HIGH MUSEUM OF ART TO PRESENT 'PICASSO TO WARHOL: TWELVE MODERN MASTERS'

THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART, ATLANTA, WILL CONTINUE ITS COLLABORATION WITH THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (MOMA), NEW YORK, WITH THE EXCLUSIVE PRESENTATION OF THE MAJOR EXHIBITION 'PICASSO TO WARHOL: TWELVE MODERN MASTERS' BEGINNING IN OCTOBER 2011. THE EXHIBITION WILL PRESENT APPROXIMATELY 100 WORKS OF ART CREATED BY 12 OF THE MOST ICONIC ARTISTS FROM THE 20th CENTURY; PABLO PICASSO, HENRI MATISSE, CONSTANTIN BRANCUSI, PIET MONDRIAN, FERNAND LEGER, MARCEL DUCHAMP, GIORGIO DE CHIRICO, JOAN MIRO, ALEXANDER CALDER, JACKSON POLLOCK, JASPER JOHNS AND ANDY WARHOL. 'PICASSO TO WARHOL ' WILL BE ONE OF THE LARGEST CONCENTRATIONS OF MODERN ART MASTERPIECES TO EVER BE EXHIBITED IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES. CO-ORGANIZED BY THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART AND MOMA, THE EXHIBITION WILL BE ON VIEW ONLY IN ATLANTA FROM 15.OCTOBER THROUGH 29.APRIL.2012.

CONTROVERSIAL MURALS DEPICTING SLAVERY TO BE REMOVED

MURALS OF SLAVES HARVESTING SUGAR CANE ON A GEORGIA PLANTATION AND PICKING AND GINNING COTTON ARE COMING OFF THE WALLS OF A STATE BUILDING ON THE ORDER OF A NEW AGRICULTURE COMMISSIONER. THE MURALS ARE PART OF A COLLECTION OF EIGHT WORKS PAINTED BY GEORGE BEATTIE IN 1956 DEPICTING AN IDEALIZED VERSION OF GEORGIA FARMING, FROM THE CORN GROWN BY PREHISTORIC AMERICAN INDIANS TO A 20th CENTURY VETERINARY LAB. IN THE DEEP SOUTH, THE HISTORY IN BETWEEN INCLUDES THE FORCED USE OF SLAVE LABOR. 'I DON'T LIKE THOSE PAINTINGS', SAID REPUBLICAN GARY BLACK, THE NEWLY ELECTED AGRICULTURE COMMISSIONER. 'THERE ARE A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE WHO DON'T LIKE THEM.' SLAVERY WAS INDISPUTABLY PART OF 19th CENTURY FARMING IN GEORGIA. BY 1840, MORE THAN 280,000 SLAVES WERE LIVING IN THE STATE, MANY AS FIELD HANDS. JUST BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR, SLAVES MADE UP ABOUT 40% OF THE STATE'S POPULATION. BEATTIE'S MURALS TELL PART OF THE STORY. IN ONE PAINTING, TWO WELL-DRESSED WHITE GENTLEMEN IN TOP HATS AND DRESS COATS LEISURELY INSPECT PROCESSED COTTON. THEY'RE FRAMED ON EITHER SIDE BY BLACK SLAVES DOING THE WORK OF COTTON FARMING. ON THE LEFT, A SLAVE HUNCHES OVER TO PICK COTTON BALLS BY HAND. TWO OTHER SLAVES ARE USING THE INFAMOUS WHITNEY GIN, INVENTED NEAR SAVANNAH, TO SEPARATE COTTON FIBER FROM SEEDS AS A WHITE OVERSEER WEIGHS COTTON BAGS BEHIND THEM. 'I THINK WE CAN DEPICT A BETTER PICTURE OF AGRICULTURE', BLACK SAID. BLACK SAID LESS CONTROVERSIAL MURALS, A SCENE AT A STATE FARMERS MARKET, FOR EXAMPLE, MAY FIND A NEW HOME IN A CONFERENCE ROOM OR ELSEWHERE IN THE BUILDING. FEW HAVE OPENLY PROTESTED THE MURALS, MAYBE BECAUSE THE AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT IS NOT HEAVILY VISITED. A FULL CENTURY AFTER THE CIVIL WAS, SOUTHERNERS STILL ARGUE OVER HOW TO HANDLE POTENT SYMBOLS OF SLAVERY AND SEGREGATION IN PUBLIC PLACE. IT'S NOTHING NEW. THE SAME YEAR BEATTIE FINISHED THE MURALS, STATE LAWMAKERS PUT THE CONFEDERATE BATTLE FLAG BACK INTO GEORGIA'S STATE FLAG TO PROTEST INTEGRATION. ONLY IN 2001 DID GOV ROY BARNES REPLACE IT, AND SOME SAY IT COST HIM THE ELECTION THE FOLLOWING YEAR. IN 1995, TWO YEARS BEFORE HE DIED, BEATTIE DEFENDED HIS MURALS IN A DEPARTMENT-SPONSORED ARTICLE THAT MENTIONED THE ART HAD SPURRED DEBATE AND CONCERN AMONG VISITORS AND EMPLOYEES. 'AS A HUMAN BEING, I AM VEHEMENTLY OPPOSED TO SLAVERY, AS ANYONE SHOULD BE', BEATTIE SAID, 'BUT IT WAS A SIGNIFICANT EPOCH IN OUR HISTORY; IT WOULD HAVE BEEN INACCURATE NOT TO INCLUDE THIS PERIOD.'

HIGH MUSEUM OF ART RECEIVES GIFT OF 90 WORKS OF ART

THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART, ATLANTA, TODAY ANNOUNCED THAT IT HAS RECEIVED A MAJOR GIFT OF 90 PAINTINGS AND SCULPTURES FROM THE ATLANTA-BASED WEST FOUNDATION'S 19tH CENTURY AMERICAN COLLECTION. THE DONATED WORKS INCLUDE 49 PAINTINGS AND 41 SCULPTURES, ESTABLISHING THE HIGH AS A MAJOR RESOURCE FOR 19th CENTURY AMERICAN ART. THE GIFT ENRICHES THE HIGH'S COLLECTION OF AMERICAN ART WITH IMPORTANT WORKS INCLUDING LANDSCAPES BY FREDERIC EDWIN CHURCH AND JASPER CROPSEY, PORTRAITS BY REMBRANDT PEALE AND WILLIAM SYDNEY MOUNT, AND SCULPTURES BY HIRAM POWERS AND CHAUNCEY BRADLEY IVES. BEGINNING 29.OCTOBER, THE NEWLY-ACQUIRED PAINTINGS AND SCULPTURES WILL BE ON VIEW WITHIN THE PERMANENT COLLECTION GALLERIES ON THE SECOND AND THIRD FLOORS OF THE STENT FAMILY WING. THE WEST FOUNDATION'S GIFT OF NEO-CLASSICAL SCULPTURES CONSISTS OF 41 MARBLE, PLASTER AND BRONZE WORKS. THE MAJORITY OF THE WORKS ARE LARGE SCALE, NEO-CLASSICAL MARBLES EXECUTED BETWEEN 1838 AND 1887, INCLUDING MAJOR WORKS BY WILLIAM WETMORE STORY, HIRAM POWERS, EDMONIA LEWIS, HARRIET HOMER, THOMAS BALL, RANDOLPH ROGERS AND THOMAS CRAWFORD. THE GIFT INCLUDES ICONIC OBJECTS THAT REPRESENT THE CHIEF D'OEUVRE OF AN ARTIST'S PRODUCTION, SUCH AS HIRAM POWERS' 'PROSERPINE', RANDOLPH ROGERS' 'NYDIA THE BLIND FLOWER GIRL OF POMPEII', AND HARRIET HOSMER'S 'THE SLEEPING FAUN'. FOUR HUDSON RIVER SCHOOL PAINTINGS WERE GIVEN IN HONOUR OF HIGH MUSEUM OF ART DIRECTOR EMERITUS GUDMUND VIGTEL. VIGTEL, DIRECTOR OF THE HIGH FROM 1963 TO 1991, WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN ESTABLISHING THE MUSEUM'S AMERICAN COLLECTION AND SERVED AS AN ADVISOR FOR THE WEST FOUNDATION COLLECTION. IN ADDITION TO THE FOUR HUDSON RIVER SCHOOL PAINTINGS, 45 OTHER PAINTINGS WERE ALSO GIVEN IN HONOUR OF VIGTEL. THE COLLECTION FEATURES 24 LANDSCAPES, NINE GENRE PAINTINGS, EIGHT FIGURE AND PORTRAIT PAINTINGS, AND FOUR STILL LIFE PAINTINGS. ALL BUT THREE WERE EXECUTED BEFORE 1900, WITH THE STRONGEST CONCENTRATION OF WORKS PAINTED BEFORE 1880.

