The Academy Art Museum in Easton, MD, is partnering with the National Gallery of Art to present the exhibition, Mark Rothko: Selections from the National Gallery of Art, from February 4 through April 22, 2012. One of the preeminent artists of his generation, Mark Rothko (1903-1970) was a leader of the Abstract Expressionist movement. The Russian born artist is also closely identified with the New York School of Painters that emerged during the 1940s as a new collective voice in American art. Most of the graphic artwork on view at the Academy Art Museum is on exhibit for the first time.
During a career that spanned five decades, he created a new and impassioned form of abstract painting. Rothko’s work is characterized by rigorous attention to formal elements such as color, shape, balance, depth, composition, and scale. He was also fascinated by human psychology and the state of the mind. This exhibition will include not only the iconic color paintings of the 1950s and 1960s, but also works from the 1930s and 40s when Rothko employed more representational and symbolic imagery.
At the same time the Rothko exhibition is on display at the Academy Art Museum, the art of Kyung-Lim Lee will be on display in the exhibition, Kyung-Lim Lee: The Order of Contemplation, on display February 4 through April 15, 2012. Kyung-Lim Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1957 and emigrated to the United States with her family in 1972. She studied art at Pratt Institute and graduated with a BFA in drawing in 1983. Since her first solo show in 1993, she has exhibited in many group and solo shows at institutions such as P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, the Bronx Museum, and the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art among other venues.
Lee’s abstract drawings and paintings are the result of a complex thought process based upon her consideration of set of 10 Chinese and Korean language characters. These characters represent words and ideas such as Flesh, Bone, Soul, and Resolution. She is interested in language and systems of meaning. Paradoxically, no system is readily evident when viewing her works. The conceptual framework that is essential to the production of the images is not overtly represented. Rather one may be struck by the power of the colors and an overall radiance.
Both exhibitions are sponsored by the Maryland State Arts Council and the Talbot County Arts Council. A Members’ Reception will be held on Friday, February 3, 2012, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. A Gallery Talk on the Rothko exhibition by Anke Van Wagenberg, Curator, will be held on Friday, February 3, 2012, at 6 p.m. Curator-Led Tours of both exhibitions will be held on Tuesday, February 21, at 11 a.m.; Wednesday, February 29, at 1 p.m.; Monday, March 12, at 11 a.m.; and Wednesday, April 11, at 11 a.m.
On Friday, February 10, 2012 at noon, at the Academy Art Museum, Harry Cooper, Head of the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art at the National Gallery of Art will present a lecture, “Looking at Rothko.” The cost is $20 for Museum members and $30 for non-members and it includes a light lunch.
Admission to the Museum is $3 for non–members, children under 12 admitted free. The Museum is open Monday and Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. with extended hours on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday hours are 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. The First Friday of each month, the Museum is open until 7 p.m. The Museum is located at 106 South St., Easton, MD, 21601. For general Museum information, call 410-822-ARTS (2787) or visit: www.academyartmuseum.org.
In photo above: Mark Rothko, Untitled, 1955, Oil on canvas
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mrs. Paul Mellon, in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art 1992.51.13
Copyright © 1997 Christopher Rothko and Kate Rothko Prizel
In photo: Kyung-Lim Lee, Returning Circle, 2009
Dry Pigment on Paper
24 7/8 x 35 7/8