various periods, this exhibition focuses on a predominant interest of his: paintings created in Mexico in the first half of the twentieth century. By virtue of their diversity, the paintings chosen for the exhibition demonstrate the social, political, and artistic patchwork that shaped Mexico and by extension, its art, from the beginning of the twentieth century until midcentury, when the artists fell into the shadow of the Cold War and their individual voices were swallowed into the machine of Communism. Mexican Modernism was a polyphony of artistic voices, each expressing a particular point of view. This exhibition disproves the traditionally held idea that Mexican art of the early twentieth century was insular, its artists working for the most part without an awareness of avant-garde European art. In addition to the giants such as Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros, all represented in the exhibition, other Mexican artists visited Europe, while many others were aware of the theories and formal elements that informed the various"-isms" taking place on the other side of the Atlantic. At the same time, the Mexican Moderns also took great pride in their indigenous Mexican history, honoring the astonishing achievements and folkloric creation myths of the Aztec Empire and other contingents of pre-Hispanic Mexico. The fascinating juxtaposition of the Old and New World within the context of Mexican Modernism is evident in the display of the Museo Colección Blaisten at the Centro Cultural Universitario Tlatelolco (CCUT), an institution under the auspices of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). The Museo Colección Blaisten, a permanent installation of a portion of the collection at the CCUT, overlooks the archaeological site of Tlatelolco, the sister city of Tenochtitlan. A mural by Siqueiros also happens to be within walking distance from this cultural center. Traditionally, 1921, the year of the first post-revolutionary murals under José Vasconcelos, newly appointed Minister of Public Education, has been considered the benchmark for the genesis of modern Mexican art. However, recent scholarship has shown that the artistic revolution began even earlier in the twentieth century. As early as 1909, Vasconcelos spearheaded a group known as the Athenaeum of Youth which challenged the Eurocentric bias of Mexican determinist politics. Examples of art from these early decades demonstrate that Mexican artists could glean from European art while simultaneously embracing their own identity. In the exhibition are works by Germán Gedovius, who studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, and a few of his pupils, including Saturnino Herrán. The ennui of Symbolism and other fin de siècle art movements encountered by Gedovius was adapted by Herrán, who conceived his own symbols of Mexican national identity in his art. Students protesting artistic academicism helped to fuel the development of the Open-Air Painting School, established between 1913 and 1914. Flourishing in the 1920s, the Open-Air Painting School produced a number of artists represented in this exhibition, including Francisco Díaz de León, Gabriel Fernández Ledesma, Fernando Leal, Fernando Castillo, and Rosario Cabrera, along with several others. Alfredo Ramos Martínez, also represented in the exhibition, established the open-air model, based on the nineteenth-century Barbizon school in France. In this new model, the people, architecture, and landscape of rural Mexico replaced reproductions of Classical and Renaissance art as the focus. A group of artists who challenged the heavy-handed politicized art of the 1920s and 1930s was the Contemporáneos. These artists focused on formal elements of composition rather than the idyll of rural Mexico and related historical or indigenous themes. Associated with the titular journal of literature and art, those counted among the Contemporáneos included Manuel Rodríguez Lozano, Julio Castellanos, Agustín Lazo, Rufino Tamayo, María Izquierdo, and Juan Soriano. The composition of a work, rather than subject matter, was their primary focus. Several of the Contemporáneos incorporated Surrealist elements in their canvases. While these painters did not Cultural Universitario Tlatelolco (CCUT), an institution under the auspices of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). The Museo Colección Blaisten, a permanent installation of a portion of the collection at the CCUT, overlooks the archaeological site of Tlatelolco, the sister city of Tenochtitlan. A mural by Siqueiros also happens to be within walking distance from this cultural center. Traditionally, 1921, the year of the first post-revolutionary murals under José Vasconcelos, newly appointed Minister of Public Education, has been considered the benchmark for the genesis of modern Mexican art. However, recent scholarship has shown that the artistic revolution began even earlier in the twentieth century. As early as 1909, Vasconcelos spearheaded a group known as the Athenaeum of Youth which challenged the Eurocentric bias of Mexican determinist politics. Examples of art from these early decades demonstrate that Mexican artists could glean from European art while simultaneously embracing their own identity. In the exhibition are works by Germán Gedovius, who studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, and a few of his pupils, including Saturnino Herrán. The ennui of Symbolism and other fin de siècle art movements encountered by Gedovius was adapted by Herrán, who conceived his own symbols of Mexican national identity in his art. The Meadows Museum at Southern Methodist University houses one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of Spanish art outside of Spain. With works dating from the 10th to the 21st century, the internationally renowned collection presents a broad spectrum of art covering a thousand years of Spanish heritage. During business trips to Spain in the 1950s, Texas philanthropist and oil financier Algur H. Meadows spent many hours at the Prado Museum in Madrid. The Prado's spectacular collection of Spanish masterpieces inspired Meadows to begin his own collection of Spanish art. In 1962, through The Meadows Foundation, he gave SMU funds for the construction and endowment of a museum to house his Spanish collection. The Meadows Museum opened in 1965 as part of a new arts center at SMU. The Meadows Museum collection includes masterpieces by some of the world's greatest painters: El Greco, Diego Velázquez, Ribera, Murillo, Francisco de Goya, Joan Miró and Pablo Picasso. Highlights of the collection include Renaissance altarpieces, monumental Baroque canvases, exquisite Rococo oil sketches, poly-chrome wood sculptures, Impressionist landscapes, modernist abstractions, a comprehensive collection of the graphic works of Goya, and a select group of sculptures by major 20th-century masters, including Auguste Rodin, Jacques Lipchitz, Henry Moore, Claes Oldenburg, David Smith and Fritz Wotruba. At the base of the plaza is a 40-by-90 foot moving sculpture, Wave, designed by Santiago Calatrava. The museum is a unique resource for local schools, colleges, the Dallas-Fort Worth community and visitors from around the world. With an active program of tours, educational outreach, weekend family days and a summer art program for young people, the Meadows Museum plays an important role as an educational and cultural center in North Texas.  Visit the museum's website at ... http://smu.edu/meadowsmuseum

The Great Plains Art Museum hosts Anne Peyton as Artist-in-Residence Posted: 09 Apr 2012 01:42 AM PDT Lincoln, NE.- The Great Plains Art Museum is very pleased to announce Anne Peyton as this year's Elizabeth Rubendall Artists-In-Residence from April 24th through May 4th. During her residency, she will create two original acrylic paintings which will become part of the museum's permanent collection; one of a Great Plains raptor, and one of a Great Plains songbird. Visitors and school groups are invited to view and interact with Peyton as she works. There will be an area to sketch, and outreach animals from Pioneer Park Nature Center will be available for select portions of the residency. Anne Peyton has brought her graphic talents as one of the most sought-after motorsports artists to her passion for avian conservation. Her reputation as a premier wildlife artist has rapidly grown since 2000. "Painting birds and racing cars may seem to be on the opposite end of the spectrum, but in truth there is a lot of similarity. Both can be brilliantly colored or purposefully drab. Both are technically difficult. The artist must be able to capture and represent the proper attitude of a car at speed or a bird in its natural setting. If you're not correct, there is always someone – a racer or another birder – who will correct you."