RM AUCTION S TO SELL CLASSIC 'MUSCLE' CARS FROM THE ROBSON COLLECTION

ONE OF THE WORLD'S PREMIER MUSCLE CAR COLLECTIONS WILL CROSS THE AUCTION BLOCK IN GEORGIA NEXT MONTH AS RM AUCTIONS PRESENTS THE MILTON ROBSON COLLECTION, A SINGLE-VENDOR SALE TO BE HELD IN GAINSVILLE, GEORGIA, 13.NOVEMBER. THE RESULT OF OVER 25 YEARS OF CAREFUL ACQUISITION BY LIFELONG 'CAR GUY' MILTON ROBSON, THE ROBSON COLLECTION FEATURES A REMARKABLE SERIES OF LOW-PRODUCTION AND ULTRA-HIGH SPECIFICATION DETROIT MUSCLE CARS, ALONG WITH A SERIES OF ICONIC FIFTIES AND SIXTIES CLASSICS, AND A SUPERB SELECTION OF HENRY FORD'S ORIGINAL FLATBED V8s. A TOTAL OF 55 VEHICLES FROM THE COLLECTION, ALONG WITH A RANGE OF MEMORABILIA WILL BE OFFERED 'WITHOUT RESERVE'. 'RM IS HONORED TO HAVE BEEN ENTRUSTED WITH THE PRESENTATION OF THE MILTON ROBSON COLLECTION', SAID IAN KELLEHER, RM AUCTIONS. 'MILT ROBSON IS A PASSIONATE CAR GUY WITH AN INCREDIBLE EYE FOR QUALITY. HIS COLLECTION IS KNOWN ACROSS THE COUNTRY BY LIKE-MINDED COLLECTORS AND ENTHUSIASTS AS IT REPRESENTS ONE OF THE MOST DIVERSE CROSS SECTIONS OF THE FINEST AND MOST DESIRABLE AMERICAN AUTOMOBILES PRODUCED.' THE HIGHLIGHT ATTRACTION FOR THE AUCTION IS A TRIO OF PONTIACS GTO JUDGE CONVERTIBLES, INCLUDING A STARLIGHT BLACK '69 JUDGE, ONE OF THE MOST RARE AND DESIRABLE PONTIAC IN EXISTENCE WITH AN ESTIMATE PRE-SALE OF $750,000 - $1,000,000. IT LEADS A CHARGE OF 12 PONTIAC INCLUDED IN THE SALE. ALSO ON OFFER, AN ALL-ORIGINAL 1969 CHEVROLET CAMARO YENKO/SC SPORT COUPE, ONE OF THE MOST VAUNTED VEHICLES OF THE MUSCLE CAR ERA. ADDITIONAL SALE HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: A STUNNING, ONE OF A KIND 1953 CADILLAC ELDORADO SUPERCHARGED CONVERTIBLE, ESTIMATED AT $450,000 TO $650,000; A 1960 CHRYSLER 300F FOUR-SPEED CONVERTIBLE, THE ONLY FACTORY FOUR-SPEED, 400hp CONVERTIBLE IN EXISTENCE AND ONE OF THE MOST DESIRABLE LETTER CARS OF ALL TIME, ESTIMATED TO SELL FOR $350,000; AND, A TOP OF THE LINE, BEAUTIFULLY-RESTORED 1957 DESOTO ADVENTURER CONVERTIBLE, ESTIMATED AT $350,000.

DALI'S 'THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY' TO JOIN DALI EXHIBITION

ON 16.NOVEMBER SALVADOR DALI'S ICONIC SURREALIST PAINTING 'THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY' FROM THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, NEW YORK, WILL JOIN THE HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL EXHIBITION 'SALVADOR DALI: THE LATE WORK'. THE EXHIBITION BRINGS TOGETHER MANY WORKS FROM DALI'S LATER CAREER AS WELL AS SEVERAL WORKS OF ART NOT SEEN IN THE UNITED STATES SINCE THE 1950s. THE EXHIBITION WILL BE ON VIEW THROUGH 9.JANUARY.2011. 'THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY' REPRESENTS DALI IN WAYS FEW PAINTINGS HAVE FOR OTHER ARTISTS' SAID EXHIBITION CURATOR AND DALI SCHOLAR ELLIOTT KING. 'IT'S NO EXAGGERATION THAT THIS '10 X 14 INCHES OF DYNAMITE' IS THE IMAGE THAT MADE HIM A CELEBRITY, SETTING THE STAGE FOR ALL THE ART AND ANTICS THAT FOLLOWED.' PAINTED IN 1931, 'THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY' IS WIDELY RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF SALVADOR DALI'S MOST FAMOUS PAINTINGS. ACCORDING TO HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY 'THE SECRET LIFE OF SALVADOR DALI', THE PAINTING WAS DONE ONE EVENING AFTER DINNER WHILE HIS WIFE GALA WAS OUT. DALI WAS LOOKING AT A LANDSCAPE THAT HE HAD PAINTED, TRYING TO THINK OF SOMETHING MEMORABLE AND FANTASTIC TO INSERT INTO THE LANDSCAPE. NEARBY WAS A PIECE OF CAMEMBERT CHEESE THAT HAD BEGUN TO MELT. AS HE LOOKED AT THE MELTING CHEESE, HE GOT THE IDES TO PAINT A SOFT CLOCK. WHEN GALA CAME HOME DALI PUT HIS HANDS OVER HERS EYES, REVEALED THE PAINTING AND ASKED WHAT SHE THOUGHT. HER RESPONSE WAS THAT ONCE SOMEONE HAD SEEN IT, THEY WOULD NEVER FORGET IT, HENCE THE TITLE 'THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY.' 'SALVADOR DALI: THE LATE WORK', AT THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ATLANTA, IS THE FIRST EXHIBITION TO FOCUS SPECIFICALLY ON DALI'S ART AFTER 1940. THE EXHIBITION FEATURES 115 WORKS, INCLUDING 40 PAINTINGS AND A RELATED GROUP OF DRAWINGS, PRINTS AND OTHER DALI EPHEMERA. WHILE DALI IS BEST KNOW AS A LEADING MEMBER OF THE SURREALIST MOVEMENT OF THE LATE 1930s, 'SALVADOR DALI: THE LATE WORK' REASSESSES HIS CAREER FROM 1940 TO HIS DEATH IN 1989. DALI'S LATE WORK, WHICH MAKES UP MORE THAN HALF OF HIS TOTAL ARTISTIC OUTPUT, DREW INSPIRATION SIMULTANEOUSLY FROM THE OLD MASTERS AND TEH CONTEMPORARY WORLD, RESULTING IN WORKS THAT WERE MARKEDLY OUT OF STEP WITH THE PREVAILING STYLES OF THEIR DAY, BUT TODAY APPEAR STRIKINGLY CONTEMPORARY.

