|Quadricentennial Celebration of the Hudson River Valley at Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center|
John William Hill (American, b. England 1812 - 1879), View of the Hudson River from the Palisades, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, with Rainbow, 1873, Watercolor, graphite, and touches of gouache on paper; 8 3/8 x 13 3/4 inches, The New-York Historical Society, 1969.41.
POUGHKEEPSIE, NY.- Celebrating the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudsons famed voyage up the Hudson in 1609, the exhibition Drawn by New York: Six Centuries of Watercolors and Drawings at the New-York Historical Society will be on view at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center from August 14 through November 1, 2009.
The exhibition spans six centuries, from rare mid-sixteenth-century watercolors of European birdsprecursors of the work of Audubonto representations of the World Trade Center before and after September 11, 2001. In addition to the exhibition, related events will include a Garden Party (August 16); lecture by exhibition curator Roberta J. M. Olson, Curator of Drawings, New-York Historical Society (September 11), and concert by Hudson River storyteller and legend, Pete Seeger (October 10). All are free and open to the public.
Exhibition highlights include: Astounding visual records from early voyages of discovery; Renderings of Native Americans; Views of now-vanished sites, such as New Yorks Federal Hall (the nations first capitol); Picturesque views of the sublime American landscape; Representations of events that shook the nation, including the American Civil War and September 11, 2001; Images that evoke Americas growing wealth and power, such as Charles Dana Gibsons satirical pictures of Gilded Age society; Celebrations of the American people, from portraits of explorers, artists, and inventors to images of immigrants, street vendors, and workers.
Organized by the New-York Historical Society, Drawn by New York will provide an overview of the depth and range of the Historical Societys important holdings, while allowing visitors a unique insight into Americas evolving image. The Art Centers exhibition is a selection of 81 works from the larger, groundbreaking exhibition held at the New-York Historical Society in the fall 2008. These range from one of the first-known views of New York City (c. 1650) to Donna Levinstones depictions of the World Trade Center (Eternal Rest, 2002), as well as works by John James Audubon, Albert Bierstadt, George Catlin, Thomas Cole, Jasper Cropsey, Asher B. Durand, William Glackens, Louis Comfort Tiffany and Tiffany Studios, and John Singer Sargent.
Drawn by New York offers a rare opportunity to rediscover America through the kaleidoscopic lens of this extraordinary collection, notes Dr. Roberta J. M. Olson, curator of drawings at the New-York Historical Society and of the exhibition. Since many of the outstanding watercolors and drawings were executed before the advent of photography, they not only document lost buildings, customs, and landscapes but also preserve images of significant events and individuals who played vital roles in the history of the nation and the city.
The New-York Historical Societys collection of watercolors and drawings was the first established in any public institution in the United States and includes a special concentration of works that reflect New Yorks scenery, settlements, citizens, and collecting patterns (including its early sixteenth-century watercolors). Yet until now, this extraordinary trove of some 8,500 original works of art has never been the subject of a traveling exhibition.
From one of the first-known views of New York City, dating around 1650, to an early birds-eye-view of Niagara Falls as well as early sketchbooks establishing the itinerary of the grand tour of North America, Drawn by New York celebrates the artists and vistas that entranced them.
Patricia Phagan, the Philip and Lynn Straus Curator of Prints and Drawings at the Art Center, noted that one focal point of the exhibition is the development of landscape art and plein air sketching, especially in the regions bordering the Hudson River, with works by Thomas Cole, Asher B. Durand, and Jasper Cropsey. Following this theme, she noted that the exhibition also features a beautiful watercolor by William Guy Wall of the Palisades along the Hudson River. A preparatory study for the seminal series of aquatints entitled The Hudson River Portfolio of 182025, these prints demonstrated an early interest in the art of landscape in America and were the namesake of the Hudson River School.
In addition to works by more celebrated artists, such as Audubon, Bierstadt, Catlin, Glackens, Tiffany, and Sargent, there are fascinating works by lesser-known figures such as the Baroness Hyde de Neuville, whose elegant sheets preserve the people and landscapes of early nineteenth-century America. Among these are drawings of inventor Robert Fulton (1798) by noted Kingston, NY artist John Vanderlyn, as well as a 1796 view of Poughkeepsie by Alexander Robertson.
Among the other important artistic and historical themes highlighted in the exhibition are the changing role of draftsmanship in America (beginning with the utilitarian work of topographical draftsmen and the sketches of travelers) and the influence of New York City as an early center for artists and for the publishers who often reproduced their works.