Contemporary Art and Sculptures Highlight this year's Chelsea Art Fair Posted: 08 Apr 2012 10:28 PM PDT London.- The 17th Annual Chelsea Art Fair takes place at Chelsea Old Town Hall, King's Road, from April 19th through April 22nd. Sculpture, paintings, prints and ceramics by leading artists from the past 100 year will feature together with exciting new works by contemporary painters and designers. 'It's a feast of colour and inspiration,' explains organiser Caroline Penman, 'with all kinds of traditional and challenging works on display and at prices to suit every pocket.' With forty galleries showing, this annual event is a regular highlight of the art scene in London in the spring.

Schantz Galleries to exhibit the glass work of Martin Rosol at SOFA NY Posted: 08 Apr 2012 10:05 PM PDT STOCKBRIDGE, MA.- Martin Rosol came to the United States in 1988 to pursue a career as a glass sculptor, a path unavailable to him in his native Czechoslovakia before Vaclav Havel and the Velvet Revolution transformed the country. Rosol's sculptures—works of elegant design and craftsmanship—emerge from skilled and meticulous hands. Pieces are precisely cut from blocks of crystal, (some of which are sandblasted) then constructed in an architectural form designed to contain illumination. With a range of translucent and reflective surfaces artfully combined to create enclosed spaces, they are indeed monuments to light. The elegant Luxor recalls the ancient Egyptian temple for which it is named but is a thoroughly futuristic envisioning of the earlier structure. Many Egyptian buildings employed illusionism, such as how the two obelisks flanking the entrance to the original Luxor Temple (one of which is now in the Place de la Concorde, Paris) seem to be, but are not in fact, the same height. Like the ancient temple, Rosol's Luxor is a similarly cosmic monument, not to an ancient Egyptian deity but to light itself.

Carnegie Museum of Art exhibits Henri Matisse’s "The Thousand and One Nights" Posted: 08 Apr 2012 09:08 PM PDT Pittsburgh, PA - Henri Matisse'sThe Thousand and One Nights, a multi-panel, painted paper cut-out, was created when the artist was 81 and confined to his bed. Unable to sleep and kept alive by his drive to create, Matisse had much in common with Scheherazade, the legendary narrator of the Persian literary classic Arabian Nights. Scheherazadesaves her own life from a vengeful king by enthralling him with a story that she always interrupts at a moment of suspense just after dawn, ensuring her survival through 1,001 nights. Like her tales, The Thousand and One Nights is a work rich in fantastical imagery and symbolism created during many sleepless, difficult hours. On exhibition at the Carnegie Museum of Artfrom April 7th through July 15th.

