Allen Memorial Art Museum FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oberlin CollegeSeptember 16, 2013
87 North Main StreetContact: Megan Harding
Oberlin, Ohio 44074440.775.8670
General information: 440.775.8665
FALL 2013 PROGRAMS AND EXHIBITIONS AT THE ALLEN
Four current exhibitions at the Allen Memorial Art Museum examine the realistart movement from its roots in mid-19th-century France tothe present day.
Regarding Realism—through June 22, 2014
Rejecting classical tradition, realists depicted the world around them, from landscapes and rural scenes to the grittiness of urban life. Their open-air paintings and sketches—a landscape study by Théodore Rousseau, for example—set the stage for the later works of Impressionist and post-Impressionist artists, including Claude Monet, whose Wisteria (1919-20) is featured.
See related event on December 5.
Modern and Contemporary Realisms—through June 22, 2014
Works range from colorful expressionist paintings of the early 20th century to highly detailed photorealist works by Chuck Close and Audrey Flack. Highlights include Picasso’s 1911 canvas, Glass of Absinthe, and Red Grooms’ near-life-size Token Booth with Nude Commuters (1975).
The Human Comedy: Chronicles of 19th-Century France—through Dec. 22, 2013
This exhibition of about 150 works—primarily lithographs reproduced in the French popular press—examines both French art and literature. While Balzac was a pioneer of the serial novel, Honoré Daumier and Paul Gavarni were among the first to utilize lithography as an artistic medium. Now large numbers of their works could be reproduced and circulated widely in homes, cafés, and city streets—an immediacy that was well suited to social and political satire.
See related event onOctober 3.
Harold E. Edgerton, Seeking Facts—through December 22, 2013
Works by the legendary Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor, who pioneered flash photography techniques in the course of his scientific investigations, include images of an atomic detonation, surface tension, and other phenomena.
F R E E PUBLIC EVENTS
First Thursday Lecture,October 3, 5:30 p.m.
“Proper Women, Necessary Women”
Libby Murphy, associate professor of French, and Greggor Mattson, assistant professor of sociology, give a talk on the gender and sexuality roles evident in the exhibition The Human Comedy: Chronicles of 19th-Century France. On view through December 22, this selection of French satirical prints shows female dandies, laundresses, housewives, and courtesans that populated the 19th-century imagination. Murphy curated the exhibition and is teaching a related course.
Tuesday Tea Talk, October 8, 2:30 p.m.—Sebastiaan Faber, professor of Hispanic studies and director of the Oberlin Center for Languages and Cultures, has developed ObieMAPS, a web interface that allows users to find connections between museum collections, academic courses, faculty expertise, and study-away programs at Oberlin College.
First Thursday Lecture,November 7, 5:30 p.m.
Robert M. Edsel, author of The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History, will present this year’s Harold Jantz Memorial Lecture. He will tell the story of the Monuments Men, a group of American and British scholars and army officers —including Charles Parkhust, the AMAM’s director from 1949-62—who located and helped to restitute many of Europe’s art treasures following Nazi theft. Edsel’s book has been adapted for a major motion picture starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett and Bill Murray, which will open in theaters this December. Edsel’s Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art received the 2007 National Humanities Medal. A book signing will follow the talk.
Tuesday Tea Talk, November 12, 2:30 p.m.—AndaleebBadiee Banta, the museum’s curator of European and American art, gives a talk on A Vision of the Holy Family Near Verona, a 1581 painting recently reinstalled in the Nord Gallery.
First Thursday Lecture,December 5, 5:30 p.m.
“Courbet’s Realism”
Linda Nochlin, a leading scholar in the field of 19th-century art, holds the Lila Acheson Wallace Professorship in Modern Art at New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts. Nochlin’s1971 book Realism remains the standard source for study of the art movement. She is known for her seminal essay “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?” and other publications such asWomen, Art and Power, The Politics of Vision: Essays on 19th-Century Art and Society, and Representing Women.
Tuesday Tea Talk, December 10, 2:30 p.m.—Jeffrey Pence, associate professor of English and cinema studies, will discuss new ways of looking at art history as the history of media development.
Sunday Object Talks, 2 p.m.
September 15 through December 15 (except October 20 and 27, and December 1). Each student-led talk focuses on a work on view and lasts about 15 minutes, followed by time for questions.
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MUSEUM Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday 1 to 5 p.m.; closed Mondays and major holidays. Free educational or group guided tours may be arranged by calling 440.775.8671.
The Allen Memorial Art Museum cares for more than 14,000 works that provide a comprehensive overview of the history of art. A non-profit institution that is part of Oberlin College, the AMAM works withfaculty and students to promote direct study of original works of art, foster visual literacy, and deepen appreciation for the diversity of the world’s cultures. Founded in 1917 with the idea that learning about art is important for everyone, the museum offers free admission.