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

---

• Sadly This Is The Very Last Art Knowledge News . . . Forever
• The Philadelphia Museum of Art to feature "Gauguin, Cézanne, Matisse ~ Visions of Arcadia"
• PULSE New York 2012 will return to the Metropolitan Pavillion
• The Biggs Museum to exhibit "Picturing WWI ~ The American Illustration"
• The National Gallery of Australia to show "Eugene von Guérard ~ Nature Revealed"
• The Staatsgalerie shows The Outstanding Later Works of Turner, Monet and Twombly
• The Glytotek Museum Celebrates its Founders 170th Birthday
• The Barnes Foundation's new Philadelphia Campus Home Opens in May
• SOFA NEW YORK returns to the Park Avenue Armory for its 15th Edition
• The Delaware Art Museum to celebrate its Centenary with "100 Works for 100 Years"
• The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria to show a Retrospective of William Kurelek
• Video installations by Aziz + Cucher premiere at Indianapolis Museum of Art
• The Royal Academy showcases a Retrospective of Johan Zoffany,RA
• Van Gogh's Cypresses & The Starry Night: Visions of Saint-Remy at Yale University Art Gallery
• The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts To Host "Fabergé Revealed"
• The Weatherspoon Art Museum Showcases Trenton Doyle Hancock
• The Art Gallery of Ontario Presents Marc Chagall and the Russian Avant-Garde
• Andy Warhol ~ 'Pop Politics' at the Currier Museum of Art
• “Poiret: King of Fashion" at Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute
• This Week in Review in Art Knowledge News

Sadly This Is The Very Last Art Knowledge News . . . Forever Posted: 15 Apr 2012 11:57 PM PDT

The Philadelphia Museum of Art to feature "Gauguin, Cézanne, Matisse ~ Visions of Arcadia" Posted: 15 Apr 2012 11:49 PM PDT Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.- The Philadelphia Museum of Art is delighted to present "Gauguin, Cézanne, Matisse: Visions of Arcadia", an exhibition exploring this classical theme and its place in the development of modern art, from June 20th through September 3rd. The dream of Arcadia, a mythic place of beauty and repose where humankind lives in harmony with nature, has held an enduring appeal for artists since antiquity. With its promise of calm, simplicity, and order, it has served as both an inspiration—the sought for, but never fulfilled ideal of a paradise here on earth—and as an image of refuge, a place that is distant and seemingly protected from the vicissitudes of life. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a time of sweeping and often disruptive social, technological, and intellectual change, this dream found a powerful new currency and once again spurred the imagination of a new generation of painters—many of whom played key roles in the development of modern art. At the heart of this new exhibition organized by the Philadelphia Museum of Art are three monumental canvases, each an acknowledged masterpiece and each, in its own distinctive way, a powerful response to the Arcadian tradition: Paul Cézanne's enigmatic The Large Bathers (1906; Philadelphia Museum of Art), the largest of this artist's paintings in an idyllic landscape, which caused a sensation when it was first exhibited in 1907; Paul Gauguin's Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? (1897-98; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston), which situates an Arcadian theme in the distant realm of Polynesia where this artist spent his last years and created some of his finest and most powerful works; and Henri Matisse's Bathers by a River (1909-17; The Art Institute of Chicago), the mural-sized painting that was inspired in part by Cézanne (Matisse owned and revered a small painting by Cézanne on the theme of the bathers, citing it as one of the greatest influences in his artistic life) and represents one of the greatest achievements of Matisse's career. "Gauguin, Cézanne, Matisse: Visions of Arcadia" will examine the different, yet closely related and complementary meanings of these three paintings, each a landmark in the history of modern art. Featuring more than 40 works by 23 artists drawn from public and private collections in this country and abroad, the exhibition will also explore more broadly both the enduring appeal that the Arcadian ideal had for artists in the 19th century, such as Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, Georges Seurat, and Cézanne, and how it emerged once again in a new and powerful form in the work of a generation of modern painters—including Henri Rousseau, Pablo Picasso, André Derain, Robert Delaunay, and many others—who embraced the age-old theme of a serene and joyous life in harmony with nature and adapted to their own, often radical pictorial purposes. The renewed interest in the theme of Arcadia in the early decades of the 20th century was motivated in part by the desire that all artists feel to measure themselves against the great accomplishments of the past—Cézanne once said famously that he wished to "redo Poussin after nature"—as well as by the fascination with a subject that has a universal appeal. Moving beyond the classical treatment of Arcadia that had long dominated European painting, the avant-garde interpreted it in new and very different ways. Cézanne's many variations on this theme, especially The Large Bathers, were perhaps the most enigmatic, as well as the most influential. Some painters, like Gauguin, Matisse, and Henri Rousseau, transplanted the Arcadian theme to tropical settings, real or imagined, replete with lush foliage and the powerful allure that such distant places had for the European imagination. Others, such as Paul Signac, Robert Delaunay, or German artists such as Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Franz Marc, each updated this theme and brought it, in their own distinctive ways, into communion with contemporary culture: Signac in the service of his progressive politics, which imagined a new golden age of peace and prosperity for the common man; Delaunay, who married the pastoral ideal with his favored theme of the modern city, creating a great decorative mural entitled The City of Paris (1910 - 12); and the Germans—responding, by contrast, to the increasingly fragmented and hectic pace of the modern world—in pursuit of the vision of a return to a simpler life, one that would be made more balanced and complete by being brought into harmony with nature. Many of the paintings brought together for this exhibition also serve as a reminder of how many of the most progressive artists of this period—the decades just before and after the turn of the 20th century—not only adapted the image of Arcadia for new uses, but often did so on a monumental scale. For example, the new figural paintings that Picasso, Derain, and others painted in 1907 and later not only signaled new directions in their art, they were also among the largest works they had created up to that time. And, to return to the heart of the exhibition, the three great canvases painted by Gauguin, Cézanne, and Matisse—Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?, The Large Bathers, andBathers by a River—were intended not simply as summary statements of the distinctive visions of each of these three master artists, but also as proofs of the power of modern painting to speak eloquently on the scale of the epic paintings of the past. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest art museums in the United States, showcasing more than 2,000 years of exceptional human creativity in masterpieces of painting, sculpture, works on paper, decorative arts and architectural settings from Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States. The Museum began as a legacy of the great Centennial Exhibition of 1876, held in Fairmount Park. At the conclusion of the celebrations, Memorial Hall--which had been constructed as the Exhibition's art gallery-- remained open as a Museum of Art and Industry "for the improvement and enjoyment of the people of the Commonwealth". In the first few decades, the collections consisted of objects of an industrial nature, as well as fine and decorative art objects such as European ceramics. Books were also among the Museum's earliest acquisitions, as were antique furniture, enamels, carved ivories, jewelry, metalwork, glass, pottery, porcelain, textiles, and paintings. In the early 1900s, the Museum published its first collection handbook and initiated an Education program for the general public. It wasn't long before a Membership program was in place, and plans for a new building gained momentum in the following decade. Director Fiske Kimball set the tone for a new era in the 1920s, and the opening of the new building on Fairmount--what is now the Main Building--opened with an attendance record of one million visitors in its first year. Valiant marketing efforts and the skillful leadership of President J. Stogdell Stokes helped to keep the Museum vital during the Great Depression of the 1930s, while the 1940s witnessed extraordinary growth in the collections with a number of important gifts--including the John D. McIlhenny Collection and the George Grey Barnard Collection. Acquisitions of the 1950s, such as the Louise and Walter Arensberg Collection and the A.E. Gallation Collection, assured the Museum's prominence as a place in which to see masterpieces of early modern art. A number of period rooms were opened to the public as well, and the decade even saw the gift of Grace Kelly's wedding dress following her royal 1956 wedding to Prince Rainier III of Monaco. Conservation of objects and the renovation of the building were themes of the 1960s, with major gifts including The Mr. and Mrs. Carroll S. Tyson, Jr. Collection, The Samuel S. White III and Vera White Collection, 71 objects from designer Elsa Schiaparelli, and Marcel Duchamp's enigmatic Étant donnés. Renovation was a continued theme in the 1970s, as the institution prepared for grand celebrations in honor of the Museum's Centennial and the nation's Bicentennial. The 1980s witnessed still more growth, with acquisitions ranging from Edgar Degas's After the Bath to Cy Twombly's Fifty Days at Iliam. During the 1990s, the Museum made great technological strides as it prepared to leap into the 21st century. The Museum transitioned into the new millennium with ease, and continued to navigate the changes that the first decade would bring with grace and strength. Now, with an astonishing history behind it, the Philadelphia Museum of Art is poised to meet the decades to come as one of the nation's foremost destinations in which to see world-class art. Visit the museum's website at ... http://www.philamuseum.org

