AMERICAN MASTERS OF ART AND ARCHITECTURE IN SIX EXHIBITIONS THAT REVEAL EXPANSIVE SWEEP OF NATIONAL ACADEMY MUSEUM COLLECTIONS

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1 PRESS RELEASE AMERICAN MASTERS OF ART AND ARCHITECTURE IN SIX EXHIBITIONS THAT REVEAL EXPANSIVE SWEEP OF NATIONAL ACADEMY MUSEUM COLLECTIONS Reopening Exhibitions Highlight Well-Known Masterpieces and Infrequently Seen Gems of American Art Renovations Enhance Museum Visitor Experience and Provide Newly Designed Exhibition and Teaching Space in the Academy School Exhibitions on View from September 16 through December 31, 2011 New York, NY, September 13, 2011 Distinguished portraits of the early 19th century, masterpieces of the early 20th century, and contemporary works by some of today s most compelling artists and architects are on view, September 16, 2011 as the National Academy Museum reopens its newly redesigned facility after being closed for renovations since July The reopening exhibitions and installations of works from the Academy s permanent collection present American art from 1820 through today and architecture since Founded in 1825, the Academy has built its collection predominantly through Diploma presentations, or works presented by artists and architects becoming members of the Academy. The Academy s collection widens the lens through which American art Asher B. Durand, ( ) Landscape, 1850, Oil on canvas, 27 1/4 x 38 ½ ; William Merritt Chase, ( ) The Young Orphan, 1884, Oil on canvas, 44 x 42 ; Abraham Leon Kroll, ( ) The Conversation, 1938, Oil on canvas 28 x 42 ; Robert Remsen Vickrey, ( ) Study of George, c.1965, Tempera on Masonite, 16 x 21 5/8.

2 -2- is viewed and appreciated. It also comprises a living history of American art that continues to grow as artists and architects are inducted as members of the Academy each year. In addition to the exhibitions of works from the permanent collection, the Academy presents Will Barnet at 100, the first New York museum retrospective of the artist and instructor who continues to make inroads in his paintings today and remains a colleague and source of inspiration to hundreds of artists, curators, and collectors. The reopening follows renovations that transform all public spaces and enhances the Academy experience for museum visitors as well as students and faculty. Re-envisioned entries incorporate a contemporary material palette, create an open, transparent dynamic, and introduce visitors to the Academy s historic legacy and contemporary focus through various media. The names of nearly 2000 Academicians and the year of their induction is engraved in the lobby ceiling. New installation and exhibition spaces in both the museum and school expand opportunities to present art in illuminating contexts. Renovations to the museum s galleries provide a clean background and tailored lighting that provides flexibility and allows for the exhibition of art in all media while retaining the historic and residential ambiance of the mansion. We are thrilled to reopen the National Academy with a series of exhibitions that tell the important and nuanced story of American art as chronicled by artists and architects over the past 186 years, said Carmine Branagan, Director of the National Academy Museum and School. It is also a privilege to present the first New York retrospective of Will Barnet, NA and to inaugurate new space for teaching and learning in the school. The Academy was founded in the 19th century by a group of visionary artists and architects, and we are honoring that vision in the 21st century. An American Collection highlights thematic exhibitions from the collection, including its centerpiece, a salon-style installation of approximately 100 works from the museum s collections of over 7,000 works of art and architecture. An American Collection presents paintings by masters who charted the course of American art from 1820 through the 1970s, starting with artist, inventor, and National Academy founder Samuel F.B. Morse (William Cullen Bryant, ). Highlights of the exhibition include works by Asher B. Durand, a leading and influential American landscape painter, among them his 1850 Landscape, which presents two artists amid an idealized landscape of the Hudson Valley William Merritt Chase s The Young Orphan (1884) In Frederick Carl Frieseke (by 1912) Hollyhocks (Among the Hollyhocks), which demonstrates the artist s fresh and dazzling approach to outdoor painting