Slotin Auction Spring Masterpieces Sale offers over 1,300 lots of Folk Art Posted: 08 Apr 2012 08:48 PM PDT Buford, Georgia.- A weekend sale featuring 1,500 lots of folk art in a wide array of genres will be held on April 21st and 22nd by Slotin Auction in the Historic Buford Hall, located at 112 East Shadburn Avenue in Buford, just north of Atlanta. It is the firm's popular Spring Masterpiece Sale, held around this time each year. Internet bidding will be hosted by LiveAuctioneers.com. The auction will provide bidders with an eclectic and exciting mix of offerings: Southern folk pottery, circus and carnival freak show items, folk erotica, a collection of early hand-made Black Americana items, self-taught artworks, masterpieces and more. Slotin Auction specializes in bringing the strange, the unusual and the vanishing America to auction. The April 21 session will will feature more than 125 lots of face jugs, the crowd-pleasing expressions of Southern folk pottery crafted by some of the most famous artisans in the field: the Meaders family (Lanier, Reggie, A.G., Clete and others); Billy Ray Hussey, members of the Hewell family, Marie and Brenda Rogers, B. B. Craig and others. Circus and carnival items will feature a paint on canvas "Champion Sword Swallower" side show banner attributed to Neiman Eisman (circa 1930s-'40s), 118 inches by 90 inches (est. $3,000-$4,000); a pair of nymphs carousel side, carved and polychromed painted wood, attributed to Allen Hirschell (est. $3,000-$5,000); knock-down dolls; shooting targets; and more. Several tobacconist figures will be sold, to include an 1875 Cigar Store Indian, carved and polychromed wood with gesso, 76 inches tall (est. $12,000-$17,000); a rare wrapped and stuffed doll on horseback, 15 inches high, made of carved wood and mixed media (est. $2,000-$3,000); and a 93-inch-tall Indian figure, carved wood with layered paint (est. $1,000-$2,000). Two lots certain to spark bidding wars are an unusual cut molded sheet metal centaur weather vane made by an anonymous craftsman around the third quarter of the 19th century, large at 60 inches by 71 inches (est. $8,000-$10,000); and an original graphite on joined paper by Martin Ramirez, titled Caballero and depicting an armed man on a horse (est. $35,000-$45,000). A pair of works by William Hawkins will also get paddles wagging. The first is a 1982 enamel on Masonite landscape rendering with figures titled Trail Riders, 60 inches by 48 inches (est. $20,000-$30,000). The other is a 1982 enamel on paneling with glitter painting titled AIU Citadel, artist signed and dated with a birth date, 39 inches by 50 inches (est. $10,000-$20,000). Sister Gertrude Morgan is a name synonymous with Slotin Auction, and this auction has several of her works, to include an unsigned paint and ink on odd-shaped paper titled Revelation (est. $4,000-$6,000); a paint on paper board titled Peter, James and John (est. $4,000-$7,000); and a circa 1970s paint with watercolor work titled Light With Self-Portrait (est. $3,000-$5,000). Clementine Hunter will also be represented in the sale, with a 1950s oil on artist board titled Zinnias at a Funeral (est. $5,000-$8,000); a circa-1945 paint on paper titled Bringing Mother a Cool Drink (est. $5,000-$8,000); a circa-1967 oil on canvas board titled Nativity Scene; and a circa-1960s oil on artist board titled  Leaving Church on a Sunday (est. $2,000-$4,000). Sam Doyle is another huge fan favorite. Offered in the auction will be a paint on roofing tin, initialed and titled Whooping Boy (est. $8,000-$12,000); a paint on roofing tin titled Penn School Drummer 1920 (est. $8,000-$12,000); a signed oil on window shade titled Rambeling (sic) Rose (est. $2,000-$3,000); and a paint on tin tray titled Fruit Tray (est. $1,000-$2,000). Perhaps the king of the crowd-pleasers is the late Howard Finster, a true superstar in the folk art galaxy. This sale will include his 1981 paint on found paneling titled The Words of Jesus (est. $7,000-$10,000); a paint and marker on board titled Black Cat of Desert Storm (est. $3,000-$5,000); and a 1983 tractor enamel on board titled Vision of Earth Cheetah (est. $2,000-$4,000). Another name to be reckoned with is Mose Tollliver. Around a dozen of his works will be sold, including a paint on Masonite titled Something Like a Wild Man (est. $1,000-$2,000); a very early, signed paint on Masonite titled Mose With Wife in Flowers (est. $1,000-$2,000); and a signed, circa 1970s-1980s oil on canvas titled Erotic Couple Behind Bars (est. $1,000-$2,000). Over 20 original works by Jimmy Lee Sudduth, taking up two full catalog pages, will cross the block. Featured will be an 8-foot-tall paint and mud on board of a Tall Red-Headed Woman (est. $1,000-$3,000); her counterpart, a Tall Black-Headed Woman (est. $1,000-$3,000); and a signed paint and mud on board of a man with banjo, simply titled ME (est. $1,000-$2,000). The auction will feature numerous "New Discoveries," supremely talented artists who have flown beneath the radar -- until now. One of these is Anthony de Bernardin (1889-1972), a self-taught Pennsylvania painter who made paintings of his neighborhood as well as other subjects believed to have come from photos and magazines. Sixteen of his works will be sold. In the 1960s, a small group of Shona sculptors from Zimbabwe, Africa burst onto the art scene worldwide, prompting Newsweek magazine to write, "Shona sculpture is perhaps the most important new art form to emerge from Africa this century." A dozen examples of these original, hand-signed sculptures, by the founding fathers of the Shona movement, will be in the auction. Previews will be held Thursday, April 19th from 10-5; and on Friday, April 20th from 10-9, or by appointment. In addition to online bidding participation, phone and absentee bids will also be taken. Slotin Auction's next big event after this one will be Folk Fest, the 19th annual summer extravaganza, featuring 100 galleries and dealers from across the nation, slated for August 17th through 19th. This event will at the North Atlanta Trade Center in Norcross, Georgia. Visit the auction house's website at ... www.slotinfolkart.com