PULSE New York 2012 will return to the Metropolitan Pavillion Posted: 15 Apr 2012 11:34 PM PDT New York City.- PULSE New York 2012 will take place from May 3rd through May 6th, returning for a second year to its Metropolitan Pavilion home in the heart of Chelsea. The decision was made by Cornell DeWitt, the Director of PULSE Contemporary Art Fair, stating that "Since PULSE's founding there has been a perennial challenge in staging our New York fair in a relatively short time after our Miami fair in December. While I am extremely proud of everything we accomplished in New York in 2011, having an extra two months will give us an even greater opportunity to deliver the exceptional fair that our exhibitors and guests have come to expect from us." PULSE Contemporary Art Fair is the leading US art fair dedicated solely to contemporary art. Through its annual editions in New York, Los Angeles and Miami, PULSE provides a unique platform for diverse galleries to present a progressive blend of renowned and pioneering contemporary artists, alongside an evolving series of original programming. The fair's distinctive commitment to the art community and visitor experience makes PULSE unique among art fairs and creates an art market experience that is both dynamic and inviting.

The Biggs Museum to exhibit "Picturing WWI ~ The American Illustration" Posted: 15 Apr 2012 11:22 PM PDT Dover, Delaware.- The Biggs Museum is pleased to announce, "Picturing WWI: The American Illustration Collection of the Delaware National Guard", featuring the work of professional Delaware illustrators, Frank E. Schoonover (1877-1972) and Gayle Porter Hoskins (1887-1962). "Picturing WWI" will open Friday, May 4th from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in conjunction with Dover's First Friday festivities at the Biggs Museum of American Art, and will remain on view through June 24th. The exhibition is a rare opportunity to see this exceptional collection owned by the Delaware National Guard. The Biggs Museum seeks to serve a diverse public as a regional museum of fine and decorative arts, made from 1700 to present, representing the State of Delaware and the surrounding MidAtlantic region. The Biggs Museum engages audiences through a compelling program of temporary exhibitions and programming.

The National Gallery of Australia to show "Eugene von Guérard ~ Nature Revealed" Posted: 15 Apr 2012 11:09 PM PDT Canberra, Australia.- The National Gallery of Australia is proud to present "Eugene von Guérard: Nature Revealed", on view from April 27th through July 15th. Eugene von Guérard (1811–1901) is arguably Australia's, and certainly Victoria's, most important colonial landscape painter. Born in Vienna and trained as a painter in the European art centres of Rome, Naples and Düsseldorf; von Guérard migrated to Australia in 1852. Von Guérard's meticulous landscapes are remarkable in their detail and much valued for their depiction of Australian and particularly, Victorian, landscapes of the mid-1800s. This exhibition demonstrates how von Guerard's artistic endeavours in Australia were informed by his interest in the geography, geology and vegetation of the Australian 'New World'. His representations of the forests of Gippsland and the Otways, the crater lakes of Victoria's volcanic Western District and the peaks of the Kosciuszko plateau hold important environmental significance today. The work of von Guérard has not been the subject of a dedicated exhibition since 1980. "Eugene von Guérard: Nature Revealed" features over 150 works, including many of von Guérard's beloved iconic landscapes, as well as several beautifully illustrated sketch books, and some never-before-seen paintings.

The Staatsgalerie shows The Outstanding Later Works of Turner, Monet and Twombly Posted: 15 Apr 2012 10:50 PM PDT Stuttgart, Germany. The Staatsgalerie will be the only venue in Germany to show the outstanding late works of three of the greatest painters of the last two centuries. The exhibition will not only unite works by William Turner, Claude Monet and the late Cy Twombly, but also offer the visitors new perspectives on the art of each, in and of itself. "Turner, Monet, Twombly: Later Paintings" has been organised by Moderna Museet, Stockholm in collaboration with Staatsgalerie Stuttgart and Tate Liverpool and will be on view at the Staatsgalerie until May 28th. The pure, vibrant yellow of Turner's sunsets also appears in Monet's "San Giorgio Maggiore by Twilight" (1908) or in Cy Twombly's "Part II: Es-tate" from the Four Seasons cycle "Quattro Stagioni (A Painting in Four Parts)" (1993-1995) and, even more vehemently, in "Untitled (Sunset)", two works on paper of 1986. The line between recognisability of the subject and near-total dissolution of form into pure light and colour had already fascinated Tuner and prompted paintings such as "Venice with the Salute" (1840-1845), in which the iconic architecture becomes one with the gauzy, all-enveloping luminous haze. What had been experimental in Turner – and quite possibly never intended as finished – became the hallmark of Monet's work, in which the landscape or the architectural motif are entirely subordinate to the overall atmospheric effect. Cy Twombly, finally, abandoned figuration and the object altogether, relying instead on the evocative power of colour alone. William Turner (1775-1851), Claude Monet (1840-1926) and Cy Twombly (1928-2011) are among the most outstanding artists of the past 200 years. The exhibition now in Stuttgart is the first to bring the three artists together. Focusing on their late work, it presents a selection of some seventy paintings, among them twenty by Monet alone. A spacious hang allows the richly coloured canvases and works on paper to interact with each other in unexpected and fascinating ways. Carefully judged juxtapositions bring out a multitude of correspondences between Turner, Monet and Twombly: not only in the way they experiment with colour, pushing the boundaries of painting and breaking with traditions in ways that were not always comprehensible to their contemporaries, but also in their choice of motifs and subject matter. All three artists deal with death and the transience of life, with the changes wrought by the passage of time and with nature as a place of both tranquillity and mortal danger. Conceived around the idea of a dialogue between individual works by the three artists, the exhibition does not seek to recount the history of abstraction – to which Turner, Monet and Twombly contributed significant chapters – but to highlight formal and motivic correspondences between paintings and within groups of works. Viewers can enjoy fairly harmonious sections, such as the 'Atmosphere' opening sequence, which is characterised by colouristic restraint and an astonishing similarity in the way all three artists handle colour effects. But they are also confronted with provocative contrasts, for example in form of the juxtaposition of Cy Twombly's five-metre canvas from the "Blooming" series with Monet's water lilies from the Beyeler Foundation – an abstract red composition on a bright yellow ground set against Monet's subtly atmospheric colour harmonies. Although the three painters belong to entirely different eras, their works share certain formal qualities, among them the use of expressive colour, the dissolution of form, gestural brushwork and a sustained interest in atmosphere. The vivid and ex-pressive brushwork that characterises Cy Twombly's "Hero and Leandro" (1981-1984) also gives immediacy to the rough, choppy waters of the English Channel in Monet's "The Sea at Fécamp" (1881) and the crashing waves in Turner's "Wreckers, Coast of Northumberland" (1834). The Staatsgalerie Stuttgart consists of three buildings that reflect different notions of the function of museum architecture. The oldest part, now referred to as the Alte Staatsgalerie, was opened in 1843 as the city's museum of visual arts. The architect was Gottlob Georg von Barth, an Oberbaurat or senior advisor on building and construction in the Ministry of Finance of the Kingdom of Württemberg. In addition to art collections, the classicistic, three-wing building was also home to the Royal Art Academy. In the period from 1881 to 1888, the building was enlarged with two rear wings in accordance with plans drawn up by Albert von Bok. In 1984, the 19th century structure (the interior of which had been significantly altered as a result of damage in World War II and rebuilding in the 1950s) was strikingly enhanced by James Stirling's major addition: the »Neue Staatsgalerie«. While the Neue Staatsgalerie continues to reflect the three-wing design of the Alte Staatsgalerie, it also makes the museum itself an object of aesthetic contemplation. Many aspects of the new building pay homage to historical structures from antiquity to classic modernism, and particular emphasis is given to elements of classic museum architecture such as the rotunda, gables, and entableture. Together, they define the museum as a place that ambiguously and, at times, ironically reflects its own history and significance. The third element in the ensemble is the new addition to the Alte Staatsgalerie designed by the Basle architects Winfrid & Katharina Steib. The five-story edifice, completed in September 2002, forms a cohesive unit with Albert von Bok's additions and includes an annex for the presentation of works on paper. The other floors are the new home of the Department of Prints, Drawings and Photographs. With their simple design, devoted to utility and spatial clarity, the architects define the museum as a place wholly subordinated to supporting the exhibition of various forms and genres of art. Visit the museum's website at ... http://www.staatsgalerie.de