3 -3- Reginald Marsh s Barrel of Fun (1943) in which he succeeds in his goal of bringing the vitality of Peter Paul Rubens and Eugene Delacroix to a Coney Island attraction Richard Estes s NYC Parking Lot (1969) which turns the reflections of buildings on the hoods and in the windows of cars into an urban landscape In The Artist Revealed: A Panorama of Great Artist Portraits, the Academy presents highlights from its extensive collection of over 1,000 portraits from the early 19th century to today. The collection comprises one of the largest and most important holdings of portraits in the United States. Highlights of the exhibition include Thomas Eakins s only fully realized self-portrait, from 1902, and works by contemporary artists Jacob Lawrence (1977), Wayne Thiebaud (1985), Chuck Close, and Susanna Coffey (1994). Parabolas to Post-Modern: Architecture from the Academy s Collection emphasizes post-war architecture and reflects growth and change in American architecture over the last 70 years. Drawn from the Academy s rarely seen architectural holdings, the installation includes approximately 40 drawings, renderings, models and numerous photographs by modern and contemporary architects, including: Eero Saarinen, TWA Terminal in New York (1962, gelatin silver print) I.M. Pei, S.I. Newhouse Communications Center, Syracuse University (1964, gelatin silver print) Kevin Roche, College Life Insurance Building, Indianapolis ( , gelain silver print) Robert A. M. Stern, Neoclassical Farmhouse (Oldham County, Kentucky) (1983, mixed media model) Frank O. Gehry, Wilton Residence Guest House (1986, pen on paper) Rafael Viňoly, Tokyo International Forum (ca. 1993, crayon on paper) Bartholomew Voorsanger, Montana House (ca. 2004, basswood and bronze model) The development of four artists and one architect is illuminated in National Academicians: Then and Now. The installation pairs Diploma presentations with more recent work and shows both the trajectory of the participants work and the ongoing role that Academicians are playing in the development of American art and architecture.

4 -4- The featured Academicians are: Thom Mayne (Golf Club at Chib Prefecture, Japan, 1990) Elizabeth Catlett (Fluted Head, 1991) Malcolm Morley (Leopard Panthera, 1997) Janet Fish (Untitled, 1973) Joan Snyder (Woman with Two Babies, 1988) An exhibition of recent Diploma presentations, Contemporary Selections: Aligning Abstraction, focuses on abstract paintings in the work of five Academicians: Bill Jensen (Luohan XI (Breath), 2005) Harriet Korman (Untitled, 2005) Melissa Meyer (A Garden for Edith, 2010) Judith Murray (Celebration, 2007) Stephen Westfall, whose Canon (2002) is a significant transitional painting for the artist, who is best known for his colorful "broken grid" paintings ABOUT THE ACADEMY Founded in 1825, the National Academy Museum and School is the only institution of its kind that integrates a museum, art school, and honorary association of artists and architects dedicated to creating and furthering a living history of American art. The Academy promotes American art and architecture through exhibition and education and continues to play a critical role in fostering the visual arts in America. FUNDER CREDITS Permanent Collection Major support for this exhibition was provided by The Henry Luce Foundation. Additional support was provided by the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation. Will Barnet at 100 Leadership support of this exhibition and catalogue was provided by The Brown Foundation, Inc., of Houston. Major support for this exhibition and catalogue was provided by Philippe E. Alexandre, The Greenwich Collection Ltd., Agnes Gund, the Wolf Kahn & Emily Mason Foundation, the Lehigh Valley Health Network, Robert and Patricia Levinson, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Martucci, the University of Southern Florida-College of Medicine, the Thaw Charitable Trust and an anonymous donor.

5 Additional support for this exhibition and catalogue was provided by Helaine and Paul Cantor, The Bonnie Cashin Fund, The Felicia Fund, Inc., The Viola Fund and two anonymous donors. ### Exhibitions: An American Collection Parabolas to Post-Modern: Architecture from the Academy s Collection The Artist Revealed: A Panorama of Great Artist Portraits National Academicians: Then and Now Contemporary Selections: Aligning Abstraction Will Barnet at 100 Dates: September 16 December 31, 2011 Hours: Wednesday Sunday, 11:00 AM 6:00 PM Closed July 4th, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year s Day -5- NATIONAL ACADEMY MUSEUM 1083 Fifth Avenue at 89 th Street Admission: Adults: $12; Seniors (65+) and students with valid ID: $7, Children under 12, members, and students of the National Academy School: free PRESS CONTACTS: Heidi Riegler, Director Marketing and Communications Andrew Decker: National Academy Museum and School Andrew Decker Communications , x hriegler@nationalacademy.org decker06@gmail.com