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Press Kit Exhibition January 14 - April 16, 2012
Denon Wing, 1st floor, room 32
New Frontier : American Art Enters the Louvre
Press contact Marion Benaiteau [email protected] Tél. +33 (0)1 40 20 67 10 / +33 6 88 42 52 62
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Summary
Press release page 3 Partner institutions page 6 American Friends of the Louvre page 8 « Musée-musées » study day page 9 Publication page 11 Pictures available for the press page 12
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Visitor information Hours Open daily except Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 5.45 p.m., and until 9:45 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Admission fees Access to the exhibition is included in the purchase of an admission to the museum’s permanent collections: €10. Free admission for under-18s, under-26s resident in the UE, and for all visitors the first Sunday of each month.
Further information Tél. +33 (0)1 40 20 53 17 - www.louvre.fr
Press release Exhibition
January 14 - April 16, 2012
New Frontier : American Art Enters the Louvre
Thomas Cole and the Birth of Landscape Painting in America
The musée du Louvre, the High Museum of Art, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, and the Terra Foundation for American Art have announced the launch of a four-year collaboration devoted to American art. The first installation will explore the rise of American landscape painting through the works of Thomas Cole and Asher B. Durand. “Thomas Cole and the Birth of Landscape Painting in America“ exhibition
The first presentation of the “New Frontier” partnership is centered on Thomas Cole (1801 -1848) and the rise of American landscape painting. The Louvre acquired in 1975 The Cross in the Wilderness, which represents the culmination of the artist’s reflection, initiated in 1825, on the representation of a certain type of American landscape, both untouched and grandiose. Inspired by the sentiments expressed in contemporary American literature, by writers such as James Fenimore Cooper and William Cullen Bryant, the works of Cole and those of his compatriot Asher B. Durand, initiated a particularly new and fertile genre in the young school of American painting. Five works drawn from the collections of the partner institutions have been selected for the inaugural presentation. In addition to the painting from the Louvre, these include The Tempest (High Museum of Art), one of the first landscapes by the artist; Landscape with Figures: A Scene from “The Last of the Mohicans”, painted by Cole in 1826 and considered one of the artist’s first masterpieces (Terra Foundation for American Art); and Cole’s last painting, The Good Shepherd, 1848 (Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art). A painting by Asher B. Durand (High Museum of Art) rounds out the presentation and demonstrates the profound influence of Cole on his contemporaries. Following its premiere at the Louvre, the exhibition will travel to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, AR (May 12 – August 13, 2012) and to the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, GA (September 22, 2012 – January 6, 2013).
Exhibition curator: Guillaume Faroult, Curator, département des Peintures, musée du Louvre, Paris
Communication Department Press contact : Marion Benaiteau Anne-Laure Béatrix [email protected] Adel Ziane Tel. +33 (0)1 40 20 67 10 / +33 (0)6 88 42 52 62
Thomas Cole, The Cross in the Wilderness, Paris, musée du Louvre © 2008 RMN / Jean-Gilles Berizzi
This focused presentation at the Louvre is part of a multi-year collaboration with Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, and the Terra Foundation for American Art, and made possible through their generous support. Related educational programs in the Auditorium are supported by American Friends of the Louvre and the Mark Pigott Lecture and Research Fund.
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“New Frontier : American Art Enters the Louvre” Partnership
“New Frontier : American Art Enters the Louvre”, a four year partnership between the musée du Louvre, the High Museum of Art, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Terra Foundation for American Art comprises annual exhibitions dedicated to American art. It also includes educational and scientific projects which aim to offer the public a better understanding of the art of the United States (from the end of the 18th century until the second half of the 19th century). On January 14th, 2012, the Auditorium du Louvre is hosting a study day, “American Art: New Projects and Installations at the Louvre and at Museums in the United States and Around the World”, inviting to reflect upon the history of museums and departments dedicated to American art, which have been burgeoning on the north-American territory since the last quarter of the 19th century and whose treasures remain quite unknown among Europeans. It will feature presentations by the leadership of the four partner institutions and other speakers including Guillermo Solana, chief curator and artistic director of Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid, and Bruce Robertson, art history professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The study day and a presentation of the exhibition at the Louvre Auditorium on February 13 are supported by American Friends of the Louvre and the Mark Pigott Lecture and Research Fund. “For the past several years, the Louvre has been revitalizing its interest in American art,” said Henri Loyrette, president and director of the Louvre. “We have partnered with various institutions to organize exhibitions and conferences about American art and will continue to do so as we strive to build our own collection in this area. This project is a natural extension of our previous collaborations with the High and the Terra, and responds to a great demand for seeing and studying American art in France.” “As the newest museum devoted to the study and presentation of American art, we are a natural partner in this collaboration,” said Don Bacigalupi, director of Crystal Bridges. “We are excited to share works from our collection and spread awareness about American art history worldwide.” “This collaboration extends the High’s ongoing strategy of establishing partnerships with museums throughout the world,” said Michael E. Shapiro, the High’s Nancy and Holcombe T. Green, Jr., Director. “This partnership not only enables us to bring important works of art to our audiences in the southeast, but also allows us to provide some greater depth and context for the works of American art in our collection.” “Our mission is to create opportunities for individuals worldwide to engage with American art in meaningful ways,” said Elizabeth Glassman, president and chief executive officer of the Terra Foundation. “This partnership is singular in bringing together works of American art from significant collections in a multi-year initiative. In
Film
Thomas Cole: painting the American Landscape
Saturdays from 10 am to 5 pm in January and February Saturdays from 10 am to 1 pm in March Pyramide hall, free entrance
Dir. : Eric Taylor, U.-K., 2010, 16 min., color.