The Glytotek Museum Celebrates its Founders 170th Birthday Posted: 15 Apr 2012 10:13 PM PDT Copenhagen, Denmark - The Glyptotek Museum marks Carl Jacobsen's 170th birthday with the opening of a new exhibition. "From Buddha to the Baroque" will remain on view at the museum through May 13th. This exhibition lifts the veil from the brewing magnate's unknown collections which contain many surprises. Admission on opening day will be free of charge. It was with Carlsberg beer that Carl Jacobsen put Denmark on the world map but he was also a passionate collector of art. Today he is known especially for Northern Europe's largest collection of ancient art, which can be seen at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek. For the exhibition "From Buddha to the Baroque" the Glyptotek has been going through its own storage rooms and those of the National Gallery of Denmark, the National Museum of Denmark and the Thorvaldsen Museum on a hunt for Jacobsen's hidden or forgotten treasures. Now for the first time the public can experience examples of the full range of Jacobsen's enormous collections under one roof. The exhibition will present more than 100 works, including statues of Buddha from Asia, Italian Renaissance and Baroque art, ancient Greek stone tools, medals and much, much more. Several of these collections have not been on view for a century: they are works of high quality, which, for the most part are unknown to the public. Among the treasures are a c 800 year-old Syrian "hand grenade", a two-metre-high gilded statue of Buddha from Japan and the largest collection of obsidian blades outside Greece. Carl Jacobsen bought his first work of art when he was only eight years old – a drawing by the Danish painter Martinus Rørbye. As a young man he began to buy paintings and sculpture, and in his last years he also developed a taste for Asian sculpture. In the course of his life the art-loving Jacobsen left his mark on the city of Copenhagen in the form of The Little Mermaid, the decoration of the Botanical Gardens and the spire of Nikolaj Church. For a time the collecting mania threatened to take over Jacobsen to such an extent that his wife began to worry that it would endanger their children's inheritance. Although he would have liked to acquire works by the great masters such as Michelangelo and Raphael, on more than one occasion he bought works which were not what he believed them to be. These included a costly Rembrandt, which turned out not to be a Rembrandt at all. Experience the stories and see it all at the exhibition, which offers a more nuanced picture of the collector, patron of the arts and brewing magnate Carl Jacobsen. The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek mseum was founded by the brewer Carl Jacobsen (1842-1914) who created one of the largest private art collections of his time. It was named after his brewery, Ny Carlsberg, with the addition of "Glyptotek", meaning collection of sculpture. Jacobsen was interested in contemporary French and Danish art, as well as ancient art from the cultures surrounding the Mediterranean. To secure the future of the collection, Carl Jacobsen and his wife Ottilia donated it to the public in two deeds of gift from 1888 and 1899. The Museum's buildings were created to house these works of art. "With a beauty all its own", Carl Jacobsen wrote about his museum on Dantes Plads. This quote still carries weight at the Glyptotek, where the staff see it as their most cherished duty to maintain, develop and strengthen the museum's particular profile as an art collection, an architectural monument and a cultural institute. Today, the museum houses the largest collection of ancient art in Northern Europe, primarily sculpture, from Egypt, the Near East, Greece and Italy. The main focus of the French Collection is 19th century French painting and sculpture. The painting collection contains works by such painters as Jacques-Louis David and Édouard Manet, as well as a large collection of Impressionist painters such as Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne and Pierre Bonnard. The single painter represented with most paintings is Paul Gauguin with more than 40 works. The museum also holds a large collection of French 19th century sculpture by artists such as Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux and Rodin, the Rodin collection being one of the largest in the world, as well as a complete collection of Degas' bronze sculptures. The Danish Collection contains a large collection of Danish Golden Age paintings by painters such as Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, Christen Købke and Johan Lundbye. It also contains the largest representation of Danish Golden Age Sculpture in the country. The European Collection comprises works from the 18th to the 20th century. Represented sculptors include Neoclassicists such as Antonio Canova, Johan Tobias Sergel, Asmus Jacob Carstens, John Flaxman, Christian Daniel Rauch and Edward Hodges Baily, as well as Modernists like Constantin Meunier, Julius Klinger, Pablo Picasso and Alberto Giacometti. The collection also comprises a small collection of Modern paintings of artists such as Jean Arp, Max Ernst, Joan Miró, Serge Poliakoff and Gilioli. The unique surroundings with the Winter Garden, the Larsen Building for the Collection of French painting (inaugurated in 1996) and the Café each create a beautiful frame for the enjoyment of art and culture of a high standard. Since 1996 the Glyptotek has received approximately 350,000 visitors per year, making it one of the most popular art museums in Denmark. Visit the museum's website at ... http://www.glyptoteket.dk