HIGH MUSEUM OF ART TO PRESENT 'TITIAN AND THE GOLDEN AGE OF VENETIAN PAINTING'

THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART, ATLANTA, IN COLLABORATION WITH THE NATIONAL GALLERIES OF SCOTLAND (NGS), WILL PRESENT AN EXHIBITION OF 25 MASTERPIECES OF THE VENETIAN RENAISSANCE, 12 PAINTINGS AND 13 DRAWINGS, THAT WILL INCLUDE TWO OF THE GREATEST PAINTINGS OF THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE, TITIAN'S 'DIANA AND ACTAEON' AND 'DIANA AND CALLISTO'. THE TWO MONUMENTAL PAINTINGS HAVE NEVER BEFORE TRAVELED TO THE UNITED STATES. THE EXHIBITION WILL ALSO INCLUDE PAINTINGS BY TINTORETTO, VERONESE AND LOTTO FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE NATIONAL GALLERIES. THE HIGH'S PRESENTATION OF 'TITIAN AND THE GOLDEN AGE OF VENETIAN PAINTING: MASTERPIECES FROM THE NATIONAL GALLERIES OF SCOTLAND' LAUNCHES A NEW COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE HIGH AND NGS, WITH ADDITIONAL EXHIBITIONS CURRENTLY UNDER DEVELOPMENT. 'TITIAN AND THE GOLDEN AGE OF VENETIAN PAINTING: MASTERPIECES FROM THE NATIONAL GALLERIES OF SCOTLAND' WILL PREMIERE AT THE HIGH, WHERE IT WILL BE ON VIEW FROM 6.OCTOBER THROUGH 2.JANUARY.2011. IT WILL THEN TRAVEL TO THE MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE OF ART AND THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, HOUSTON. IN ADDITION TO TITIAN'S 'DIANA' PAINTINGS, THE EXHIBITION WILL INCLUDE 10 OTHER PAINTINGS THAT ILLUMINATE THE DEPTH OF THE NATIONAL GALLERIES OF SCOTLAND'S COLLECTION OF VENETIAN RENAISSANCE WORKS. THE PAINTINGS, AMONG THEM TITIAN'S 'VIRGIN AND CHILD WITH ST JOHN THE BAPTIST AND AN UNIDENTIFIED MALE SAINT' AND 'VENUS RISING FROM THE SEA', LORENZO LOTTO'S 'VIRGIN AND CHILD WITH SAINTS JEROME, PETER, FRANCIS AND AN UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE SAINT', JACOPO TINTORETTO'S 'CHRIST CARRIED TO THE TOMB' AND JOCOPO BASSANO'S 'ADORATION OF THE MAGI', WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY 13 DRAWINGS BY TITIAN, VERONESE, TINTORETTO AND OTHER VENETIAN RENAISSANCE ARTISTS.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.high.org

HIGH MUSEUM OF ART PRESENTS 'SALVADOR DALI: THE LATE WORK'

A NEW EXHIBITION OPENING EXCLUSIVELY IN ATLANTA EXPLORES ARTIST SALVADOR DALI'S LATE WORKS, INCLUDING SEVERAL MAJOR PIECES THAT HAVEN'T BEEN SEEN IN THE US IN HALF A CENTURY. DALI IS BEST KNOWN AS A SURREALIST, HIS MELTING WATCHES AN ICONIC IMAGE OF THAT MOVEMENT. BUT AFTER ABOUT 10 YEARS, HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE GROUP GREW STRAINED IN THE LATE 1930s FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS BOTH ARTISTIC AND POLITICAL. 'SALVADOR DALI: THE LATE WORK', OPENING AT THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART IN ATLANTA ON SUNDAY, FOCUSES OF THAT PERIOD FROM 1940 TO 1983. THE EXHIBIT OPENS WITH PHOTOS BY AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHER PHILIPPE HALSMAN OF THE MUSTACHIOED ARTIST IN CRAZY POSES SHOWCASING WHAT IS DESCRIBED AS DALI'S ';WACKY SHOWMAN' SIDE. IT THEN MOVES ONTO SOME EARLIER WORKS TO GIVE VISITORS SOME BACKGROUND. FROM THERE, IT PROGRESSES TO DALI'S EXPLORATION OF 'NUCLEAR MYSTICISM', WHICH REFLECTS TWO RECURRING INFLUENCES ON DALI'S LATE WORK, HIS RETURN TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND NUCLEAR PHYSICS. A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THIS CONCEPT ID 'MADONNA OF PORT-LLIGAT', WHICH SHOWS THE MADONNA AND CHILD FRAGMENTED AND BREAKING INTO PARTICLES. THE LARGE-SCALE PAINTING IS ON LOAN FROM A MUSEUM IN JAPAN AND HASN'T BEEN SEEN IN THE US SINCE 1951. ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS IMAGES IN THE EXHIBITION IS 'CHRIST OF ST JOHN OF THE CROSS', STUNNING IN PART FOR ITS VANTAGE POINT, LOOKING DOWN FROM ABOVE ON THE CRUCIFIED CHRIST. ON AN ADJACENT WALL IS A PHOTO OF DALI WITH BOBBY KENNEDY IN FRONT OF THE PAINTING IN 1965, THE LAST TIME THE PAINTING WAS IN THE US FROM ITS HOME IN SCOTLAND. THE FINAL SECTION OF THE EXHIBITION CENTERS ON WHAT IS CALLED DALI'S POP ART, WHICH CAME WELL BEFORE SIMILAR COMMERCIAL EFFORTS BY ARTISTS LIKE ANDY WARHOL AND JEFF KOONS. THERE ARE BROOCHES SO GAUDY THEY LOOK LIKE COSTUME JEWELRY; A CHESS SET IN WHICH ALL THE PIECES ARE MOLDS OF HIS FINGERS, EXCEPT THE ROOKS WHICH ARE COPIES OF THE SALT SHAKERS FROM THE ST REGIS HOTEL; AND PORTRAITS OF AMERICAN HIGH SOCIETY FIGURES. THE LAST GALLERY HOUSE A HOLOGRAM OF ROCK STAR ALICE COOPER AND THE SISTINE MADONNA PAINTING FROM 1958 THAT SUPERIMPOSES THE IMAGE OF THE VIRGIN AND CHILD OVER A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE POPE'S EAR RENDERED IN A BENDAY DOT PATTERN, PRECEDING SIMILAR POP ART WORKS. A WALL OF TWO DOZEN MAGAZINE COVERS, JUST A FRACTION OF THE MANY HE APPEARED ON OVER THE YEARS, DEMONSTRATES HIS STATUS AS A TRUE CELEBRITY ARTIST.
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DELTA PAYS TRIBUTE TO DALI EXHIBITION AT THE HIGH