Presentation of the exhibition
Monday, February 13 at 12:30 pm In the Auditorium du Louvre
by Guillaume Faroult, Curator, département des Peintures, musée du Louvre, Paris.
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presenting highlights of American art in new contexts for audiences, together we are providing forums for international discourse." Three years after the study day untitled “The Independence of American Art”, the Louvre and the Terra Foundation collaborated in 2006 on two important projects : the “American Artists and the Louvre” exhibition in which Samuel F. B. Morse’s monumental Gallery of the Louvre (1831–33) from the Terra Foundation’s collection hung in the Louvre’s Salon Carré, and the creation of the Lafayette database, a comprehensive inventory of works of American art in French collections. The musée du Louvre and the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, developed an unprecedented partnership based on a series of exhibitions and on an ambitious educational programming between 2006 and 2009. This innovative collaboration enabled the Louvre to forge a relationship with a new public from the South Eastern United States by bringing hundreds of works of art from its extensive collections to Atlanta. The success of “Louvre Atlanta” was demonstrated by the widespread popularity and record attendance levels of the exhibitions (over 1.31 million visitors over three years).
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Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art explores the unfolding story of America through the collection of works that illuminate American heritage and artistic possibilities. Founded in 2005 by the Walton Family Foundation, the Museum opened on November 11, 2011. The Museum takes its name from a nearby natural spring and the bridge construction incorporated in the building design by architect Moshe Safdie. A series of pavilions nestled around two spring-fed ponds house collection and exhibition galleries, meeting and classroom spaces, and a large, glass-enclosed gathering hall. The Museum’s goal of uniting art and nature is realized not only by the physical building, but through sculpture and walking trails, which link the Museum's 120-acre park and gardens to downtown Bentonville, Arkansas. The Museum’s permanent collection spans five centuries of American paintings, sculpture, and works on paper ranging from the Colonial era to the current day. The partnership with the High, Terra Foundation, and the Louvre continues Crystal Bridges’ emphasis on forming productive, collegial relationships with like-minded institutions. During the construction of the museum in Bentonville, Crystal Bridges lent a number of its most significant works throughout the United States, including the Seattle Art Museum; Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Ft. Worth, Texas; Philadelphia Museum of Art; and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Paintings also traveled nationally and internationally in exhibitions such as American Stories: Paintings of Everyday Life, 1765–1915, shown at the Metropolitan and Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and An American Experiment: George Bellows and the Ashcan Painters at The National Gallery in London. High Museum of Art
The High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia, is the leading art museum in the southeastern United States. Located in Midtown Atlanta’s arts and business district, the High has more than 12,000 works of art in its permanent collection. The Museum has an extensive anthology of 19th- and 20th-century American art; significant holdings of European paintings and decorative art; a growing collection of African American art; and burgeoning collections of modern and contemporary art, photography and African art. The High is also dedicated to supporting and collecting works by Southern artists and is distinguished as the only major museum in North America to have a curatorial department specifically devoted to the field of folk and self-taught art. In November 2005 the High opened three new buildings by architect Renzo Piano that more than doubled the Museum’s size, creating a vibrant “village for the arts” at the Woodruff Arts Center in midtown Atlanta. The High has partnered with major international museums including the National Galleries of Scotland, the musée d’Orsay in Paris, the Bargello in Florence, the Munch Museum in Oslo, and the Pushkin Museum in Moscow. The High also has a long-standing relationship with the musée du Louvre dating back to 1998.