The Barnes Foundation's new Philadelphia Campus Home Opens in May Posted: 15 Apr 2012 09:23 PM PDT Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.- On May 19th, the Barnes Foundation will unveil its new Philadelphia home. In rooms reflective of the intimate layout and unique character of the original Merion galleries, the renowned art collection will be accessible to the public as never before. Located on 4.5 acres, the two-story, 93,000-square-foot building will house the Foundation's art collection. The new campus in Philadelphia will open with ten days of free admission beginning on May 19th and continuing through May 28th. The building will be dedicated on Friday, May 18th, at 11 am. The inaugural week culminates with a Memorial Day festival weekend, offering round-the-clock free admission to the renowned collection and entire campus. The weekend features a variety of entertainment and programs from noon on May 26th through 6 pm on May 28th. The Barnes Foundation's 93,000-square-foot building designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, conceived as a "gallery within a garden and a garden within a gallery," is set within a four-and-a-half-acre site with landscape design by Olin. The building will provide significant new facilities for the Foundation's core programs in art education, as well as for temporary exhibitions and visitor amenities. At the same time, the legendary Barnes art collection will be presented within a 12,000-square-foot gallery that preserves the scale, proportion and configuration of the original Merion gallery, as well as the founder's conception of a visual interplay between art and nature. While the new campus on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway enables the Foundation to relax previous restrictions on public visitation, admissions will be scheduled so as to maintain an intimate and contemplative atmosphere. The natural light in the gallery, controlled through contemporary technology, will reveal the true beauty of the Barnes Foundation's unparalleled collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and early Modern paintings, African sculpture, Pennsylvania Dutch decorative arts and other important works. The seminal painting "Joy of Life" by Henri Matisse will now be placed in an intimate gallery on the second floor. This new placement allows for safe and improved viewing of the painting and maintains the visual relationship between this work and the Matisse mural The Dance, which was commissioned by Dr. Barnes. In keeping with the Foundation's historic environmental mission, which includes its programs in horticultural education and its stewardship of the Arboretum in Merion, the Philadelphia building of the Barnes Foundation features a sustainable design, and utilizes filtered natural daylight, a green roof, grey water re-use, reclaimed Pennsylvania and New Jersey wood and other local materials. "Now, after a long and determined effort to secure the future of the Barnes Foundation, we look forward to welcoming the public to our accessible new campus in Philadelphia," said Dr. Bernard C. Watson, Chairman of the Barnes Foundation Board of Trustees. "The time has come for people to see what we offer, and take advantage of this wonderful institution and its collection and educational programming, which Dr. Barnes intended for all people from all walks of life." Derek Gillman, Executive Director and President of the Barnes, stated, "The Barnes Foundation is rightly celebrated as steward of one of the great achievements of world collecting. We hope the presentation of our collection at the new campus, faithful to the way in which Dr. Barnes displayed it in Merion and, at the same time, shown in a new light, will open the eyes of many more people to these wonderful works of art, and encourage them to engage with the unique educational opportunities now offered in central Philadelphia." The Foundation's Philadelphia campus has been realized at a total cost of $150 million for construction and related expenses. The Barnes Foundation has successfully raised $200 million to pay for construction with $50 million to establish an endowment, in a campaign that will continue after the opening. The collection will be displayed in 12,000 square feet of exhibition space that replicates the scale, proportion, and configuration of the original galleries in Merion. An improved lighting system will enable visitors to see the art in a more natural setting. A 5,000-square-foot special exhibition gallery will feature regular temporary exhibitions of past and contemporary art that complements or responds to works in the Barnes Foundation's collection. Significant space for achieving the Foundation's core educational mission includes two in-gallery classrooms, a 150-seat auditorium, seminar rooms, and an art library. Much-needed facilities for painting conservation and research will ensure effective care of the collection. The new building offers welcoming public spaces to create opportunities for relaxtion and refreshment for all visitors. These include a 50-seat café with a courtyard for outdoor dining; an expanded gift shop; on-site parking; and indoor and outdoor gardens. Visit the foundation's website at ... http://www.barnesfoundation.org Source: Barnes Foundation website (has been in the news for a long time - legal struggles to prevent opening because Dr Barnes didn't want the colleciton ever on public view, never wanted it moved from the old site etc)

SOFA NEW YORK returns to the Park Avenue Armory for its 15th Edition Posted: 15 Apr 2012 09:02 PM PDT New York City.— When the 15th edition of the Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fair (SOFA NEW YORK) opens for its 4-day run on Friday, April 20th at the Park Avenue Armory, it will do what it has always had done best — spur visitors to wrestle with the topic: What is art? As always, attendees will be drawn to a thrilling collection of masterworks representing the gamut of contemporary art and design from around the world. Fifty-five international galleries will present studio art and design for sale through April 23rd. At SOFA expositions, prominent international galleries and dealers present masterworks bridging the worlds of design, decorative and fine arts, showcasing the rich visual heritage of the decorative arts alongside new, innovative expressions. The works presented bridge historical periods, art movements and cultures, from ethnographica, Asian arts and mid-twentieth century modern to the most cutting-edge contemporary arts and design.

The Delaware Art Museum to celebrate its Centenary with "100 Works for 100 Years" Posted: 15 Apr 2012 08:41 PM PDT Wilmington, Delaware.- As part of its year-long Centennial Celebration, the Delaware Art Museum is pleased to present "100 Works for 100 Years", a Museum-wide installation that will feature one (or more) work of art for each year of the Museum's existence. The exhibition will focus on the history of the development and growth of the Museum's permanent holdings and core collections, in addition to highlighting the generosity of those who have donated works of art. Also featured will be recent acquisitions, as well as one spectacular promised gift. The installation, which will be on view from June 23rd through September 16th, will be spread throughout the entire Museum and the Copeland Sculpture Garden. Visitors will utilize a special map to follow the exhibition throughout the premises. In addition to highlighting the Museum's permanent collection, "100 Works for 100 Years" will share the stories behind the Museum's most treasured works of art. These never-before-told narratives--which will be featured in separate exhibition labels next to each work of art--will explain the unique circumstances behind the Museum's gifts and acquisitions. These stories intertwine to create a complete picture of the Museum's core collections: American Illustration, the Samuel and Mary R. Bancroft Collection of Pre-Raphaelite Art, the American Collection, and the Contemporary Collection. The Museum's American Illustration holdings are the Museum's foundation collection. In 1912, upon the death of nationally renowned Wilmington illustrator, Howard Pyle, a group of forward-thinking citizens formed the Wilmington Society of the Fine Arts and gathered donations to purchase approximately 100 of the works of art remaining in Pyle's Wilmington studio. Over the past century, the Illustration Collection has grown through gifts of Pyle's students, bequests of local citizens, and the occasional Museum purchase. This collection is truly the result of a community understanding and appreciation of the importance of American illustrative art. Between 1886 and his death in 1915, Wilmington cotton mill owner Samuel Bancroft amassed a collection of over 75 works of Pre-Raphaelite art. A free-thinking individual, Bancroft's passions were inspired when he first viewed Pre-Raphaelite art while traveling on business to England, despite their under-appreciated status in the United States. In 1935 his widow, Mary, and son, Joseph, bequeathed the collection and a parcel of land on Kentmere Parkway to the fast-growing Wilmington Society of the Fine Arts. Bancroft's collection formed the basis of what is today an assemblage of over 250 works of art from this period in British art. Since his death, objects have been added to the collection through bequest, gift, and purchase. Within a decade of its founding, the Society began to amass a collection of American art, acquiring paintings and prints through gift and purchase. Many of the early purchases were works exhibited in our annual exhibitions by living artists. In the 1950s and '60s, collectors from the region, including John Sexton, Benjamin Bernstein, and Joseph and Mary Phelps, donated significant collections of American art. These works were supplemented by purchases--many arranged by the Friends of Art, a group of Museum benefactors--of major American paintings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Beginning in the 1960s, Helen Farr Sloan added considerably to the Museum's growing strength in American art, with frequent gifts of paintings, prints, and drawings by her husband, American realist painter John Sloan. She also donated works by his friends, his students, and other artists active during his lifetime. Over time she gave more than 5,000 works to the Museum, including nearly 3,000 by her husband. Her generosity encouraged gifts from the families of other artists, including William Glackens and Reginald Marsh. The Museum's Contemporary Art Collection has developed over the years, most assertively with a program to acquire photography beginning in the 1970s. Over time the collection has been extended through the generous gifts of Raymond Merritt, Robert LeBeau, and others. In the 1960s and '70s, Alfred Appel, Jr. (1934 - 2009), formed an exemplary collection of Leonard Baskin's early work and generously donated it to the Delaware Art Museum in 2008. In 2008, through a program entitled Fifty Works for Fifty States, the collection of Minimal, Conceptual, and Post-Minimal art assembled by Dorothy and Herbert Vogel was distributed to one institution in each state. The Delaware Art Museum was chosen as the State of Delaware's recipient. Founded in 1912, the Delaware Art Museum is best known for its large collection of works by Wilmington native Howard Pyle and fellow American illustrators; a major collection of British Pre-Raphaelite art; and urban landscapes by John Sloan and his circle. Visitors can also enjoy the outdoor Copeland Sculpture Garden and a number of exhibitions throughout the year. The Delaware Art Museum is an art museum located on the Kentmere Parkway in Wilmington, Delaware, and holds a collection of more than 12,000 works. The museum focuses on American art and illustration from the 19th to the 21st century as well as the English Pre-Raphaelite movement of the mid-19th century.Newly renovated and expanded, the Delaware Art Museum offers a 9-acre (36,000 m2) Sculpture Park, the Helen Farr Sloan Library & Archives, studio art classes, an interactive Kids' Corner learning area, the delART Café featuring free Wi-Fi access, and the Museum Store with distinctive books and gifts. Visit the museum's website at ...http://www.delart.org