IN CELEBRATION OF THE HIGH'S NEW EXHIBITION, 'DALI: THE LATE WORK', DELTA HAS DECKED OUT A 757 PLANE WITH A SALVADOR DALI-ESQUE MUSTACHE. THE PLANE, WHICH WENT INTO SERVICE YESTERDAY, WILL FLY DOMESTICALLY. THE HIGH INVITES TRAVELERS WHO SPOT OR RIDE ON THE PLANE TO SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCE ON THE MUSEUM'S FACEBOOK PAGE AND ON TWITTER. DELTA AIR LINES IS THE OFFICIAL AIRLINE OF THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART, ATLANTA. 'DALI: THE LATE WORK', THE FIRST MAJOR EXHIBITION TO REEVALUATE THE LATE HALF OF SALVADOR DALI'S CAREER, WILL BE PRESENTED EXCLUSIVELY AT THE HIGH. BEGINNING IN THE LATE 1930s, DALI WENT THROUGH A RADICAL CHANGE IN WHICH HE EMBRACED CATHOLICISM, DEVELOPED THE CONCEPT OF NUCLEAR MYSTICISM AND, IN EFFECT, REINVENTED HIMSELF AS AN ARTIST. COMPRISING MORE THAN 115 WORKS, INCLUDING PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS, PRINTS AND OTHER DALI EPHEMERA, THE EXHIBITION WILL ALSO EXPLORE THE ARTIST'S ENDURING FASCINATION WITH SCIENCE, OPTICAL EFFECTS AND ILLUSIONISM AS WELL AS HIS CONNECTIONS TO SUCH ARTISTS OF THE 1960s AND 1970s AS ANDY WARHOL, ROY LICHTENSTEIN AND WILLEM DE KOONING. AMONG THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EXHIBITION WILL BE SEVERAL WORKS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN SEEN IN THE US IN 50 YEARS, INCLUDING THE MONUMENTAL 'CHRIST OF ST JOHN OF THE CROSS', WHICH WAS VOTED SCOTLAND'S FAVORITE PAINTING IN 2007, AND 'SANTAIGO EL GRANDE', WHICH HAS NOT LEFT NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA, SINCE 1959. DESIGNED AS AN ALTARPIECE, THIS PAINTING INCLUDES DALI'S VISION OF THE CRUCIFIXION, AN HOMAGE TO SAINT JAMES (THE PATRON SAINT OF SPAIN) AND AN ATOMIC EXPLOSION. THE EXHIBITION WILL ALSO FEATURE 'ASSUMPTA CORPUSCULARIA LAPISLAZULINA' FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION IN SPAIN, WHICH HAS NOT BEEN SEEN PUBLICLY SINCE 1959.

HIGH MUSEUM OF ART ANNOUNCES DONATION OF 47 NEW ARTWORKS

THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART, ATLANTA, RECENTLY ANNOUNCED A GIFT OF 47 WORKS OF ART, THE MAJORITY OF WHICH ARE PRINTS AND POSTERS BY MAJOR ARTISTS WORKING FIN-DE-SIECLE PARIS, FROM PROMINENT ATLANTA COLLECTORS IRENE AND HOWARD STEIN. THE STEIN COLLECTION INCLUDES MANY RARE AND EXTREMELY PRIZED WORKS BY HENRI DE TOULOUSE-LAUTREC, SUCH AS 'LA CLOWNESSE AU MOULIN ROUGE', ONE OF A HANDFUL OF IMPRESSIONS OF THE ICONIC COLOUR LITHOGRAPH, AND 'MISS LOIE FULLER', A GHOSTLY IMAGE OF THE FAMOUS AMERICAN DANCER THAT INCORPORATES POWERED GOLD. THE GIFT ALSO INCLUDES IMPORTANT PRINTS AND DRAWINGS BY PIERRE BONNARD, EDGAR DEGAS, PAUL GAUGUIN, HONORE DAUMIER AND PAUL SIGNAC, AND SCULPTURES BY PIETER XAVERY, MARTIN DESJARDINS, CHARLES CORDIER AND JULES DALOU. IN CELEBRATION OF THE GIFT, THE HIGH WILL MOUNT A SPECIAL EXHIBITION TITLED 'TOULOUSE-LAUTREC AND FRIENDS; THE SREIN COLLECTION', WHICH WILL OPEN IN JANUARY 2011. 'THIS IS ONE OF THE LARGEST AND MOST SIGNIFICANT GIFTS OF WORKS OF ART IN THE HISTORY OF THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART', A SPOKESPERSON FOR THE MUSEUM SAID IN A RECENT INTERVIEW. 'OVER THE PAST TWO DECADES, THE STEINS HAVE BEEN INVALUABLE IN HELPING US BUILD OUR COLLECTION. THIS LATEST GIFT WILL GREATLY STRENGTHEN OUR EUROPEAN SCULPTURE COLLECTION AND DRAMATICALLY ELEVATE OUR HOLDINGS OF WORKS ON PAPER BY IMPRESSIONISTS AND POST-IMPRESSIONISTS.' TOULOUSE-LAUTREC AND FRIENDS: THE STEIN COLLECTION WILL FEATURE APPROXIMATELY 80 WORKS. IN ADDITION TO THE 47 NEW GIFTS, THE EXHIBITION WILL ALSO INCLUDE APPROXIMATELY 30 WORKS THAT WERE EITHER PREVIOUSLY GIVEN TO THE HIGH BY THE STEINS OR PURCHASED WITH FUNDS GIVEN BY THE STEINS. AMONG THESE IS A RARE COMPLETE SET OF TOULOUSE-LAUTREC'S LITHOGRAPHIC MASTERPIECE 'THE ELLES SERIES', WHICH THE STEINS PRESENTED TO THE HIGH IN 2001; THE SET IS REMARKABLE BECAUSE IT IS UNBROKEN AND VIRTUALLY IN PERFECT CONDITION.