"Portraits of Renown: Photography & the Cult of Celebrity" at the J. Paul Getty Museum Posted: 08 Apr 2012 08:26 PM PDT LOS ANGELES, CA.- Portraits of Renown: Photography and the Cult of Celebrity, on view at the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center, April 3rd until August 26th, surveys some of the visual strategies used by photographers to picture famous individuals from the 1840s to the year 2000. Photography's remarkable propensity to shape identities has made it the leading vehicle for representing the famous. Soon after photography was invented in the 1830s, it was used to capture the likenesses and accomplishments of great men and women, gradually supplanting other forms of commemoration. In the twentieth century, the proliferation of photography and the transformative power of fame have helped to accelerate the desire for photographs of celebrities in magazines, newspapers, advertisements, and on the Internet. The exhibition is arranged chronologically to help make visible some of the overarching technical and stylistic developments in photography from the first decade of its invention to the end of the twentieth century.

Art Brussels celebrates its 30th Anniversary this April Posted: 08 Apr 2012 08:25 PM PDT Brussels.- Art Brussels will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year, running from April 19th through April 22nd (special preview on April 18th) at Brussels Expo in halls 1 and 3, the successful formula that brings young talent and established names into the limelight has made the fair a must for curators, critics, collectors and anyone interested in the new trends in the international art world. This captivating mix, which presents quality work by over 2000 artists from various disciplines, ranging from contemporary painting, sculpture, photography, video installations to performance, has a strong effect on sales as well. Art lovers can buy high quality art for a modest price and collectors can expand their collection with internationally established names. Strong new galleries as well as established names, a new fairground architecture, a nocturne on Thursday for the general public and fascinating debates … will all make this a festive Art Brussels edition! 182 international galleries from 25 countries bring an exciting mix of both young emerging talents and established names in the international art world. To guide the visitor through this diverse offer of over 2000 artists, Art Brussels is organised into three different zones. First Call presents the new generation of art galleries that have never before participated at Art Brussels. This is definitely the zone for new discoveries. Young Talent is reserved for galleries that represent emerging and mid-career artists. The Gallery zone is the largest area. These galleries, mainly representing well-established artists are located in Hall 1. On April 19th, Art Brussels holds its first nocturne for the general public. The nocturne is dedicated to fashion: fashion designers and fashion gurus will attend en masse, turning Thursday 19/04 into a memorable event. Our special guests are the students of the fashion academies of Antwerp and La Cambre in Brussels. Outside of the fair walls, in and around the Belgian art cultural landscape but also in the centre of town, the art offer is entirely tailored to contemporary art. Numerous initiatives make this week the Brussels Art Week. Art Brussels aligns itself with a dynamic perspective that connects it to its city, its country and its time. A warm and friendly country that has become a veritable centre of encounter and exchange for a wide variety of cultures and artistic practices. A greater focus is placed on meetings with art lovers, who are in this way invited to share their visions and reflections in a spontaneous manner. Curator Samuel Gross will host a number of Art Talks in a new and very informal format which is sure to spark a conversation amongst various actors of the art world: collectors, curators, artists and contemporary art lovers. Art Brussels, moreover, has the honour to welcome Hans Ulricht Obrist for an exclusive conversation that will focus on how creativity can be found in the most unexpected of places. Other lectures will cover the news highlights of the contemporary art world, such as Manifesta, Documenta and Track. In the city, and especially during Art Brussels, partner institutions have made sure to present programmes that are both rich and stimulating and internationally relevant. In this way, Wiels hosts a retrospective of the works of Rose-Marie Trockel and Daan van Golden, Bozar invites us to discover the photographic work of Cy Twombly, and Vanhaerents collection will present work by the collective AES + F. And then there are also the many initiatives outside of Brussels, presenting works by - but not limited to -artists such as Chantal Akerman, Daniel Buren, Chloe Piene, Nedko Solakov and Rebecca Warren. It is  also in the city, where Art Brussels initiated the first edition of 'Video in the City', that, thanks to the dynamic effort of  Galeries Cinema and in the frame of the prestigious Galerie de la Reine, a selection of videos will be presented by artists represented by national and international   galleries present in Art Brussels. Art Brussels also created a meeting ground for Brussels-based projects and European quality initiatives; the Parisian cultural space the Temple, for example, will, for one evening, move to an Off-site location for the screening of Pierre Huyghe's latest film  "The Host and the Cloud ". Not to mention the incredible and quite active participation of collectors living in Belgium, such as the Private House of Miriam and Amaury de Solage that brings together three private collectors around the central theme of "Struggle", or the collector Eric Fabre who will present - quite exclusively - a selection of his collection on this occasion, or the new contemporary art space C.A.B. Contemporary Art which will open its doors during Art Brussels, presenting work of a selection of Brazilian artists.All these initiatives are sure to create an interesting synergy with Art Brussels, right at the very heart of the contemporary art scene. From April 18th to 22nd, Brussels is the absolute must for art lovers and enthusiasts alike. Visit the fair's website at ... http://www.artbrussels.be