The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria to show a Retrospective of William Kurelek Posted: 15 Apr 2012 08:18 PM PDT Victoria, British Columbia.- The Art Gallery of Greater Victora (AGGV) is proud to present "William Kurelek: The Messenger", on view at the gallery from May 25th through September 3rd 2012. Throughout a career that spanned from mid-1950s until his death, William Kurelek (1927-1977) and his art have meant many different things to many people. The Alberta-born, Manitoba-raised artist was a painter of innocence and fun, his scenes reminiscences of a simpler and timeless past.He was also a chronicler of the experiences of various cultural groups in Canada, devoting entire series to Ukrainian, Jewish, Polish, Irish, French Canadian, and Inuit peoples. Then there is Kurelek the anguished prophet of a modern apocalypse, his art an indictment of the secular age and a testament to unwavering faith. An important and unique aspect of this exhibition for Canadian audiences will be the inclusion of several works from Kurelek's highly formative period in England from 1952 to 1959. During this time the young artist underwent psychiatric treatment and converted to Roman Catholicism, which profoundly altered his subsequent approach to life and art making.

Video installations by Aziz + Cucher premiere at Indianapolis Museum of Art Posted: 15 Apr 2012 08:01 PM PDT INDIANAPOLIS, IN.- The Indianapolis Museum of Art premiered four newly commissioned video installations by the collaborative team of Anthony Aziz and Sammy Cucher in April 2012 that reflect the artists' complex relationship with the political conflict in the Middle East. Developed by the artists following extensive research and travel to the region, the works in the exhibition explore the longstanding conflict between Arabs and Jews through digital animation, performance, sound, and video documentation. Marking twenty years of collaboration for the artists, Aziz + Cucher: Some People will be on view through October 21, 2012, in the McCormack Forefront Galleries. Aziz + Cucher have been profoundly affected by outbreaks of conflict in the Middle East—the result of contested land ownership, extreme nationalist and religious ideologies, and historical prejudices. This personal connection to the region stems from their familial and cultural roots in the Middle East—Cucher's entire family recently emigrated to Israel and his nephews serve in the Israeli army, while Aziz has cousins and extended family scattered across Lebanon—as well as the conflict's broader impact on the world today.

The Royal Academy showcases a Retrospective of Johan Zoffany,RA Posted: 15 Apr 2012 07:27 PM PDT London.- The Royal Academy is pleased to present "Johan Zoffany RA: Society Observed" on view from March 10th through June 10th. This exhibition will constitute a radical re-evaluation of the extraordinary life and career of this brilliant and enigmatic artist. Born near Frankfurt in 1733, Zoffany moved to London in 1760. Adapting to the indigenous art culture and patterns of patronage, he created virtuoso portraits and subject pictures that proved to be highly desirable to a wide range of patrons. His work provides an invaluable and often unique appraisal of key British institutions and edifices: the art academy; the Court; the theatre; the bourgeois family; and the British Empire. This exhibition has been co-organised by the Royal Academy of Arts and the Yale Center for British Art. Of all the major artists at work in eighteenth-century England, none explored more inventively the interstices of Georgian society and the complexities of British imperial rule than Johan Zoffany (1733-1810). The exhibition will feature oil paintings, and a selection of drawings and prints from British and international public and private collections, a number of which have been rarely or never exhibited before. The works testify to the central importance of Zoffany to the artistic culture of eighteenth-century Europe. Zoffany was an astute observer of the many social circles in which he functioned as an artist over the course of his long career. This catalogue investigates his sharp wit, shrewd political appraisal, and perceptive social commentary (including subtle allusions to illicit relationships)—all achieved while presenting his subjects as delightful and sophisticated members of polite society. A skilled networker, Zoffany established himself at the court of George III and Queen Charlotte soon after his arrival in England from his native Germany. At the same time, he befriended the leading actor David Garrick and through him became the foremost portrayer of Georgian theater. His brilliant effects and deft style were well suited to theatricality of all sorts, enabling him to secure patronage in England and on the continent. Following a prolonged visit to Italy he travelled to India, where he quickly became a popular and established member within the circle of Warren Hastings, the governor-general. Zoffany's Indian paintings are among his most spectacular and allowed him to return to England enriched and warmly welcomed. This volume provides a sparkling overview of his finest works. The Royal Academy Collection focuses on British art and artists and predominantly ranges from the 18th century to the present day. Highlights in the collection of paintings and sculpture include major works by Joshua Reynolds, Thomas Gainsborough, JMW Turner, John Constable, Lawrence Alma-Tadema, John Flaxman, JE Millais, Frederic Leighton, Waterhouse, Sargent, Stanley Spencer and David Hockney. The Collection includes paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, architectural designs, historic books, archives, historic photographs and plaster casts. Founded in 1768, the RA Schools is Britain's oldest art school, having been founded with the Royal Academy in 1768. It is remarkable for being an independent art school that enables students to develop their practice on a three year full time postgraduate fine art course, without having to pay fees. The RA continues to fulfil its founders' aims by mounting a continuous programme of internationally-acclaimed loan exhibitions, supported by extensive education programmes, seminars and debates. The Main Galleries and The Sackler Wing of Galleries host a variety of major exhibitions from all periods and art forms. Recent exhibitions have been Turks: A Journey of a Thousand Years, 600 - 1600; Claude Monet in the 20th Century; Citizens and Kings: Portraits in the Age of Revolution, 1760-1830; China: The Three Emperors, 1662-1795; From Russia: French and Russian Master Paintings 1870-1925 from Moscow and St Petersburg; Byzantium 330-1453 and The Real Vincent Van Gogh: The Artist and His Letters. The RA owns a major collection of works by Royal Academicians past and present together with the oldest and one of the best fine-art libraries in Britain. The Collection has received outstanding bequests such as the Michelangelo Tondo on display in the Sackler Wing of Galleries. Highlights from the Collection can be seen on free guided tours of the John Madejski Fine Rooms. The Academy's art school (it is known as 'The Schools' because each 'School' originally corresponded to a different element in the training of the artists that had to be mastered in a particular order) is the oldest in Britain. Past students include many famous British artists such as William Blake, JMW Turner, Edwin Landseer, JE Millais and, more recently, John Hoyland, Sir Anthony Caro and Sandra Blow. Today, 60 students study drawing, painting and printmaking on a three-year postgraduate course - the only such course currently available in Britain. Visit the academy's website at ... http://www.royalacademy.org.ukects