Partner institutions
www.crystalbridges.org
www.high.org
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Terra Foundation for American Art
Established in 1978, the Terra Foundation for American Art is dedicated to fostering the exploration, understanding, and enjoyment of the visual arts of the United States. With an exceptional collection of American art from the colonial era to 1945, an expansive grant program, and specialized staff at its Chicago and Paris offices, it is one of the leading foundations focused on American art, and devotes approximately $12 million annually in support of American art exhibitions, projects, and research worldwide. The Terra Foundation collaborates with institutions worldwide to support American art exhibitions, projects, and research. Such collaborations have included a partnership with the musée du Louvre to present their first exhibition of American art, a partnership with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation to create the exhibition “Art in America: 300 Years of Innovation,” the first survey of American art that traveled to Beijing, Shanghai, Moscow, and Bilbao as well as a partnership with The National Gallery, London to organize annual presentations of American art over three years.
www.terraamericanart.org
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The American Friends of the Louvre American Friends of the Louvre (AFL) is a U.S. charity founded to strengthen ties between the Louvre and the American public and to formalize the longstanding generosity of American patrons. The organization has a thirteen member board of directors whose Chairman is Christopher Forbes, Vice Chairman of Forbes, Inc. AFL is dedicated to furthering the Louvre’s cultural and educational efforts through an active grant-making program. To date, more than $13 million have been committed to benefit the Louvre’s eight curatorial departments as well as the Education Department and Auditorium. Initiatives supported range from scholarly research to gallery renovations and also include contemporary art installations, restorations and acquisitions. Individuals from the U.S. and abroad have supported AFL through its Chairman’s Circle and International Council membership programs and its fund raising galas in the U.S. and France. Major support for membership, fund raising events and special projects has also been received from corporations. In addition, AFL has secured grants from a number of U.S. foundations for Louvre projects. AFL is currently in the final stages of a $4 million campaign for the renovation of the Louvre’s 18th-century decorative arts galleries. Major gifts from individuals and the Liaisons au Louvre galas held in Paris have contributed to these fundraising efforts. AFL is also helping the Department of Prints and Drawings conserve its incomparable collection of pastels and has raised $150,000 thus far for this initiative. The Louvre and AFL recently collaborated on securing the first gift to the Museum’s Endowment from Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute and Pierre Omidyar. The $3 million gift created the Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Fund to support research and educational programs related to Persian art and culture. AFL also helps the Louvre enrich its collections. In 2011, a major ensemble of British works was donated by the Forbes family to AFL in honor of Christopher Forbes and was placed on long term loan at the Louvre. AFL has actively promoted the Louvre’s interest in American art. Funding has been provided for The American Season at the Louvre, a series of programs curated by Toni Morrison; creation of the La Fayette Database for American Art, an inventory of American art in French public collections; and a number of installations and exhibitions by living American artists, including Nan Goldin and Mike Kelley. American Friends of the Louvre, along with its Mark Pigott Lecture and Research Fund, is helping further the Louvre’s ambition to present and study American art by supporting its new partnership “New Frontier.” The focused installations, publications and educational programs will allow the Louvre’s visitors to discover key works by American artists in a new context.
www.aflouvre.org
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American Art : New Projects and Installations
at the Louvre and at Museums in the United
States and Around the World The multiyear partnership “New Frontier” and the presentation of several landscapes from the American painter Thomas Cole (1801-1848) in the Louvre invite us to reflect upon the history of museums and departments dedicated to American art, which have been burgeoning on the north-American territory since the last quarter of the 19th century and whose treasures remain quite unknown among Europeans. Indeed while the American artists of the 20th and 21st centuries are widely represented in modern art museums worldwide, the museums and departments of American art are still marginalized outside of the United States, with the exception of the outstanding collection of the Thyssen Bornemisza Museum in Madrid. Yet, it seems like today in the United States, institutions dedicated to national collections are being revived, as can be testified by the recent opening of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in November 2011 in Bentonville, Arkansas, where a wood and glass setting welcomes a major collection of American artworks from the 18th century to nowadays. While studying the architectural and museographic project of the Crystal Bridges Museum, in the presence of its director and the world-famous architect Moshe Safdie, and the history of the major museums of American art, whether old or recent, this study day will analyse the motivations which have guided or are currently guiding the creation of such institutions, the strategies used to form the collections and the missions they are to fulfil today, in the times of multiculturalism and globalization. The 420-seat Louvre Auditorium regularly organizes “Musée-musées” symposia addressed to a public of students, scholars and museums professionals. First-range academics, architects, museum directors and curators present and comment upon new developments in museums throughout the world, engaging discussions about the patrimonial and social role of the museums today. Program officer Charlotte Chastel-Rousseau, department of the Auditorium and Cultural Events.