THE HIGH MUSEUM TO PRESENT 'SALVADOR DALI: THE LATE WORK'

THE FIRST MAJOR EXHIBITION TO REEVALUATE THE LAST HALF OF SALVADOR DALI'S CAREER WILL BE PRESENTED EXCLUSIVELY AT THE HIGH MUSEUM, ATLANTA, THIS AUGUST. BEGINNING IN THE LATE 1930s, DALI WENT THROUGH A RADICAL CHANGE IN WHICH HE EMBRACED CATHOLICISM, DEVELOPED THE CONCEPT OF NUCLEAR MYSTICISM AND, IN EFFECT, REINVENTED HIMSELF AS AN ARTIST. COMPRISING MORE THAN 40 PAINTINGS AND A RELATED GROUP OF DRAWINGS, PRINTS AND OTHER DALI EPHEMERA, 'SALVADOR DALI: THE LATE WORK' WILL ALSO EXPLORE THE ARTIST'S ENDURING FASCINATION WITH SCIENCE, OPTICAL EFFECTS AND ILLUSIONISM AS WELL AS HIS CONNECTIONS TO SUCH ARTISTS OF THE LATE 1960s AND 1970s AS ANDY WARHOL, ROY LICHTENSTEIN AND WILLEM DE KOONING. AMONG THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EXHIBITION WILL BE SEVERAL WORKS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN SEEN IN THE US IN 50 YEARS, INCLUDING THE MONUMENTAL 'CHRIST OF ST JOHN OF THE CROSS' WHICH WAS VOTED SCOTLAND'S FAVORITE PAINTING IN 2007, AND 'SANTIAGO EL GRANDE', WHICH HAS NOT LEFT NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA, SINCE 1959. DESIGNED AS AN ALTARPIECE, THE PAINTING INCLUDES DALI'S VISION OF THE CRUCIFIXION, AN HOMAGE TO SAINT JAMES (PATRON SAINT OF SPAIN) AND AN ATOMIC EXPLOSION. THE EXHIBITION WILL ALSO FEATURE 'ASSUMPTA CORPUSCALARIA LAPISLAZULINA', FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION IN SPAIN, WHICH HAS NOT BEEN SEEN PUBLICLY SINCE 1959. THE HIGH WILL BE THE SOLE VENUE FOR THE EXHIBITION, WHERE IT WILL BE ON VIEW FROM 7.AUGUST.2010 THROUGH 9.JANUARY.2011.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.high.org

GEORGIA MUSEUM OF ART TO PRESENT EXHIBITION OF UGA'S 225th ANNIVERSARY

THE GEORGIA MUSEUM OF ART (GMOA), ATHENS, GA, IS ORGANIZING 'UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA TURNS 225', AN EXHIBITION BEGINNING 19.MARCH, THAT WILL CELEBRATE UGA'S 225th ANNIVERSARY. THE EXHIBITION WILL DISPLAY VISUAL ART THAT REFLECTS BOTH THE HISTORY AND THE CURRENT STATE OF UGA AND ITS CAMPUS LIFE. PAINTINGS BY LAMAR DODD, THE FOUNDER OF THE UNIVERSITY'S ART SCHOOL, WILL BE ON DISPLAY, INCLUDING 'THE ARCH' AND 'NORTH CAMPUS', AS WELL AS WORKS BY SUCH OTHER NOTABLE ARTISTS AS GEORGE COOKE, CHARLES FREDERICK NAEGLE AND HOWARD THOMAS. CURRENT ART STUDENTS AND PROFESSORS, INCLUDING THOSE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF CERAMICS, WILL ALSO HAVE A ROLE IN THE ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION. THE COMBINATION OF HISTORIC AND RECENT OBJECTS REFLECTS THE PURPOSE OF THE ANNIVERSARY, WHICH IS TO HONOR THE PAST AND THE PRESENT WHILE LOOKING TO THE FUTURE. THE EXHIBITION WILL TAKE PLACE FROM 9.MARCH THROUGH TO 30.APRIL IN THE GALLERIES OF THE VISUAL ARTS BUILDING ON JACKSON STREET, WHICH IS ALSO HOME TO THE TEMPORARY OFFICES OF THE MUSEUM WHILE IT UNDERGOES EXPANSION AND RENOVATION.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.uga.edu/gamuseum

HIGH MUSEUM OF ART TO PRESENT 'EUROPEAN DESIGN SINCE 1985: SHAPING THE NEW CENTURY'

THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART, ATLANTA, WILL BE PRESENTING A NEW EXHIBITION 'EUROPEAN DESIGN SINCE 1985: SHAPING THE NEW CENTURY', THE FIRST COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT OF WESTERN DESIGN FROM 1985 TO 2005. THE EXHIBITION TRACES THE EVOLUTION OF DESIGN WITH NEARLY 200 WORKS BY SOME OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL ARTISTS OF THIS ERA, ENCOMPASSING FURNITURE, GLASS, CERAMICS, METALWORK AND A BROAD RANGE OF PRODUCT DESIGN CREATED BY 117 DESIGNERS FROM 14 WESTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES. ADDITIONAL WORKS FROM THIS PERIOD WILL BE INCORPORATED FROM THE HIGH'S GROWING COLLECTION OF CONTEMPORARY DESIGN. 'EUROPEAN DESIGN SINCE 1985', ORGANIZED BY THE INDIANAPOLIS MUSEUM OF ART (IMA) AND THE DENVER ART MUSEUM, IN CONJUNCTION WITH KINGSTON UNIVERSITY, LONDON, WILL BE ON VIEW AT THE HIGH FROM 5.JUNE THROUGH 29.AUGUST.2010. 'EUROPEAN DESIGN SINCE 1985' EXAMINES THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LARGER AESTHETIC MOVEMENTS OF DECORATIVE AND INDUSTRIAL DESIGN THAT TRANSCENDED NATIONAL BORDERS AND DEFINED NEW RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ART, DESIGN AND CRAFT DURING THIS PERIOD. THE EXHIBITION ALSO FOCUSES ON THE TWO GENERATIONS OF DESIGNERS THAT SHAPED THESE MOVEMENTS. THE FIRST GENERATION, BORN AFTER WORLD WAR II, INCLUDES RON ARAD, PHILIPPE STARCK, AND MARC NEWSON. BORN AFTER 1960, THE SECOND GENERATION HAS ONLY RECENTLY BEGUN TO ATTRACT INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION AND INCLUDES JURGEN BEY, MAARTEN BAAS, AND MARCEL WANDERS.
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GEORGIA ART MUSEUMS COLLABORATE TO SHARE RESOURCES AND COLLECTIONS ACROSS STATE

THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART, ATLANTA, IN COLLABORATION WITH FOUR GEORGIA MUSEUMS, HAS ESTABLISHED THE GEORGIA ART MUSEUM PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE, THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN THE STATE THAT WILL ALLOW FOR THE SHARING OF RESOURCES AND COLLECTIONS AMONG MUSEUMS IN GEORGIA AND THE SOUTHEAST. THE FIVE PARTNERING MUSEUMS ARE THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART, THE ALBANY MUSEUM OF ART, THE COLUMBUS MUSEUM, THE TELFAIR MUSEUM OF ART (SAVANNAH) AND THE GEORGIA MUSEUM OF ART (ATHENS). FOR THIS THREE YEAR PILOT INITIATIVE, THESE PARTNERS WILL DRAW ON EACH OTHER'S RESOURCES FOR EXHIBITIONS AND LOANS OF INDIVIDUAL OBJECTS, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS AND CONSULTATIONS AND COLLECTION STORAGE. 'THIS NEW PROGRAM WILL BENEFIT THE PEOPLE OF GEORGIA AND WILL BE MUTUALLY VALUABLE TO THE HIGH AND ITS PARTNERS', SAID MICHAEL E SHAPIRO, THE HIGH'S NANCY AND HOLCOMBE T GREEN, JR DIRECTOR. 'JUST AS WE'VE SEEN GREAT SUCCESS FROM OUR PAST PARTNERSHIPS WITH RENOWNED MUSEUMS INCLUDING THE LOUVRE AND THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, WE HOPE TO CREATE A FULL ECOLOGY OF PARTNERSHIPS HERE IN GEORGIA. TOGETHER, WE WILL WORK TO ENGAGE A WIDER AUDIENCE WITH GREAT ART AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING, INSPIRE COLLABORATION AND STRONGER RELATIONSHIPS WITH PARTNER INSTITUTIONS AND ENHANCE ART MUSEUMS AND THEIR COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE REGION.' DURING THE INITIATIVE, THE PARTNERING MUSEUMS WILL NOT ONLY DRAW ON EACH OTHER, THEY WILL ALSO PARTICIPATE IN CUSTOMIZED WORKSHOPS. WORKSHOP TOPICS INCLUDE FUND-RAISING, PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MARKETING, EXHIBITION DESIGN AND COLLABORATION BETWEEN CURATORS AND EDUCATORS. THESE MEETINGS WILL CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR COLLEAGUES TO SHARE IDEAS, RECEIVE FEEDBACK AND RELAY SUCCESSES. THE GEORGIA ART MUSEUM PARTNERSHIP WILL PROVIDE STAFF MEMBERS FROM EACH INSTITUTION ACCESS TO A STATEWIDE SUPPORT SYSTEM, WHICH WOULD INCLUDE PROFESSIONAL CONSULTATIONS AND CURATORIAL RESIDENCIES.

OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY, ATLANTA, TO PRESENT MATISSE POETRY ILLUSTRATIONS

SIMPLE LINE DRAWINGS AREN'T WHAT MOST ART LOVERS THINK OF WHEN PEOPLE MENTION HENRI MATISSE, WHO'S BETTER KNOWN FOR HIS VIVID, COLOURFUL PAINTINGS. THE ARTIST PRODUCED DOZENS OF DRAWINGS AND ETCHINGS AS ILLUSTRATIONS FOR THE WORK OF FRENCH POETS STEPHANE MALLARME AND PIERRE RONSARD. MATISSE'S DRAWINGS APPEARED ALONGSIDE THE POEMS IN HIS 'FLORILEGE DES AMOURS DE RONSARD' AND 'POESIES' COLLECTIONS, PUBLISHED IN THE 1930s AND '40s. 63 OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS WILL BE ON DISPLAY AT THE MUSEUM OF ART AT OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY IN ATLANTA FROM 17.JANUARY THROUGH 9.MAY.2010. 'THERE IS A SENSUAL, LYRICAL LINE HE CREATES', SAID MUSEUM DIRECTOR LLOYD NICK. 'I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED IF AFTER SEEING THE EXHIBIT, PEOPLE FEEL LIKE DANCING.' THE PIECES INCLUDE COUPLES WRAPPED IN EACH OTHER'S ARM, WOMEN LOUNGING ON BEDS AND LUSH FLOWERS. THEY ALSO INCLUDE FAMILIAR IMAGES, SUCH AS A SKETCH OF THE FROLICKING FIGURES FROM HIS VIBRANT PAINTING, 'THE DANCE'. THE WORKS IN THE EXHIBIT ARE PART OF THE ESTATE OF FRENCH PUBLISHER ALBERT SKIRA, WHO WORKED CLOSELY WITH MATISSE ON BOTH WORKS. IT WILL APPEAR AGAIN IN 2011 WHEN IT GOES TO OS ANGELES, SAID CURATOR REILLY RHODES.

MORRIS MUSEUM OF ART EMBARKS ON HISTORIC RE-INSTALLATION OF ITS COLLECTIONS

THE MORRIS MUSEUM OF ART, AUGUSTA, GA, HAS BEGUN CLOSING GALLERIES IN PREPARATION FOR PHASE I OF THE RE-INSTALLATION OF THE MUSEUM'S PERMANENT COLLECTION. THIS IS A THREE-PHASE PLAN, WHICH HIGHLIGHTS WORKS OF ART THAT HAVE NOT BEEN EXHIBITED FOR SOME TIME OR HAVE NEVER BEEN EXHIBITED AT ALL. THE GALLERIES WILL BE OPENED ON, 5.MARCH.2010, FOR THE MORRIS MUSEUM'S SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL GALA. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE MUSEUM OPENED ITS DOORS IN SEPTEMBER 1992, THAT A COMPLETE RE-INSTALLATION OF ITS PERMANENT COLLECTION HAS BEEN UNDERTAKEN. PHASE I BEGAN 14.DECEMBER, WHEN THE MUSEUM CLOSED GALLERIES DEVOTED TO 19th AND 20th CENTURY LANDSCAPE PAINTINGS AND CONTEMPORARY PAINTINGS. PHASE II BEGINS ON 24.JANUARY.2010, WITH THE CLOSING OF GALLERIES DEVOTED TO ANTEBELLUM PORTRAITURE, IMAGES OF THE CIVIL WAR, GENRE PAINTING, 19th AND 20th CENTURY STILL LIFE PAINTINGS, IMPRESSIONISM IN THE SOUTH, REGIONALISM AND ABSTRACTION IN THE SOUTH. PHASE III INVOLVES THE CLOSING OF THE MUSEUM'S TEMPORARY EXHIBITION GALLERIES ON 1.FEBRUARY.2010, WHEN THE SPECIAL EXHIBITION 'RESPONSE AND MEMORY: THE ART OF BEVERLY BUCHANAN' COMES TO AN END. THROUGH THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY, THE MUSEUM'S COGGIN'S GALLERY, WHICH CURRENTLY FEATURES 'DEEP SEA: DRAWINGS BY WILLIAM GOLDING', AND ITS FIRST FLOOR EDUCATION GALLERY WILL BE OPEN, AND THERE WILL BE A FULL AND ACTIVE ROSTER OF PUBLIC PROGRAMS TAKING PLACE. IN ADDITION TO THE REOPENING OF THE PERMANENT COLLECTION GALLERIES ON THE NIGHT OF THE ANNUAL GALA, THE MUSEUM WILL ALSO OPEN A SPECIAL EXHIBITION THAT NIGHT ENTITLED, DIALECT: AMERICAN SCENE PAINTINGS FROM THE JOHN AND SUSAN HORSEMAN COLLECTION', WHICH FEATURES A SELECTION OF FIFTY-SEVEN IMPORTANT WORKS OF ART BY 43 OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL ARTISTS WHO WORKED OUTSIDE THE MAJOR ART CENTERS BETWEEN THE WORLD WARS.