Van Gogh's Cypresses & The Starry Night: Visions of Saint-Remy at Yale University Art Gallery Posted: 15 Apr 2012 07:26 PM PDT NEW HAVEN, CT.- The Yale University Art Gallery exhibits side by side two of Vincent van Gogh's most renowned paintings, Cypresses (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) and The Starry Night (Museum of Modern Art, New York). Completed in June 1889, during his yearlong confinement at the asylum in Saint-Rémy, in southern France, these two paintings exemplify the work of this modern master at the height of his creativity.

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts To Host "Fabergé Revealed" Posted: 15 Apr 2012 07:25 PM PDT Richmond, VA.- The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) is proud to present the largest collection of Fabergé on public view in the United States. The exhibition, "Fabergé Revealed", includes works from four collections in America, totaling more than 500 objects. It will be on view at VMFA from July 9th through October 2nd. The Russian jeweler Karl Fabergé, arguably the most famous jeweler of all time, crafted objects for the families of the last two tsars of Russia and for most of Europe's nobility. He is best known for his Imperial Easter eggs. On exhibition from 9 July through 2 October at the VMFA.

The Weatherspoon Art Museum Showcases Trenton Doyle Hancock Posted: 15 Apr 2012 07:24 PM PDT Greensboro, North Carolina.- The Weatherspoon Art Museum at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro is pleased to present "Trenton Doyle Hancock: We Done All We Could and None of it's Good", on view at the museum from February 4th through May 6th 2012. Internationally acclaimed Texas-based artist Trenton Doyle Hancock is best known for his ongoing narrative and theatrical installations that thrust the viewer literally and figuratively into his personal, idiosyncratic, and, at times, heretical weave of words and images. This exhibition features new and selected works executed across a wide variety of media, including drawing, painting, collage, and sculpture. The exhibition will also highlight a commissioned wall drawing. "We Done All We Could and None of it's Good" is one of a handful of chapters in Hancock's ongoing narrative that follows the lives of "Mounds" and "Vegans" toiling in an ideological grudge match of mythic proportions. Hancock's Vegans are a banished bunch of ossified creatures that see only in black and white—a satirical embodiment of those who stick too closely to the rules, in both art and life. The Mounds are ever expanding, furry, forest-bound creatures that are able to store vast quantities of un-relatedness. They are the perfect metaphorical mascot for Hancock's omnivorous narrative enterprise—a method of taming divergent sources as varied as comics, horror movies, visionary art, biblical stories, Surrealism, and Abstract Expressionism into a delirious mélange of form, style, material, and their attendant histories and metaphors. Trenton Doyle Hancock (b. 1974, Oklahoma City) earned his BFA from Texas A&M University, and MFA from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University, Philadelphia. Hancock's work has been exhibited nationally and internationally including the Whitney Biennial (2000 and 2002) and is represented in numerous private and public collections, including the Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York; the Dallas Museum of Art, TX; the Modern Art Museum of Forth Worth, TX; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. Recent public projects include commissions for the Dallas Cowboys Stadium and for the Olympic Sculpture Park at the Seattle Art Museum. He is the recipient of numerous awards and was the 2007 Joyce Alexander Wein Award recipient from The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York. Hancock's work is represented by James Cohan Gallery, New York and Dunn and Brown Gallery, Dallas. "Trenton Doyle Hancock: We Done All We Could and None of it's Good" is curated by David Louis Norr and organized by USF Contemporary Art Museum, Institute for Research in Art, Tampa. Project assistance provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, and the Florida Arts Council. The exhibition at the Weatherspoon is organized by Xandra Eden, Curator of Exhibitions. Founded in 1941 by Gregory Ivy, first head of the Art Department at Woman's College (now UNCG), the Weatherspoon Art Museum has grown from a university teaching gallery to a fully professional museum that is nationally recognized for its excellent collections and dynamic exhibition program. The Museum serves a broad audience of over 32,000 visitors annually, including UNCG students, faculty and staff; the Triad communities; and visitors from across the state, region, and nation; and an additional 24,000 students who take art history classes in the building. In addition to a schedule of more than fifteen exhibitions each year, the Museum maintains a full roster of educational activities, publications, and outreach efforts as integral components of its overall program. The Weatherspoon was accredited by the American Association of Museums in 1995 and earned reaccreditation status in 2005. From its inception, the museum has focused on building a permanent collection of modern and contemporary American art that is now considered one of the best in the Southeast. Numbering close to 6,000 works, the collection represents all major art movements from the beginning of the 20th century to the present. Willem de Kooning,Louise Bourgeois, Robert Rauschenberg, John Marin, Alexander Calder, Robert Henri, Cindy Sherman, Sol Le Witt, Louise Nevelson, Eva Hesse, and Andy Warhol are just a few of the major artists represented. Other highlights include the Dillard Collection of Art on Paper; the Etta and Claribel Cone Collection, which includes prints and bronzes by Henri Matisse; and the Lenoir C. Wright Collection of Japanese Prints. The Weatherspoon's exhibition calendar offers visitors the opportunity to see and learn directly from significant examples of modern and contemporary art. The schedule includes work by outstanding artists of national and international reputation; thematic exhibitions on timely aesthetic, cultural, and social issues; small focused exhibitions of emerging artists; selections from the permanent collection; UNCG MFA thesis shows and faculty biennials; and Falk Visiting Artist exhibitions, a collaborative program with the UNCG Department of Art. The Museum's educational offerings include docent-led tours; gallery talks, lectures, and panel discussions; film and video series; after-hour social events; hands-on workshops; and Community Days. The Museum has enjoyed strong regional and national reviews, including those in Art Papers, Artforum, Art on Paper, and Art in America. Visit the museum's website at ... http://weatherspoon.uncg.ed