Fifty-one Galleries will participate in the Berlin Art Weekend from 27-29 April Posted: 08 Apr 2012 07:53 PM PDT BERLIN.- This year's Gallery Weekend Berlin will take place from the 27th to the 29th of April. A total of 51 galleries will open their exhibitions during the weekend, and six new galleries will participate in the comprehensive program. The new additions, which include Chert, CIRCUS, Supportico Lopez, Galerie Cinzia Friedlaender, VeneKlasen/Werner and Galerie Niels Borch Jensen, will enrich the spectrum of the annual tour with young positions, new genres, curatorially expanded exhibition concepts and international gallery branches. The increased number of participants this year stems from the aim of promoting young galleries that were established less than five years ago. These also pay a lower registration fee. The Gallery Weekend will open with the Welcome Reception on Thursday the 26th April. The galleries' official exhibition openings will be held on Friday. The traditional Gallery Weekend dinner will be held for invited guests on Saturday evening. An exclusive companion program, the events and locations of the concurrent Berlin Biennale, exhibitions in museums and institutions as well as openings at numerous other galleries make up the entire Berlin Art Weekend.

The Rosenbach Museum & Library Presents Musical Influences on Maurice Sendak Posted: 08 Apr 2012 07:38 PM PDT Philadelphia,PA.- The Rosenbach Museum & Library is pleased to present "Grace Notes: A Sendakian Rhapsody" on display until August 7th. "Music inspires grace…I don't want a book to be just a book, I want it to suggest something as beautiful as Mozart," Maurice Sendak reflected in 2007.  This multimedia exhibition uses 30 objects from the Rosenbach's Sendak collection to reflect the range of musical influences on the author's work and invites visitors to make connections of their own. Sendak was born in Brooklyn, New York to Polish Jewish immigrant parents Sarah (née Schindler) and Philip Sendak, a dressmaker. He decided to become an illustrator after viewing the Walt Disney film Fantasia at the age of twelve; however, his love of books came at an early age when he developed health problems and was confined to his bed. One of his first professional commissions was to create window displays for the toy store F.A.O. Schwarz. His illustrations were first published in 1947 in a textbook titled Atomics for the Millions by Dr. Maxwell Leigh Eidinoff. He spent much of the 1950s working as an artist for children's books, before beginning to write his own stories. Sendak gained international acclaim after writing and illustrating 'Where the Wild Things Are', although the book's depictions of fanged monsters concerned some parents when it was first released, as his characters were somewhat grotesque in appearance. Sendak's seeming attraction to the forbidden or nightmarish aspects of children's fantasy have made him a subject of controversy. The monsters in the book were actually based on relatives who would come to weekly dinners. Because of their broken English and odd mannerisms, they were the perfect basis for the monsters in Sendak's book. His book 'In the Night Kitchen', first published in 1970, has often been subjected to censorship for its drawings of a young boy prancing naked through the story. The book has been challenged in several American states including Illinois, New Jersey, Minnesota, and Texas. Sendak was an early member of the National Board of Advisors of the Children's Television Workshop during the development stages of the television series Sesame Street. He also wrote and designed an animated sequence for the series, 'Bumble Ardy', based on his own book, and with Jim Henson as the voice of Bumble Ardy. Sendak produced an animated television production based on his work titled 'Really Rosie', featuring the voice of Carole King, which was broadcast in 1975. He adapted his book Where the Wild Things Are for the stage in 1979. Additionally, he has designed sets for many operas and ballets, including the award-winning (1983) Pacific Northwest Ballet production of Tchaikovsky's 'The Nutcracker', Houston Grand Opera's productions of Mozart's 'The Magic Flute' (1981) and Humperdinck's 'Hansel and Gretel' (1997), Los Angeles County Music Center's 1990 production of Mozart's 'Idomeneo', and the New York City Opera's 1981 production of 'The Cunning Little Vixen'. In the 1990s, Sendak approached playwright Tony Kushner to write a new English version of the Czech composer Hans Krása's children's opera 'Brundibar'. Kushner wrote the text for Sendak's illustrated book of the same name, published in 2003. The book was named one of the New York Times Book Review's 10 Best Illustrated Books of 2003. In 2003, Chicago Opera Theatre produced Sendak and Kushner's adaptation of 'Brundibar'. In 2005, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, in collaboration with Yale Repertory Theatre and Broadway's New Victory Theater, produced a substantially reworked version of the Sendak-Kushner adaptation. Sendak chose the Rosenbach Museum & Library in Philadelphia, PA to be the repository for his work in the early 1970s thanks to shared literary and collecting interests. His collection of nearly 10,000 works of art, manuscripts, books and ephemera, has been the subject of many exhibitions at the Rosenbach, seen by visitors of all ages. The Rosenbach Museum & Library is home to a collection of nearly 400,000 rare books, manuscripts, and fine and decorative art objects, including some of the best-known literary and historical objects in the world, the Rosenbach serves everyone from schoolchildren and families to scholars and casual visitors from around the corner and around the globe. The Rosenbach's 1860s townhouse and garden provide an intimate setting for the brothers' collections of rare books, manuscripts, furniture, silver, paintings, prints, drawings, and sculpture. The house is located in the heart of the Rittenhouse-Fitler historic district in Center City Philadelphia. Museum visitors enjoy regular exhibitions drawn from the Rosenbach's impressive holdings. Selections from some of the best-known collections are always on view, including the manuscript for 'Ulysses' by James Joyce, original drawings by children's book author/illustrator Maurice Sendak, and the papers of Modernist poet Marianne Moore. In the years since its founding, the Rosenbach collections have continued to grow. The decorative and fine arts collections are rich and varied, ranging from Egyptian sculpture and English furniture to American portraiture. Highlights of these collections include a fine mid-18th century Philadelphia tall chest, silver by Hester Bateman and Myer Myers, a portrait by painter Thomas Sully of 19th century civic leader Rebecca Gratz, and the largest collection of oil-on-metal portrait miniatures in the United States. The Rosenbach preserves a nearly unparalleled rare book and manuscript collection, with particular strength in American and British literature and history. Exhibitions, programs, and research with this collection have focused on Colonial American history, African American history, children's literature, book arts and technology, gay and lesbian literature, early Modernism, and much more. Visit the museum's website at ... http://www.rosenbach.org