HIGH MUSEUM OF ART, ATLANTA, LAUNCHES CONTEST TO NAME LEONARDO'S SFORZA HORSE

VISITORS TO THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART, ATLANTA, NOW HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO NAME LEONARDO DA VINCI'S SFORZA HORSE, WHICH IS CURRENTLY RE-CREATED ON THE HIGH'S SIFLY PIAZZA, FOR THE CHANCE TO WIN AIRLINE TICKETS, A DINNER FOR FOUR, $100 TO SPEND IN THE HIGH'S MUSEUM SHOP, AND A CLASS TRIP TO THE HIGH. TO ENTER (NO PURCHASE NECESSARY), VISITORS WILL FILL OUT FORMS AT KIOSKS IN THE MUSEUM'S LOBBY WITH THEIR PROPOSED NAME FOR THE HORSE, THE REASON THEY CHOSE THAT NAME AND THEIR CONTACT INFORMATION. THE CONTEST WILL BE JUDGED BY MUSEUM STAFF AND A WINNER WILL BE SELECTED BY 1.MARCH.2010.
THE CONTEST IS BEING HELD IN CELEBRATION OF THE EXHIBITION, "LEONARDO DA VINCE: HAND OF THE GENIUS", ON VIEW THROUGH 21.FEBRUARY.2010, THE EXHIBITION EXPLORES LEONARDO'S PROFOUND INTEREST IN AND INFLUENCE ON SCULPTURE, FEATURING APPROXIMATELY 50 WORKS, INCLUDING MORE THAN 20 SKETCHES AND STUDIES BY LEONARDO, SOME OF WHICH WILL BE ON VIEW IN THE UNITED STATES FOR THE FIRST TIME. THE EXHIBITION ALSO FEATURES WORKS BY DONATELLO, RUBENS, VERROCCHIO, AND RUSTICI, INCLUDING RUSTICI'S THREE MONUMENTAL BRONZES FROM THE FACADE OF THE BAPTISTERY IN FLORENCE THAT COMPRISE 'JOHN THE BAPTIST PREACHING TO A LEVITE AND A PHARISEE", WHICH IS RECENTLY RESTORED AND HAS NEVER LEFT FLORENCE. ALSO INCLUDED ARE WORKS FROM WORLD-RENOWNED COLLECTIONS, INCLUDING THAT OF HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II, THE MUSEE DU LOUVRE, THE BRITISH MUSEUM, AND THE MUSEO NAZIONALE DEL BARGELLO IN FLORENCE. THE EXHIBITION SHEDS NEW LIGHT ON LEONARDO'S SEMINAL ROLE IN TEH DEVELOPMENT OF RENAISSANCE SCULPTURE AND THE WORK OF ARTISTS WHO FOLLOWED HIM THROUGH AND EXAMINATION OF THE SCULPTURE THAT LEONARDO STUDIED, THE SKETCHES AND STUDIES HE CREATED FOR HIS OWN SCULPTURAL PROJECTS (THE MAJORITY OF WHICH WERE NEVER REALIZED), AND HIS INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER RENAISSANCE SCULPTORS.

MORRIS MUSEUM OF ART, GEORGIA PRESENTS RESPONSE AND MEMORY: THE ART OF BEVERLY BUCHANAN

'RESPONSE AND MEMORY: THE ART OF BEVERLY BUCHANAN', A SELECTION OF BOLD, COLOURFUL, AND EXPRESSIVE DRAWINGS AND SCULPTURES BY THE LEADING CONTEMPORARY ARTIST, OPENS TO THE PUBLIC 21.NOVEMBER.2009, AT THE MORRIS MUSEUM OF ART, AUGUSTA, GEORGIA. ORGANIZED BY THE ASHEVILLE ART MUSEUM FROM THE COLLECTIONS OF ANN AND TED OLIVER, THE EXHIBITION REMAINS ON VIEW THROUGH 31.JANUARY.2010. "THROUGH HER CONTINUED EXPLORATION OF THE VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE OF THE SOUTH, BEVERLY BUCHANAN HAS CREATED RICHLY EXPRESSIVE WORKS OF ART THAT SYMBOLIZE COMMUNITY AND THE ENERGY AND IMAGINATION THAT ARE REQUIRED TO SUSTAIN IT. SHE IS A GREAT STORY TELLER, AND, IMPLICIT IN HER WORK, LIE THE STORIES BEHIND THE RURAL SHARECROPPER SHACKS SHE DEPICTS . . ." SAID KEVIN GROGAN , DIRECTOR OF THE MORRIS MUSEUM OF ART.
BEVERLY BUCHANAN, BORN IN 1940 IN FUQUAY, NORTH CAROLINA, WAS RAISED IN ORANGEBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA, ON THE CAMPUS OF SOUTH CAROLINA STATE COLLAGE, WHERE HER FATHER WAS DEAN OF THE SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE. ARMED WITH DEGREES IN MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY, PARASITOLOGY, AND PUBLIC HEALTH FROM THE BENNETT COLLEGE AND COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, SHE WAS A MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIST FOR THE VETERANS ADMINISTRATION IN THE BRONX AND THEN A HEALTH DIRECTOR FOR THE EAST ORANGE NEW YORK HEALTH DEPARTMENT. IN 1971 SHE ATTENDED ART CLASSES AT THE ART STUDENTS LEAGUE, WHERE SHE STUDIED WITH NORMAN LEWIS AND DURING THE 70s, ROMARE BEARDEN BECAME A PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT FRIEND AND MENTOR. IN 1971 BUCHANAN MOVED TO MACON, GEORGIA, TO DEVOTE HER FULL TIME AND ATTENTION TO ART. BUCHANAN'S EARLY SCULPTURES DEMONSTRATE AN INNATE INTEREST IN THE ARCHITECTURE OF POVERTY. MADE OF CAST CONCRETE, CLAY, PIGMENT, AND OTHER MATERIALS, THESE PRIMEVAL, BLOCKLIKE FORMS CONVEYED A SENSE OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL RUIN AND MYSTERY. BUCHANAN'S ART GRADUALLY EVOLVED FROM THE ABSTRACT, ORGANIC FORMS INTO THE EXPRESSIONISTIC, REPRESENTATIONAL WORKS SHE EXECUTES TODAY. HER SCULPTURES ARE BASED, IN PART, ON THE SHARECROPPER SHACKS THAT CAN BE FOUND ALONG THE BACK ROADS OF THE RURAL SOUTH THAT SHE WITNESSED WHILE TRAVELING WITH HERE FATHER. BUCHANAN'S SCULPTURE AND DRAWINGS CHALLENGE THE ICONS OF HOPELESSNESS; THEY ARE ELEGIES THAT SALUTE THE INTEGRITY, RESILIENCE, AND RESOLUTION OF HUMANITY.