The Art Gallery of Ontario Presents Marc Chagall and the Russian Avant-Garde Posted: 15 Apr 2012 07:23 PM PDT Toronto.- The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is bringing the magic, whimsy and wonder of Marc Chagall to Toronto with a major exhibition organized by the Centre Pompidou. "Chagall and the Russian Avant-Garde: Masterpieces from the Collection of the Centre Pompidou, Paris" on view from October 18th through January 15th 2012, features the lush, colourful, and dreamlike art of Marc Chagall alongside the visionaries of Russian modernism, including Wassily Kandinsky, Kasimir Malevich, Natalia Goncharova, Sonia Delaunay, and Vladimir Tatlin. Drawn from the collection of the Centre Pompidou, the exhibition examines how Chagall's Russian heritage influenced and informed his artistic practice, illustrating how he at turns embraced and rejected broader movements in art history as he developed his widely beloved style. Chagall and the Russian Avant-Garde comprises 118 works from a broad array of media, including painting, sculpture, works on paper, photography, and film. The artwork is drawn entirely from the collection of the Centre Pompidou and features 32 works by Chagall and eight works by Kandinsky. "Centre Pompidou is one of the world's preeminent art museums and we at the AGO are deeply grateful — and very excited — to be able to share these highlights from its collection with our visitors," says Matthew Teitelbaum, the AGO's Michael and Sonja Koerner Director, and CEO. "The visual relationship — both complementary and contrasting — of Chagall's emotive figurations with the abstractions of the Russian avant-garde tells a compelling and complex story of influence and heritage, contextualizing Chagall within the art movements of his homeland for the very first time and offering visitors an opportunity to discuss, debate, and connect with some outstanding works of art." "Built around the great figure of Marc Chagall and the exceptional collection of our museum, this exhibition is an opportunity to consider the exceptional work of the Russian avant-garde from Chagall's perspective," says Alfred Pacquemont, director of the Musée national d'art moderne in Centre Pompidou. "Our collection of works by Chagall includes key works from Chagall's personal collection, many of which were gifts of the artist and his family; works by Kandinsky, Gontcharova, and Delaunay are also among our collection's highlights. We are privileged that the Art Gallery of Ontario will host this exhibition for its only North American showing, and that these great works—many of which rarely leave our museum—will be experienced and enjoyed by a Canadian audience." "From cubo-futurism and constructivism to folk art and expressionism, Chagall's influences are as wide-ranging and divergent as his work is boldly original and singularly imaginative," says Elizabeth Smith, the AGO's executive director of curatorial affairs. "This exhibition encourages new perspectives on Chagall's artistic development, and offers a comprehensive presentation of outstanding artwork by the 20th century's most imaginative and engaging Russian artists."Angela Lampe, curator of the Musée National d'Art Moderne, is the organizing curator of Chagall and the Russian Avant-Garde: Masterpieces from the Centre Pompidou, Paris. The exhibition is organized by Le Centre national d'art et de culture Georges Pompidou. Founded in 1900 by a group of private citizens as the Art Museum of Toronto, the Art Gallery of Ontario is one of the largest art museums in North America, with a physical facility of 583,000 square feet. The AGO expanded it facility in 2008 with an innovative architectural design by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry. The AGO holds more than 80,000 works in its collection, which spans from 100 A.D. to the present. The Canadian collection vividly documents the development of the nation's art heritage since pre-Confederation, including one of the largest and finest Inuit art collections in the world. The collection includes pivotal works by Cornelius Krieghoff, Lucius O'Brien, James Wilson Morrice, Tom Thomson, the Group of Seven, David Milne, Emily Carr, Paul-Emile Borduas, Joyce Wieland, and Kenojuak Ashevak. Masterpieces of European art include works by renowned artists such as Anthony van Dyck, Thomas Gainsborough, Auguste Rodin, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso and René Magritte. The AGO maintains a comprehensive collection of Contemporary art spanning from 1960 to the present, reflecting global developments in artistic practice across all media, including painting, sculpture, works on paper, photography, projection art, and installation art. The collection is defined by strong holdings of leading Canadian artists such as David Altmejd, Brian Jungen, Francoise Sullivan, Jeff Wall, Shirley Wiitasalo, and inflected by major works by international artists such as Mona Hatoum, Gerhard Richter, Doris Salcedo, Tino Sehgal, Cindy Sherman, Richard Serra, Kara Walker, and Andy Warhol. Artists represented in career-spanning depth include Iain Baxter & / N.E. Thing Co, Jack Bush, Betty Goodwin, General Idea, Robert Motherwell, Kazuo Nakamura, Greg Curnoe, and Michael Snow. The AGO houses the world's largest public collection of works by internationally renowned British sculptor Henry Moore. A collection of more than 40,000 photographs represents the emergence of the medium in all its artistic, cultural and social diversity. Works by 19th-century British, French, American and Canadian photographers, and 20th-century modernists, including a significant group of 1850s prints by British photographer Linnaeus Tripe, one of the foremost collections of works by Czech photographer Josef Sudek, and more than 18,000 press photographs from the Klinsky Press Agency taken in the 1930s and 40s. The Thomson Collection at the AGO includes a broad range of works, from European to Canadian art, ship models and decorative arts. Its European collection includes 900 works from the 12th to the 19th century, featuring Peter Paul Rubens' 17th-century masterpiece, The Massacre of the Innocents. The Canadian collection includes signature works by Cornelius Krieghoff, Paul Kane, Lawren Harris, and Paul-Emile Borduas. Visit the museum's website at ... http://www.ago.net

Andy Warhol ~ 'Pop Politics' at the Currier Museum of Art Posted: 15 Apr 2012 07:22 PM PDT   MANCHESTER, NH - Andy Warhol, one of the most influential American artists of the twentieth century—captured the likeness of some of the most visionary and powerful political leaders of the 20th century. Images of John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Queen Elizabeth II, Richard Nixon, and Mao Zedong, among others will hang side-by-side when the Currier Museum of Art presents Andy Warhol: Pop Politics from September 27, 2008 through January 4, 2009 at the Currier Museum of Art. For the first time ever, you will see Warhol's political works together in this exhibition," notes Sharon Matt Atkins, curator of Andy Warhol: Pop Politics. "His prints, paintings, drawings, and photographs of political figures reveal intriguing insights into Warhol's own celebrity status and political leanings." Warhol's portraits of American presidents and presidential candidates, queens, Communist dictators, and other political figures comment on the interrelationships between politics and celebrity culture in the late twentieth century—connections that remain ever present today. Time to coincide with the 2008 presidential election, this exhibition offers a probing and entertaining look through the eyes of America's most famous Pop artist at the leaders who shaped the twentieth century. Pop Art and Political Leaders - Warhol (1928-1987) rose to fame in the 1960s and became synonymous with Pop art and American culture of the period. He played upon the increased bombardment of advertising and media images to develop a signature style that employed commercial subjects rendered in bold, graphic designs and colors using mass production processes. In capturing the rebellious spirit of the time through his work and personality, Warhol created a body of work that transformed our understanding of art by blurring the boundaries between art and popular culture and shaped a new aesthetic that came to symbolize the counterculture. His now iconic work has influenced subsequent generations of artists and continues to resonate with audiences today, both young and old. Building upon a long history of political portraiture dating back to Egyptian pharaohs, Roman emperors, and European monarchs, Warhol pictured twentieth-century politicians in his graphic style which likened them to commercial products like Campbell's soup and Coca-Cola. In so doing, Warhol connected his images of these leaders to America's fascination and consumption of all aspects of contemporary culture. His portraits are not just records of the individuals; they also position the leaders within the context of cultural taste and political values. A dedicated portraitist, Warhol captured the likeness of an astonishing number of individuals including those of friends, artists, actors, athletes, and world leaders. His depictions of John F. Kennedy, Mao Zedong, Queen Elizabeth II, and others were derived from widely circulated official or media photographs. Warhol's appropriation of these stock images signaled his interest in how political leaders ascended to celebrity status as a result of their constant representation in the media. In addition to selecting certain leaders as his subjects, Warhol was also commissioned by political hopefuls such as Edward Kennedy and Jimmy Carter. Their patronage of Warhol was intended to help position them as contemporary and progressive. That these projects—like his print Vote McGovern featuring a green-faced Richard Nixon created to support George McGovern's presidential campaign against the incumbent—were produced to raise funds for candidates' presidential campaigns, illuminates an active, even if veiled, political agenda by Warhol, who claimed he only voted once. Warhol's elevated status in American society also gave him entrée into the world of politics including invitations to governors' mansions and state dinners at the White House. The exhibition highlights these portrait commissions through photographs, drawings, prints, and paintings of each subject. Warhol's Artistic Process - Central to the exhibition's focus is Warhol's process for creating his portraits. The artist was more directly involved with his portrait commissions than with any other works. Rather than manipulating images he found in mass media outlets, Warhol began his commissions by taking dozens of Polaroid images of his subject. After selecting one or more of these photographs, Warhol transformed the sitter's likeness into his signature style, often first producing drawings and then prints and paintings. This exhibition presents these Polaroids alongside related works of a single subject, capturing Warhol's process as well as the repetition of images that became a hallmark of his work. This repeated image is further underscored with the inclusion of a large section of Mao wallpaper that the artist created for a gallery presentation of his work in 1974. Throughout the exhibition, works are accompanied by rarely seen archival materials from Warhol's "time capsules." Beginning in 1974, Warhol collected papers, photographs, correspondence, business records, and other objects in cardboard boxes, amassing over six hundred boxes by his death. Highlights relating to the exhibition include a solicitation from President-Elect Nixon for recommendations for his administration, an invitation to Nixon's inauguration, a signed letter from Senator Robert Kennedy expressing his thanks for Warhol's support, and a handwritten note from First Lady Nancy Reagan. These materials yield new insights into Warhol's connection to the political celebrities he portrayed and how those relationships extended beyond his portraits of them. Andy Warhol was born Andrew Warhola in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1928. He studied at the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh from 1945 to 1949, before moving to New York and working as a commercial artist and illustrator. In the 1960s, he rose to fame as a central figure in the Pop art movement. Responding to images from popular culture—particularly advertisements—Warhol began creating works that first shocked audiences by their similarity to commercial images. He accented this comparison by adopting technical processes used by professional printers. He further distanced himself from the physical production of the work by employing the help of studio assistants at his New York City loft called The Factory. His most famous works include series of images of Marilyn Monroe, Campbell's soup cans, and Coca-Cola bottles. The Andy Warhol Museum was founded in Pittsburgh and now houses an extensive collection of his works and archives.