Educational programs in the Auditorium are supported by American Friends of the Louvre and the Mark Pigott Lecture and Research Fund.
« Musée-musées » study day Saturday, January 14 From 10 am to 6 pm
A program in French will be available at the Auditorium.
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, view of art trail from gallery bridge, with Lowell's Ocean by Mark di Suvero © Timothy Hursley
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10 am Opening by Henri Loyrette, president-director of the musée du Louvre
I- New Frontier. American Art Enters the Louvre chaired by Guillaume Faroult, musée du Louvre 10:30 am High times: Collection building in Atlanta by Michael E. Shapiro, Nancy and Holcombe T. Green, Jr. Director, High Museum of Art, Atlanta 11 am A museum without walls: the American art collection of the Terra Foundation by Elizabeth Glassman, president and chief executive officer, Terra Foundation for American Art, Chicago / Paris 11:30 am Questions 11:45 am Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, from concept to fulfillment by Don Bacigalupi, director of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville 12:15 pm Nature as a museum for Art by Moshe Safdie, architect, Safdie Architects, Boston 12:45 - 1 pm Questions
II- America, Americas : The Narrative of American Art in Museums chaired by Katherine Bourguignon, Terra Foundation for American Art, Paris 2:30 pm The stories and museums of American art by Bruce Robertson, professor, University of California, Santa Barbara 3 pm American art, from the private house to the public museum by Guillermo Solana, artistic director, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid 3:30 pm Questions 4 pm Round table Do the renovations of museums and departments of American art contribute to a revival of American nationalism? with the participation of Katherine Bourguignon, Anne Dopffer, Musée franco-américain du château de Blérancourt, Guillaume Faroult and Bruce Robertson. 5:30 pm Conclusion
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, East building viewed from across upper pond © Timothy Hursley
Program of the study day
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Coedition musée du Louvre éditions / Somogy éditions d’art Collection Solo 64 pages 14x21cm 30 illustrations ISBN Louvre : 978-2-7572-0528-0 Price (TTC) : 9.50 euros This publication benefited from the generous support of the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Thomas Cole The Cross in the Wilderness By Guillaume Faroult with contributions from Katherine Bourguignon, Stephanie Mayer Heydt and Kevin M. Murphy. Since 1975, the Louvre has had in its collection a luminous painting by Thomas Cole (1801–1848), The Cross in the Wilderness, which is the culmination of his quest to portray a certain type of American landscape - the wilderness, the mythical archetype of grandiose and unspoiled nature. He drew inspiration from early American literary works, including The Last of the Mohicans, published in 1826. This painting also contains many references to the art of the Old World; Cole, who was born in England and visited Europe on several occasions, was familiar with its many schools of painting. The work represents an important milestone in his oeuvre, which was heavily influenced by the work of Claude Lorrain and Turner, as seen in the sensitive treatment of light and particularly original scenography. Guillaume Faroult unravels and analyzes the complex interplay of artistic devices that lie behind the work’s apparent and luminous simplicity. CONTRIBUTORS Guillaume Faroult,
Curator, département des Peintures, musée du Louvre, Paris.
Katherine Bourguignon,
Associate Curator, Terra Foundation for American Art Europe, Paris.
Stephanie Mayer Heydt,
Margaret and Terry Stent Curator of American Art, High Museum of Art, Atlanta.
Kevin M. Murphy, Curator of American Art, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville.
Publication
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Pictures available to the press
The pictures are free of charge before and during the exhibition. They can only be used to promote the exhibition.
Please mention the credit line and send us a copy of the article once published : Musée du Louvre, Pavillon Mollien, direction de la Communication, 75058 Paris cedex 01
Thomas Cole (1801-1848), Landscape with Figures: A Scene from ‘The Last of the Mohicans’, 1826, Terra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection, 1993.2 © Terra Foundation for American Art, Chicago
Thomas Cole, The Good Shepherd, 1848, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas © Courtesy Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas. Photograph by Dwight Primiano
Thomas Cole, The Tempest, 1825, High Museum of Art, Atlanta © High Museum of Art, Atlanta
Asher B. Durand (1796-1886), View near Rutland, Vermont, 1837, High Museum of Art, Atlanta © High Museum of Art, Atlanta
Thomas Cole, The Cross in the Wilderness, 1845, Paris, musée du Louvre © 2008 RMN / Jean-Gilles Berizzi