ACQUISITIONS AT THE WHITNEY, NELSON-ATKINS AND THE HIGH ATLANTA

THIS WEEK BROUGHT A WONDERFUL SPATE OF ALWAYS-WELCOMED ACQUISITIONS ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM SEVERAL WELL KNOWN CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS.
ATLANTA'S HIGH MUSEUM OF ART RECENTLY REPORTED ADDING 300 WORKS TO ITS PERMANENT COLLECTION IN 209, INCLUDING TWO DONATED RENOIR PAINTINGS, 'WOMAN ARRANGING HER HAT(ca. 1890) AND STILL LIFE WITH APPLES (ca. 1890); 53 PHOTOGRAPHS BY PETER SEKAER, AND A PAINTING BY FOLK ARTIST WILLIAM HAWKINS, 'ALL ABOUT EVE', PARTIALLY GIFTED BY NEW YORK GALLERY OWNERS FRANK MARESCA AND ROGER RICCO. THE MUSEUM ALSO RECEIVED SEVERAL WORKS AS PART OF NEW YORK COLLECTORS HERBERT AND DOROTHY VOGEL'S "50 WORKS FOR 50 STATES" GIVEAWAY, INCLUDING WORKS BY RICHARD TUTTLE, WILLIAM ANASTASI AND STEPHEN ANTONAKOS.
THE WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART, IN THE WAKE OF ITS POPULAR WILLIAM EGGLESTON RETROSPECTIVE, WHICH CLOSED IN JANUARY, HAS ACQUIRED 13 OF HIS IMAGES, THE NEW YORK TIMES REPORTS, INCLUDING THREE FROM THE SHOW. THE GIFT, FROM COLLECTORS JONATHAN SOBEL AND MARCIA DUNN, WHO HELPED FINANCE THE SHOW, NEARLY DOUBLES THE WHITNEY'S COLLECTION OF WORKS BY THE PHOTOGRAPHER. AMONG THEM ARE SEVERAL IMAGES FROM "LOST AND FOUND", EGGLESTON'S RARELY SEEN LOS ALMOS SERIES, THE WHEREABOUTS OF WHICH WERE LONG UNKNOWN BECAUSE NO ONE REALIZED THEY BELONGED TO CURATOR WALTER HOPPS, A CLOSE FRIEND OF EGGLESTON WHO DIED IN 2005.
AND THE NELSON-ATKINS MUSEUM OF ART IN KANSAS CITY ANNOUNCED RECENTLY THAT A GIFT OF 34 WORKS OF AMERICAN INDIAN ART FROM LONGTIME MUSEUM PATRONS ESTELLE AND MORTON SOSLAND, WHO ALSO COMMISSIONED FOR THE MUSEUM LAWN 15 YEARS AGO THE ICONIC CLAES VAN OLDENBURG AND COOSJE VAN BRUGGEN SHUTTLECOCKS.

HIGH MUSEUM OF ART PRESENTS THE PORTRAIT UNBOUND: PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROBERT WEINGARTEN

THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART, ATLANTA, WILL PREMIERE AN EXHIBITION OF NEW WORK BY CALIFORNIA BASED PHOTOGRAPHER ROBERT WEINGARTEN IN JANUARY 2010. WEINGARTEN'S PROJECT CONSISTS OF 20 LARGE-SCALE DIGITALLY-CREATED PORTRAITS OF AMERICAN ICONS, AND REPRESENTS A BOLD DEPARTURE FROM TRADITIONAL CAMERA PORTRAITURE. FOR 'THE PORTRAIT UNBOUND', WEINGARTEN CREATED SOPHISTICATED DIGITAL COMPOSITIONS OF IMAGERY ALLUDING TO SPECIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS OR MOMENTS WITHIN THE SUBJECT'S LIFE. THE RESULT IS A UNIQUE AND COMPELLING COLLAGE OF IMAGES THAT DESCRIBES THE SUBJECT THROUGH BIOGRAPHICAL RATHER THAN PHYSICAL INFORMATION. THE DIGITAL PORTRAITS IN THE EXHIBITION INCLUDE EMINENT AMERICANS FROM THE WORLDS OF ART, SCIENCE, SPORTS, POLITICS, AND CULTURE, AMONG THEM CHUCK CLOSE, SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR, FRANK GEHRY, HANK AARON, DENNIS HOPPER TO NAME A FEW. A SHORT FILM DETAILING WEINGARTENE'S ARTISTIC BACKGROUND AND INVENTIVE METHODS WILL ACCOMPANY THE EXHIBITION. ORGANIZED BY THE HIGH MUSEUM, 'THE PORTRAIT UNBOUND: PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROBERT WEINGARTEN' WILL BE ON VIEW FROM 23.JANUARY THROUGH 4.APRIL.2010.

JIMMY CARTER PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM REOPENS AFTER OVERHAUL

THE JIMMY CARTER LIBRARY AND MUSEUM, ATLANTA, REOPENED ON THE FORMER PRESIDENT'S 85th BIRTHDAY AFTER AN OVERHAUL THAT DEVOTES MORE SPACE THAN ANY OTHER PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY TO A COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF'S WORK AFTER THE WHITE HOUSE. CARTER BEAMED THURSDAY AS HE SPOKE TO HUNDREDS AT THE OPENING CEREMONY, SAYING: "THERE'S NO WAY ANY OF YOU CAN IMAGINE THE EMOTIONS THAT FILL MY HEART AND MIND IN THIS MOMENT." ABOUT A THIRD OF THE ATLANTA MUSEUM EXPLORES THE GEORGIA DEMOCRAT'S LIFE AFTER HE WAS DEFEATED BY RONALD REAGAN. IT INCLUDES DOZENS OF PHOTOS AND VIDEOS DETAILING HIS EFFORTS TO ERADICATE DISEASE, RESOLVE CONFLICTS AND MONITOR ELECTIONS. AS IF TO REMIND VISITORS OF THE IMPACT OF HIS WORK SINCE LEAVING THE WHITE HOUSE, THE EXHIBIT ENDS BY FEATURING THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE AND OTHER HUMANITARIAN AWARDS THAT CARTER HAS RECEIVED FOR HIS WORK IN AND OUT OF THE OVAL OFFICE.
THE MUSEUM WAS CLOSED IN LATE APRIL, THE $10 MILLION PROJECT, WHICH TOOK ABOUT FIVE MONTHS TO COMPLETE, IS THE FIRST MAJOR UPDATE TO THE MUSEUM SINCE IT WAS BUILT 23 YEARS AGO. ATTENDANCE HAD FALLEN ABOUT 50% IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS AN NEWER ATLANTA ATTRACTIONS, SUCH AS THE GEORGIA AQUARIUM, DREW IN MORE TOURISTS AND STUDENTS. ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS IS SIX TOWERING HIGH-RESOLUTION VIDEO SCREENS GIVING VISITORS A BEHIND-THE-SCENES LOOK AT A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A PRESIDENT. IT FOCUSES ON A BUSY DAY - 11.DECEMBER.1978 - THAT STARTS WITH CARTER RECEIVING A WAKE-UP CALL AT 5:30am AND FOLLOWS HIM AS HE GRAPPLES WITH THE AFTERMATH OF A MIDDLE EAST PEACE DEAL, THE TEETERING REGIME OF A US ALLY IN IRAN AND EFFORTS TO NORMALIZE RELATIONS WITH CHINA. THE MUSEUM TOUR STARTS WITH EXHIBITS ON CARTER'S CHILDHOOD IN SEGREGATED SOUTHWEST GEORGIA AND A MODEL OF A NUCLEAR SUBMARINE WHERE THE PRESIDENT ONCE WORKED AS A YOUNG NAVAL OFFICER. IT THEN TRACKS HIS POLITICAL CAREER, FIRST AS A STATE SENATOR, THEN AS GOVERNOR AND FINALLY AS PRESIDENT. THE WHITE HOUSE SECTION INCLUDES A FULL SCALE REPLICA OF THE OVAL OFFICE, AND AN EXHIBIT DEPICTING CAMP DAVID, WHERE CARTER'S "CABIN DIPLOMACY" HELPED BROKER A PEACE DEAL BETWEEN EGYPT AND ISRAEL. SOME 27 MILLION PAGES OF DOCUMENTS FROM CARTER'S TERM SIT BEHIND A GLASS WALL IN A NEARBY ROTUNDA. CARTER SAID HE HOPES THE CHALLENGES AND TRIUMPHS THAT HE AND HIS WIFE ROSALYNN HAVE FACED WILL INSPIRE VISITORS TO DO MORE TO HELP OTHERS.