The formation of the Historical Societys collection over two centuries also opens a window onto patronage and collecting in New York and the United States. Its collection of drawings dates from 1816 with the gift of two portraits of historical importance. Through the years, the collection, a national treasure, continued to develop according to the Societys mission of acquiring works for their historical evidence. As can be seen in the numerous portraits and landscapes on view, the museums holdings are especially rich in works from the late eighteenth through the mid-nineteenth centuries, although these portrayals of significant people and events continue to contemporary times.
Drawn by New York is accompanied by the first catalogue of the New-York Historical Societys collection of watercolors and drawings, recently awarded the highest honor by the Association of Art Museum Curators (AAMC). Emily Bellew Neff, Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and chair of the AAMC Permanent Collection Jury noted, It is a huge challenge to take on such a wide-ranging collection and distill it, and then create a balance between those works celebrated for their iconographical content versus those of sheer artistry. This catalogue succeeds in showcasing the breadth and complexity of the New-York Historical Societys collection.
The 450-page, fully illustrated book, published by the New-York Historical Society in association with D Giles Limited, features an interpretive essay by the exhibition curator Roberta Olson and extensive entries for each work in the exhibition at Vassar and at the larger venue in New York City. An illustrated brochure with checklist will also accompany the presentation of the exhibition at the Lehman Loeb Art Center.
Following its presentation at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, the exhibition will travel to the Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati, Ohio (November 20, 2009 through January 17, 2010).
The exhibition at the New-York Historical Society and the publication of the catalogue and its research were generously supported by The Getty Foundation, Leonard L. and Ellen Milberg, Barbara and Richard Debs, Pam and Scott Schafler, Eli Wilner & Company, Inc., The Samuel H. Kress Foundation, Furthermore: a program of the J.M. Kaplan Fund, Alexander Acevedo, and Graham Arader.
May 29, 2009
Christie's New York Latin American Art Evening Sale Realizes $11 Million Tonight
From Raphael to Carracci: The Art of Papal Rome Opens at the National Gallery of Canada
Van Gogh Museum Acquires Painting by Pierre Bonnard
Sotheby's Spring 2009 Latin American Art Sale Totals $9,422,625
Quadricentennial Celebration of the Hudson River Valley at Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center
PHotoEspaña 2009: Exhibit Hall Channel of Isabel II Presents Sergey Bratkov (Glory Days)
Focus on Color: The Photography of Jeannette Klute at The Bruce Museum
ICE Recovers Egyptian Artifacts Stolen From a Museum in the Netherlands
Fuller Craft Museum Names Wyona Lynch-McWhite Exective Director
Colorado River Photographs By Karen Halverson Explored in New Exhibition Space
Dallas Museum of Art Appoints Jeffrey Grove as New Curator of Contemporary Art
Panel Discussion with Museum Reach Artists Commissioned by San Antonio River Foundation
Haughtons' Legendary 'International Fair' Celebrates 21 Spectacular Years in New York
Le Ciel Regarde la Terre - Artist: Philippe Pastor
Glass Stress - Collateral Event of the 53rd International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia
Kunsthaus Baselland Presents Javier Téllez, Michael Bauer and Hagar Schmidhalter
San Francisco Art Institute Presents Sanctuary City/Ciudad Santuario
Smart Light Sydney On View At Customs House
Contemporary Craft Market Flourishes at Collect 2009
Most Popular Last Seven Days
1.- Regrets: Upper Belvedere opens exhibition featuring recent work by Jasper Johns
2.- Swedish-born star of La Dolce Vita, Anita Ekberg, has died in Rome at the age of 83
3.- Swedish archaeologists find rare 2,500-year-old relief depicting two pharaonic deities
4.- 'American Dreams: Paintings by John Mellencamp' opens at the Morris Museum of Art
5.- Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum welcomes Nathaniel Silver as Assistant Curator of the Collection
6.- Art Institute names new curator: Rebecca Long will be responsible for Italian and Spanish art
7.- The 'Holy Grail' of electric guitars, the original Les Paul 'Black Beauty' prototype, up for auction at Guernsey's
8.- 10,000 photos taken between 1840 and 1920 from Jerome Manin's collection to be sold
9.- Special Asterix cartoons to honour French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo dead
10.- The art world uncovered: Art travel experiences like you've never seen before
Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .
|Royalville Communications, Inc|