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Presents New Works by Sean Scully & John Walker Posted: 08 Apr 2012 07:37 PM PDT Richmond, VA.- The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is proud to present "Modern Masters: New Painting by Sean Scully and John Walker", on view at the museum through November 27th. This exhibition features monumental paintings by two of today's most accomplished painters, Sean Scully and John Walker. Promised gifts from Pamela K. and William A. Royall Jr. on the occasion of VMFA's 75th anniversary, these works affirm the unique capacity of paint to evoke the immateriality of light. Rounding out the exhibition are a suite of twelve photographs by Scully and four other recent paintings by Walker. "Modern Masters: New Paintings by Sean Scully and John Walker" is organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and curated by John B. Ravenal, Sydney and Frances Lewis Family Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art. All works are either promised gifts or loans from Pamela K. and William A. Royall, Jr.

Contemporary Artists & Illustrators Reinterpret Norman Rockwell at the Muckenthaler Posted: 08 Apr 2012 07:36 PM PDT Fullerton, CA.- The Muckenthaler Cultural Center presents "American Nostalgia: Contemporary Artists and Illustrators Reinterpret the Traditional Themes of Norman Rockwell", a collaborative presentation with 'ism: a community project' from July 7 th through September 25th. More than thirty years after his death, iconic American artist Norman Rockwell's art is still enormously popular. This invitational group exhibition examines the enduring themes represented in the art of Norman Rockwell–patriotism, family and the American ideal–through the works of 40 contemporary artists and illustrators.

Growing Conversion of Movies to 3-D Draws Mixed Reactions Posted: 08 Apr 2012 07:35 PM PDT New York Times - For weeks, Hollywood has sat in judgment of a last-second decision by Warner Brothers to convert its two-dimensional "Clash of the Titans" into 3-D after filming was finished. James Cameron cried sacrilege, Michael Bay said such quickie conversions resulted in "fake 3-D" and fanboy bloggers lambasted Warner and urged people to skip it. But what about regular moviegoers — would they even notice anything amiss with the movie's 3-D? It's no small question for Hollywood. With at least 70 movies in the 3-D pipeline — including many similar conversion projects — studios and theater owners are betting heavily that audiences will snap up increasingly expensive 3-D tickets. Mr. Cameron, whose "Avatar"sparked this fervor by racking up nearly $2.7 billion in global ticket sales, fretted to Deadline.com that Warner is "expecting the same result, when in fact they will probably work against the adoption of 3-D, because they'll be putting out an inferior product." "Clash of the Titans," a $122 million remake of the campy 1981 original, opened in wide release on Friday, and early feedback indicates that Joe and Jane Moviegoer don't really see what all the fuss is about. Indeed, despite the negative media coverage of the film, box office forecasters say the picture is on track to sell between $60 million and $70 million in tickets by Monday — a very robust result. "I thought the 3-D quality was really good," said Eric Shimp as he left a showing of "Clash of the Titans" at the AMC Century City 15 in Los Angeles. Mr. Shimp, who works in the automotive industry, added, "The ticket prices are ridiculous, but it does leave you feeling like you've just seen a spectacle." Sharle Kochman, a cosmetologist, said as she left the theater that she thought the 3-D quality was on a par with "Avatar," and Lauren Shotwell, a music executive, said she noticed none of the tell-tale signs of a 3-D conversion: blurriness, double images (called "ghosting"), flat backgrounds. "During the computer-generated parts the 3-D looked totally fine," Ms. Shotwell said. Twitter feedback was more mixed, with seemingly regular folks squaring off against the geekier variety. " 'Clash of the Titans' in 3D was a great movie had fun," wrote TaliaMenacho. Radharc countered: "Now that 'Clash of the Titans' is actually out I can finally say that whatever you do, see it in 2D. The post conversion to 3D isn't too hot." "The tidal wave of rush-job post-conversions to 3-D worries me, as it does a lot of filmmakers, because the results are often sketchy and nowhere near as immersive as in-camera 3-D photography," said Shawn Levy, the director of "Night at the Museum" and the coming comedy "Date Night," starring Tina Fey and Steve Carell. "Filmmakers have to resist the current frenzy for all things 3-D in order to first assess whether the movie's tone and subject matter organically benefit from it.," It remains too early to tell whether audiences will rebel at 3-D ("Avatar") and what some experts are calling 3-D Lite (movies shot the normal way and converted afterward). More tea leaves will be available next weekend. If interest in the 3-D version of "Clash of the Titans" drops sharply, analysts will view that as a signal of negative word of mouth. It's entirely possible, of course, that audiences will complain about the 3-D when they really just didn't like the story. Another movie shot in 2-D and converted later — Walt Disney's "Alice in Wonderland" — certainly did not suffer at the box office, selling about $663 million in tickets worldwide. The worry, as Mr. Cameron noted, is that studios will quickly train consumers to be more selective when it comes to 3-D, especially as ticket prices rise. Last week, several large movie theater chains lifted 3-D ticket prices 15 to 25 percent. As a result, many moviegoers in cities like New York and Los Angeles will now pay $19.50 each to see certain 3-D screenings. Typically, theaters charge an extra $3 to $5 for tickets to 3-D movies. Studios, eager to chase 3-D revenue as DVD sales continue to decline, are scrambling to release as many movies in the format as they can, lest the current appetite for 3-D proves as ephemeral as the last one. The film business became fascinated with 3-D in the 1950s, only to watch its popularity die as audiences balked at the bulky glasses and jerky, stomach-churning camera movements. The latest 3-D technology is supposed to be new and improved; at least that is how Hollywood has sold it to audiences. Digital projectors deliver precision images, eliminating headaches and nausea, while plastic glasses have replaced the cardboard. Most important, say filmmakers, new equipment allows movies to be built in 3-D from the ground up, providing a more immersive and realistic viewing experience, not one based just on occasional visual gimmicks. Many directors are wary But nearly every studio is now considering shortcuts. At 20th Century Fox a 3-D conversion of the coming "Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader" is being weighed. Warner Brothers will convert both halves of its upcoming "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." Mr. Bay has said that Paramount is pressuring him to give his third"Transformers" installment the treatment. Conversion costs anywhere from $5 million to $30 million a movie, depending on the complexity. Another movie shot in 2-D and converted later — Walt Disney's "Alice in Wonderland" — certainly did not suffer at the box office, selling about $663 million in tickets worldwide. Technology companies say the conversion process is being unfairly judged. "I kind of rolled my eyes at first, but once I saw the tests I was really startled at how good this can look," said Rob Hummel, chief executive of Prime Focus North America, which retrofitted "Clash of the Titans." Prime Focus introduced its conversion technology in July. Although the process is complex and largely proprietary, it involves computer software that determines which objects are in front of others — Actor A is walking in front of Actor B. The image in front is then digitally brought even farther forward. Jim Dorey, editor of Marketsaw.com, a blog devoted to the medium, ultimately thinks the quickie "Clash" conversion was a mistake. But unlike many technophiles he is not closing the door on the retrofitting process. "If the right money is spent and you take your time, then native 3-D and converted 3-D can both be exceptional," Mr. Dorey said. "Even when it's not very well done I suspect most consumers will find it passable."