“Poiret: King of Fashion" at Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute Posted: 15 Apr 2012 07:21 PM PDT New York City - Paul Poiret, who at the height of his career in pre-World War I France was the undisputed "King of Fashion" and whose sweeping vision led to a new silhouette that liberated women from the corset and introduced the shocking colors and exotic references of the Ballets Russes to the haute couture – will be celebrated with a landmark exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art from May 9 through August 5, 2007.  He has not been the focus of a major museum exhibition in more than 30 years.  The exhibition is made possible by Balenciaga. Additional support is provided by Condé Nast. "The historic significance and influence of Poiret's work is breathtaking, and felt in fashion to the present day," said Harold Koda, Curator in Charge of the Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute.  "Poiret pioneered a seductive modernity based on woman's self-confident femininity, and envisioned a 'total lifestyle' that extended from how she dressed and what fragrance she wore to how she decorated her home – an approach reflected in the strategies of many of today's fashion houses."  Presented in a series of tableaux, the 50 ensembles on view will highlight the multiple facets of Poiret's astonishing inventiveness – including the beauty of his draped, unstructured fabrics and his fascination with the Ballets Russes, the Wiener Werkstätte, Orientalism and the 1001 Nights – and will be complemented by paintings, illustrations, furniture and examples of the decorative arts that explicate his expansive artistic vision.  At the core of the exhibition will be a grouping of the stunning creations the Metropolitan acquired in the much-heralded 2005 auction of clothing from Poiret's estate. Paul Poiret (1879 – 1944) To celebrate the opening of the exhibition, the Museum's Costume Institute Benefit Gala will take place on Monday, May 7, 2007.  François-Henri Pinault will serve as Honorary Chair of the Gala.  Co-Chairs will be actress Cate Blanchett, Nicolas Ghesquière, Creative Director of Balenciaga, and Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue. More than any other designer of the 20th century, Paul Poiret – who is credited both with liberating women by making the corset démodé and with restricting their gait with narrow-hemmed hobble skirts – elevated fashion to the status of art. Like the artists with whom he collaborated, Poiret's work was fueled by the dominant discourses of the day, including Classicism, Orientalism, Symbolism, and Primitivism. Known as the "King of Fashion" (the title of his 1931 autobiography), he introduced the vivid colors of the Fauvists and the exotic references of the Ballets Russes to the haute couture.  Poiret's protean genius extended beyond fashion to the realms of art, theatre, architecture, and interior design.  As well as discussing his design legacy, the exhibition will focus on Poiret's collaborations with such artists as Paul Iribe, Georges Barbier, and Georges Lepape.  Poiret's designs will be presented in a series of vignettes evocative of the drawings of these artists for such fashion periodicals as Art, Goût et Beauté and La Gazette du Bon Ton.  In addition, two video installations will display animations showing the radical modernity of Poiret's dress construction techniques. The exhibition will include several garments from the May 2005 Paris auction of the private collection of Poiret's descendants, many of which had never been photographed or put on public display.  The Metropolitan Museum acquired more than 20 of these garments – which were made for Poiret's wife Denise, who was his muse and wore his designs without concession to prevailing tastes – at the auction. While apprenticing in his teens to an umbrella maker, Paul Poiret entered the world of fashion when he sold some of his sketches to Madeleine Cheruit at her Paris fashion house.  After stints with designers Doucet and Worth, he opened his own house in 1903 and was boosted by the patronage of Réjane, a famous actress of the period, among others.  In his groundbreaking designs, he led the way to the chemise dress with his revival of Directoire silhouettes and his referencing of the simple cuts of ethnic costume.  In 1911 he became the first fashion designer to create and market his own perfume, which he named after Rosine, his oldest daughter.  Also in 1911, he created a series of workshops for the production of fabrics, furniture, and a range of decorative objects as an extension of his overall aesthetic.  He and his wife were renowned for their glamorous excess and sumptuous entertaining, marked by fêtes such as the now-legendary "Thousand and Second Night" party in June 1911 – at which guests were required to wear appropriate costume.  Poiret spent the last decade of his life in debt, having been superseded by other designers including Coco Chanel and Jean Patou.  As the famous, and perhaps apocryphal, story is told, of the 1920s chance encounter between the "King of Fashion" and young Coco Chanel: Poiret inquired of the black-clad Chanel, "For whom, madame, do you mourn?"  to which Chanel replied, "For you, monsieur." Credits and Related Publication "Poiret: King of Fashion" is organized by Harold Koda, Curator in Charge, and Andrew Bolton, Curator, both of the Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute.  Additional support is given by Jean-Hugues de Chatillon, creative consultant for the exhibition.  Animations are created by Softlab. Mannequin adaptations are by Beyond Design. A book, Poiret, published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and distributed by Yale University Press, will accompany the exhibition, which will also be featured on the Museum's Web site.  Visit The Metropolitan Museum of Art at : www.metmuseum.org

This Week in Review in Art Knowledge News Posted: 15 Apr 2012 07:20 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.

You are subscribed to email updates from Art News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610