2004/05 preview: museum preview

Art in America, August, 2004

Summer

Courbet and Friends

"Bonjour, Monsieur Courbet," features some 100 19th-century works from the Music Fabre in Montpellier, assembled by Courbet's friend and patron Alfred Bruyas. Making their U.S. debut are important pieces by Delacroix, Ingres, Cabanel, Corot and Courbet. Organized under the auspices of FRAME (French Regional and American Museums Exchange), the show recently debuted at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, and is at the Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Mass, through Sept. 6, 2004. Subsequent itinerary: Dallas Museum of Art, Oct. 10, 2004-Jan. 2, 2005; Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco Legion of Honor, Jan. 22-Apr. 3, 2005.

China's Splendors

More than 500 artworks and artifacts are included in "Splendors of China's Forbidden City: The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong." Created during one of China's most artistically fruitful periods, 1736-96, the works on view include many that have never before left China. Organized by the Field Museum, Chicago, in cooperation with the Palace Museum, Beijing, the exhibition debuts in Chicago, Mar. 12-Sept. 12, 2004, and travels to the Dallas Museum of Art, Nov. 21, 2004-May 29, 2005.

Islamic Art in Europe

"The Arts of Fire: Islamic Influences on the Italian Renaissance" examines the impact of Islamic art in 15th and 16th century Europe. The more than 40 objects on view include textiles, ceramics and metalwork. The show appears at the Getty Museum, Los Angeles, May 4-Sept. 5, 2004.

Tara Donovan

Known for her lyrical, labor-intensive sculptures and installations made of such materials as drinking straws, toothpicks and tarpaper, Donovan has created new work for exhibitions at the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, on view through Sept. 5, 2004, and at the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, October 2004-May 2005.

Dutch and Other Treats

"Van Gogh to Mondrian: Modern Art from the Kroller-Muller Museum" contains about 80 modern masterworks by artists such as Seurat, Picasso, Leger and Mondrian, as well as a group of 22 major van Goghs, many of which have never been seen in the U.S. The exhibition debuts at the Seattle Art Museum, May 29-Sept. 12, 2004, and travels to the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Oct. 19, 2004-Jan. 16, 2005.

Chicano Art

"Chicano" is a five-year, 15-city national tour comprising two major exhibitions: "Chicano Visions: American Painters on the Verge," drawn primarily from the collection of actor and comedian Cheech Marin, and "Chicano Now: American Expressions," an interactive multimedia show. Curated by Rene Yanez, "Chicano Visions" features about 50 works by 26 artists, including Diane Gamboa, Gronk, Patssi Valdez and Vincent Valdez. It continues its tour at the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, through Sept. 12, 2004, and travels to the Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis, Oct. t, 2004-Jan. 2, 2005. Subsequent venues to be announced.

Ruhlmann and Art Deco

Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann (1879-1933) was renowned as the premier luxury designer of his day. His works--furniture, lighting, ceramics, carpets and textiles--epitomize the French Art Deco style of the 1920s. This exhibition is organized by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in collaboration with Les Musees des Annees 30, Boulogne-Binancourt, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It debuts at the Met, June 8-Sept. 5, 2004, and travels to Montreal, Sept. 30-Dec. 12, 2004.

Childe Hassam

This retrospective, his first museum survey since 1972, features nearly 140 paintings, watercolors, pastels and prints by American Impressionist Childe Hassam (1859-1935), including cityscapes of New York, Boston and Paris, peaceful interiors and country scenes, and his well known Flag works. The exhibition is on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, June 10-Sept. 12, 2004. Three museums in Connecticut are concurrently mounting Hassam shows. "Childe Hassam: Impressions of Cos Cob, is at the William Hegarty Gallery at the Bush-Holley Historic Site in Cos Cob, June 1-Sept. 5. The Griswold Museum in Old Lyme is showing "Childe Hassam in Old Lyme" through Sept. 26. "Childe Hassam and Connecticut Impressionism" appears at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, June 11-Oct. 3.

Gabriel Orozco Photos

This exhibition focuses on photographs by Orozco, who is also known for his installations, video works, sculptures and drawings. The photos, shot in various countries, reveal his interest in familiar objects and the lyrical beauty of the everyday. Some 55 works are on view at the Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, D.C., June 10-Sept. 6, 2004.

Beyond Geometry

"Beyond Geometry: Experiments in Form, 1940s-70s" presents approximately 200 works by over 130 international artists. Combining painting, sculpture and major installations, the show includes examples by Ellsworth Kelly, Lucio Fontana, Bridget Riley, Hanne Darboven, Gego, Daniel Buren, Sol LeWitt Lygia Pape and John Baldessari. Curated by Lynn Zelevansky, it appears at the LA. County Museum of Art, June 13-Oct. 3, 2004, and travels to the Miami Art Museum, Nov. 18, 2004-May 1, 2005.