"Celebrating Nature: Klein Karoo and Wildlife" Exhibition At The Cape Gallery In Cape Town Posted: 08 Apr 2012 07:34 PM PDT Cape Town, S.A.- The Karoo National Park, founded in 1979, is a wildlife reserve in the isolated Karoo area of the Western Cape, South Africa near Beaufort West. The area is mostly semi-desert and is well known for its isolation. The national park is home of many desert mammals, along with the Black Eagle and various species of tortoise, laying claim to the largest populations off these species in South Africa. Endangered species such as the Black Rhinoceros and Riverine Rabbit have been successfully resettled here. The Klein (Little) Karoo is the smaller (and more southerly) of the two Karoo sub-regions. Geographically it is a fertile valley (bounded on the north by the Swartberg, and on the south by the Langeberg and Outeniqua mountains). This area was first explored by European settlers in the late 17th century, who encountered only Khoisan people living in this rather dry area. Modern farming methods have brought productivity and wealth to this district. The Cape Gallery exhibition "Celebrating Nature: Klein Karoo and Wildlife" is a collection of landscape and wildlife paintings and drawings by husband and wife artists Robert and Marinda Koch that celebrate the terrain and wildlife of the Klein Karoo. The exhibition runs from 27th March to the 16th of April 2011.

The Vatican Museums ~ 9 Miles Of Galleries Containing Some Of The Most Famous Artworks Ever Created Posted: 08 Apr 2012 07:33 PM PDT The Vatican Museums boast one of the world's greatest art collections, they are a gigantic repository of treasures from antiquity and the Renaissance, all housed in a labyrinthine series of lavishly adorned palaces, apartments, and galleries (9 miles long) leading to the Sistine Chapel. The Vatican Museums occupy a part of the papal palaces in the Vatican City enclave in Rome, built from the 1200s onward. From the former papal private apartments, the museums were created over a period of time to display the vast treasure trove of art acquired by the Vatican. The Vatican Museums trace their origins to one marble sculpture, purchased more than 500 years ago. The sculpture of 'Laocoön', the priest who, according to Greek mythology, tried to convince the people of ancient Troy not to accept the Greeks' "gift" of a hollow horse, was discovered 14 January 1506, in a vineyard near the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. Pope Julius II sent Giuliano da Sangallo and Michelangelo Buonarroti, who were working at the Vatican, to examine the discovery. On their recommendation, the pope immediately purchased the sculpture from the vineyard owner. The pope put the sculpture of Laocoön and his sons in the grips of a sea serpent on public display at the Vatican exactly one month after its discovery. Since then, the museums have grown and expanded, and now consist of a number of different buildings within the Vatican Enclave, including the Gregorian Egyptian Museum, Gregorian Etruscan Museum, the Pio-Clementine Museum, the Chiaramonti Museum, the Braccio Nuovo (New Wing), Gregorian Profane Museum, Pio Christian Museum (with the Christian and Hebrew Lapidary), Pinacoteca (picture gallery), Missionary-Ethnological Museum, Sacred Museum (formerly part of the Vatican Library), Vatican Historical Museum (Lateran Apostolic Palace) along with displays of tapestries, ceramics, miniature mosaics, and classical and modern religious arts in the Vatican Palaces and Chapels that are also open to the public. There are 54 galleries, or "salas" in total, with the famous Sistine Chapel, notably, being the very last sala within the Museum. Other highlights include paintings by Fra Angelico, Benozzo Gozzoli and Filippo Lippi in Room III; three of Raphael's most famous paintings (Coronation of the Virgin, 1503; Madonna of Foligno, 1511; Transfiguration, 1520) in Room III; a remarkable portrait of St. Jerome by Leonardo da Vinci (1480) in Room IX; Caravaggio's dramatic Descent from the Cross (1608) in Room XII; and Bernini's clay models in Room XVII. A Workshop for Restoring paintings, bronzes, marble, tapestries and other items, is part of the Museums, which also include a Scientific Research Laboratory. The Vatican Library is one of the oldest in the world and contains over 75,000 codices. The museums include restaurants and cafes, museum shops and even the Vatican post office. Over 4 and a half million visitors annually enjoy the Vatican Museums collections and facilities. Visit the museum's website at … http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/MV_Home.html The Vatican Museums collection is displayed throughout the different salas, which are laid out in the separate, but connected buildings. The Museo Pio-Clementino contains the Greek Cross Gallery (Sala a Croce Greca) with the porphyri sarcophagi of Constance and Saint Helen, daughter and mother of Constantine the Great. The Sala Rotonda, shaped like a miniature Pantheon, contains impressive ancient mosaics on the floors, and ancient statues lining the perimeter, including a gilded bronze statue of Hercules. The Gallery of the Statues (Galleria delle Statue), which as its name implies, holds various important statues, including 'Sleeping Ariadne' and the bust of 'Menander', it also contains the 'Barberini Candelabra'. The Gallery of the Busts (Galleria dei Busti), contains an impressive collection of Roman busts, while the Cabinet of the Masks (Gabinetto delle Maschere) is named from the mosaic on the floor of the gallery, found in Villa Adriana, which shows ancient theater masks. Along the walls, several famous statues are shown including the 'Three Graces'. The Sala delle Muse houses the statue group of Apollo and the nine muses as well as statues by important ancient Greek sculptors and the Sala degli Animali is named for the many ancient animal statues it contains. The Museo Chiaramonti is named after Pope Pius VII, who founded it in the early 19th century. The museum consists of a large arched gallery inside which are exhibited statues, sarcophaguses and friezes. The New Wing ("Braccio Nuovo") built by Raphael Stern, houses important statues like 'The Prima Porta Augustus' (which created some controversy in 2008 when the Vatican museum created a copy and painted it as research had indicated the original probably looked – art historian Fabio Barry described the results as looking "like a cross-dresser trying to hail a taxi") and John L. Stoddard's 'Old Father Nile',(sometimes called "Colossus of the Nile" ). Also in the Chiaramonti museum it the Galeria Lapidaria with more than 3,000 stone tablets and inscriptions, the world's greatest collection of its kind (generally not open to the public). The Museo Gregoriano Etrusco, founded by Pope Gregory XIII in 1836, has eight galleries housing important Etruscan pieces from archaeological excavations. The pieces include: vases, sarcophagus, bronzes and the 'Guglielmi Collection'. The Museo Egiziano, founded by Pope Gregory XVI, houses a grand collection of Ancient Egyptian material including papyruses, the 'Grassi Collection', animal mummies, and the famous 'Book of the Dead'. Amongst the other highlights spread across the various salas paintings by Caravaggio including the majestic 'Entombment', Leonardo da Vinci's portrait of 'St. Jerome in the Wilderness', works by painters Fra Angelico, Giotto, Raphael, Nicolas Poussin and Titian, the red marble papal throne, formerly in the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano, the Raphael Rooms with many works by Raphael and his workshop, including the masterpieces "The School of Athens" and "The Transfiguration", more modern works by van Gogh, Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Paul Gauguin, Renato Guttuso, Marc Chagall, Henry Moore, Wassily Kandinsky and others, the Gallery of Maps (topographical maps of the whole of Italy, painted on the walls by friar Ignazio Danti of Perugia, commissioned by Pope Gregory XIII), the world's largest pictorial geographical study, the frescoes and other works in the Borgia Apartment (built for Pope Alexander VI), and of course, the Niccoline and Sistene chapels. The Vatican Museums program of temporary exhibitions currently includes "Rituals of Life: The Spirituality and Culture of Aboriginal Australians" which will be on display throughout 2011. Inspired by the canonization of Australia's only Saint, Mary Mackillop in 2010, "Rituals of Life" is a journey through the spirituality and culture of the Aboriginal people of Australia using pieces from the collection in the Ethnological Museum of the Vatican Museums. In the lead-up to the exhibition, Fr. Nicola Mapelli with Katherine Aigner; a representative of the National Museum of Australia who researched the collection, travelled extensively to Aboriginal communities, mainly in Western Australia and the Tiwi Islands to reconnect with the descendents of the Aboriginal people who sent their works to the Vatican almost a century ago as a gift to Pope Pious XI. On this journey of reconnection, Fr. Mapelli met ancestors of the artists who were very happy to see him and expressed their pride that these works of art were now cultural ambassadors at the Vatican Museums. The exhibition was inspired by the desire to honor Indigenous Australian Art, as being one of the oldest artistic expressions on our planet. These expressions embrace daily life in all its manifestations. The centrality of the indigenous art is strongly connected to their spirituality, and the heart of this spirituality is expressed through what is called The Dreamtime. The meaning of Dreamtime is complex. Dreamtime is used to describe a belief, a religion and a law. It is identified as a past moment in which the first ancestors began a journey around the world, creating all the features of the world itself. The spirits of these ancestral beings live on today, under the form of eternal forces, which are visible in every single manifestation of nature. This explains the strong spiritual bond between this population and the land of their birth, which they therefore consider sacred. The works of art on display, selected from the vast Vatican collection, range from the simple objects used in daily life to ceremonial decorations, from musical instruments to the spears used during hunting, from painting on portable stones to containers made of decorated egg shells all of which have in common a bond with the religious, spiritual and supernatural dimension. "The Way of the Sea" is a collection of sixty model vessels from all parts of the world displayed along the Helicoidal Ramp (the first time this exhibition area has been used). The models are displayed alongside black and white photographs taken by Catholic missionaries at the beginning of the twentieth century.

The Cucci Cabinet ~ A Royal Gift ~ Sells for 4.5 Million Pounds at Christie's Posted: 08 Apr 2012 07:32 PM PDT LONDON.- Combining superb Florentine pietre dure plaques with opulent gilt bronze mounts, elaborate marquetry and beautifully modelled figurative carving, this cabinet is a superb example of the magnificent cabinets produced in Paris in the mid-17th century. Almost certainly given to Queen Hedvig Eleonora of Sweden, or indeed commissioned by her, it is one of only very few surviving cabinets executed at the Royal Gobelins workshops in Paris. It illustrates the brilliance of the best Italian, French and Flemish artists and craftsmen who had been drawn together at the Gobelins and exemplifies the luxurious sophistication of early Baroque at the Royal courts of Versailles and Stockholm.

