Exhibition highlights of the coming season

Art in America, August, 2000

Summer

Chardin

Marking the 300th anniversary of Jean-Simeon Chardin's birth, this exhibition features 66 paintings spanning his career. On view are some of his best-known domestic scenes, still lifes and portraits, which are renowned for their naturalistic simplicity. The show, curated by Louvre director Pierre Rosenberg, debuted at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, and appears at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, June 27-Sept. 3, 2000.

1900: Art at the Crossroads

This major exhibition traces the shift from the 19th-century academic tradition to the emerging avant-garde in 240 works by more than 170 artists who wore working around 1900. Artists include Bouguereau, Degas, Eakins, Gauguin, Monet, Mondrian and Picasso. Curated by Robert Rosenblum, the show is on view at the Guggenheim Museum, New York, May 19-Sept. 10, 2000.

Whitfield Lovell

Created during Whit-field Lovell's residency at the University of North Texas, Denton, "Whispers from the Walls" is an installation based on the forced removal of a thriving African-American community in 1921 because of fears about its proximity to a women's college. The installation comprises a one-room cabin, artifacts, portraits and sound. It is on view at the Neuberger Museum, Purchase, N.Y., through Aug. 20, and travels to the Studio Museum in Harlem, Oct. 11-Dec. 31, 2000.

Will Barnet

"Will Barnet: A Timeless World" surveys the career of this American painter whose abstract works of the 1940s and more recent figure studies are linked by a fascination with flat, interlocking planes of subtly contrasting colors. The show is organized by Gail Stavitsky, curator of the Montclair [N. J.] Art Museum, where it debuts May 14-Aug. 20, 2000, before traveling to the Boca Raton Museum of Art, Sept. 20-Nov. 5, 2000, the Portland [Me.] Museum of Art, Dec. 21, 2000-Feb. 18, 2001, and the Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, Mar. 23-May 20, 2001.

American Modern Design

Covering the period between the two World Wars, this exhibition contains 150 objects that trace the development of American design in such items as furniture, appliances, tableware, textiles and graphics. Included are Norman Bel Geddes, Eliel Saarinen and Frank Lloyd Wright. The show is organized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Federation of Arts. It is on view at the Met, May 16, 2000-Jan. 7, 2001, and travels to the Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, Calif., May 25-Aug. 19, 2001, the Mint Museum of Craft and Design, Charlotte, N.C., May 3-July 28, 2002, and other venues to be announced.

William Edmondson

In the 1930s, the Tennessee stone-carver William Edmondson was the first African-American to have a solo show at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and his studio was documented in photos by Edward Weston, yet he died in obscurity in 1951. Since then, his works have become iconic examples of American folk and self-taught art. This show includes 58 major sculptures as well as documentary material, and was organized by the Cheekwood Museum of Art, Nashville, where it debuted. It appears at the Museum of American Folk Art, New York, May 20-Aug. 27, 2000, before traveling to the Memorial Art Gallery, University of Rochester, Sept. 23, 2000-Jan. 7, 2001, the High Museum, Atlanta, Feb. 24-May 20, 2001, and the Mennello Museum of American Folk Art, Orlando, June 2-Aug. 26, 2001.

Andy Goldsworthy

The first U.S. museum survey for British artist Andy Goldsworthy, this exhibition includes a number of sculptures, installation pieces, photos and drawings, including the site-specific, 2,278-foot stone Wall that went for a walk, built on the grounds. Curated by David Collens, the show appears at the Storm King Art Center, Mountainville, N.Y., May 22-Nov. 15, 2000.

Nic Nicosia

Dallas-based photographer Nic Nicosia is known for his staged images of everyday dramas of family life and adult leisure activities. This retrospective comprises works from 1970 to '99, including his recent film and video pieces. It is organized by the Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, where it debuted before traveling to the Dallas Museum of Art, May 25-Aug. 27, 2000. Itinerary: Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art, Sept. 8-Nov. 19, 2000; Austin Museum of Art, Dec. 8, 2000-Feb. 4, 2001.

William Merritt Chase

"William Merritt Chase: Modern American Space" includes 35 major landscape paintings by the American Impressionist master. Curated by Judith Barter, the show debuts at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, May 26-Aug. 13, 2000, and travels to the Art Institute of Chicago, Sept. 9-Nov. 26, 2000.

Unnatural Science

This exhibition brings together monumental works produced since 1987 that use scientific narrative, practices or esthetics. Featuring such artists as Kiki Smith, Matthew Ritchie, Catherine Chalmers, Janine Antoni and Steina Vasulka, the survey appears at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, North Adams, June 3, 2000-Mar. 15, 2001. In conjunction with the show, Tim Hawkinson's new work, Uberorgan, a football-field-sized musical instrument, is on view through Nov. 1, 2001.