Modern Russian Art Gaining Interest Despite Rocky Economics Posted: 08 Apr 2012 07:31 PM PDT NEW YORK, NY (REUTERS).- With hopes for recovery in fine art prices running high, attention is trained on second-tier markets such as Russian collecting for signs of renewal. Sotheby's conducts the season's first Russian art sales next week, led by a pair of important collections including one of 86 works by Ukrainian avant-garde artists being sold as a single lot. The auctions come on the heels of strong Asia Week sales at both Sotheby's and rival Christie's in New York, and last month's Hong Kong results, where salesrooms were filled to capacity, estimates were exceeded and records fell.

Marilyn Monroe's 85th Birthday Celebrated with Rare Photos by Murray Garrett Posted: 08 Apr 2012 07:30 PM PDT NEW YORK, NY.- On Wednesday, June 1st, what would have been screen goddess Marilyn Monroe's 85th birthday, the Washington Square Hotel showcased an exhibition of rare, never-before-seen photos of Marilyn Monroe from the personal archives of legendary Hollywood photographer Murray Garrett. Garrett first photographed Monroe at a charity celebrity baseball fundraiser, when the budding Hollywood starlet threw out the first ball at a game between teams captained by Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope. Their photographic relationship continued throughout Monroe's career, from gala movie premieres to quiet, off-screen moments.

Norman Rockwell Museum Shows "The 3D Animation Art of Blue Sky Studios" Posted: 08 Apr 2012 07:30 PM PDT Stockbridge, MA.- The Norman Rockwell Museum will present a weekend of star-studded events based around its new, interactive exhibition "'Ice Age" to the Digital Age: The 3D Animation Art of Blue Sky Studios," which looks at the artistry and technical genius of one of the world's leading animation studios. Blue Sky Studios is the creator of such blockbuster films as the "Ice Age" series; "Robots;" and the recent hit "Rio," which is the second highest grossing film released so far this year. The exhibition will be on view at the Museum from June 11th through October 31st. On Friday, June 10, the Museum will present an ICE/HOT Preview Party for "'Ice Age' to the Digital Age," from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Meet Chris Wedge, Blue Sky Studios' VP of Creative, who co-founded the company in 1987. Award-winning illustrator Peter de Sève, the lead character designer for Blue Sky Studios' "Ice Age" series, will be the guest of honor for this evening of cocktails; hors d'oeuvres; a raw bar; wine tasting; music from the Bossa Triba Quartet; and dessert at the Museum's historic Linwood House, which overlooks Norman Rockwell's Stockbridge studio and the Housatonic River. Members of Blue Sky Studios creative team will join Norman Rockwell Museum for the official exhibition opening of "'Ice Age' to the Digital Age," to be held on Saturday, June 11, from 6 to 8 p.m. Celebrate the art of animation with this first-ever look behind the scenes at Blue Sky Studios, where cutting-edge creativity and technique brings imaginative characters and stories to life. Commentary will be provided by Blue Sky Studios' VP of Creative Chris Wedge, and award-winning illustrator and "Ice Age" character designer Peter de Sève, starting at 6:30 p.m. Learn about the complex and exciting process of creating CG animated films, from initial concept to the big screen. The family friendly opening will include "Rio colada" snow cones, Blue Sky balloon sculptures, wine and caricatures courtesy of winetasting.com, as well as other ICE/HOT fun, party fare and libations. Go "behind the scenes" with a look at the world of digital animation with the artists of Blue Sky Studios, creators of the blockbuster films "Ice Age" (and its popular sequels), "Robots," and the recently released hit, "Rio." This first-ever exhibition brings art and technology together to explore how visual concepts are transformed into believable worlds for the big screen. Rarely-seen original character drawings, storyboards, and background paintings reflect the conceptual process, and a recreated sculpture studio will bring you face-to-face with Blue Sky's amazing sculptural maquettes. Interactive stations reveal how today's stunning computer generated imagery is built, from initial concept to finished frame. Blue Sky Studios is the Academy Award©-winning, feature CG animation studio behind the wildly successful Ice Age franchise.  Using their propriety rendering software, CGI Studio©, Blue Sky creates photo-realistic, high-resolution, computer-generated character animation and rendering to create timeless stories for children of all ages. Blue Sky is the studio behind "Ice Age" (2002), "Robots" (2005), "Ice Age: The Meltdown" (2006), "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!" (2008), "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" (2009) and "Rio" (2011).  Blue Sky Studios is wholly owned by Twentieth Century Fox. Norman Rockwell Museum is the preeminent museum of American illustration art. Dedicated to art education and art appreciation inspired by the enduring legacy of Norman Rockwell, the Museum stewards the world's largest and most significant collection of Rockwell art, and presents the works of contemporary and past masters of illustration. The Museum's holdings include Rockwell's last studio, moved from its original location to the Museum grounds, and the Norman Rockwell Archives, a 200,000-object collection undergoing digital preservation through ProjectNORMAN, "A Save America's Treasures Project." The Museum is also home to the new Rockwell Center for American Visual Studies, the nation's first research institute devoted to the art of illustration. In 2008, Norman Rockwell Museum became the first-ever museum recipient of the National Humanities Medal, America's highest honor in the field. Founded in 1969 with the help of Norman and Molly Rockwell, Norman Rockwell Museum is dedicated to the enjoyment and study of Rockwell's work and his contributions to society, popular culture, and social commentary. The Museum, which is accredited by the American Association of Museums, is the most popular year-round cultural attraction in the Berkshires. The Museum houses the world's largest and most significant collection of Rockwell's work, including 574 original paintings and drawings. Rockwell lived in Stockbridge for the last 25 years of his life. Rockwell's Stockbridge studio, moved to the Museum site, is open to the public from May through October, and features original art materials, his library, furnishings, and personal items. The Museum also houses the Norman Rockwell Archives, a collection of more than 100,000 items, including working photographs, letters, personal calendars, fan mail, and business documents. Having spent its first 24 years at the Old Corner House on Stockbridge's Main Street, the Museum moved to its present location, a 36-acre site overlooking the Housatonic River Valley, in 1993. Internationally renowned architect Robert A. M. Stern designed the Museum gallery building. Visit the museum's website at ... http://www.nrm.org

Art Knowledge News Presents "This Week In Review" Posted: 08 Apr 2012 07:28 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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