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Recent Acquisitions Releases Press Release Archive |
American Life and Storytelling: The Art of Norman Rockwell June 27–September 1 Normal Rockwell brochure essay The Tyler Museum of Art is pleased to present a special exhibition on Norman Rockwell's art that showcases the icons of the American experience. This exhibition was inspired by a recent gift to TMA of a group of lithographs by this popular American artist. Ralph L. Davis of Tyler donated a suite of eight lithographs depicting the adventures of Tom Sawyer and another suite of five lithographs with scenes of the "American Family" to the Museum's permanent collection in December of last year. In addition to this group of prints, the exhibition includes paintings, drawings, and lithographs from the Norman Rockwell Museum, the Detroit Historical Society, the National Scouting Museum, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts in Hagerstown, Maryland, the University of Texas at Tyler, and the collection of Massachusetts Mutual Insurance Company in Springfield. In addition, a major loan from the Rainone Galleries in Arlington, Texas, features Rockwell's early to later works, several of which have not been seen in a public exhibition in recent years. Highlights of the exhibition include TMA's lithographs mentioned above, as well as well-known paintings from the other lending institutions such as The Oculist, 1956 (oil on canvas), Homecoming, 1961 (oil on canvas), The Mermaid, 1955 (oil on canvas), The Street Was Never the Same Again, 1953 (oil, charcoal and watercolor on canvas), When Winter Comes, 1924 (oil on canvas), and The Choir Boy, 1954 (oil on panel). This exhibition also provides a small context for Rockwell by presenting examples of works by other contemporary artists. Fellow illustrator Frank Stick (American, 1884-1966) also produced paintings for Field and Stream and The Saturday Evening Post magazines. A work by Stick titled Stopping for a Drink (1915) is on display. Another fellow illustrator and friend of Rockwell, Howard Chandler Christy (American, 1873-1952), is represented by his painting titled Mrs Rosamond Dodge (oil on canvas). The sitter Mrs Dodge was the wife of Robert Dodge of the Dodge Automobile Co. In addition, a work by Grandma Moses (Anna Mary Robertson) (American, 1860-1961) will be featured in the exhibition. She was a close friend of Rockwell's and he incorporated her portrait into several of his paintings. Examples of Saturday Evening Post magazine covers will also be displayed, as well as books that Rockwell illustrated. One of the books is Willie Was Different, written by Rockwell's wife Molly and illustrated by Rockwell in 1967. The copy on loan to TMA has been inscribed by the Rockwells. Norman Rockwell's art is so familiar to the American public that his images of events and scenes of everyday life have become icons of our popular culture of the mid-20th century. Recently, a retrospective exhibition of Rockwell's work was organized by the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and traveled to several major museums. The enormous success of that exhibition has provided scholars and art lovers an opportunity to rediscover the art and life of this prolific illustrator, and the accompanying catalogue Norman Rockwell: Pictures for the American People has helped place him in proper context with other artists of the past century. Norman Rockwell was born in New York City in 1894. He started formal art lessons at age fourteen at the New York School of Art, and at sixteen he enrolled at the National Academy of Design. He later studied at the Art Students League where he received his training in illustration under Thomas Fogarty and George Bridgman. Rockwell became a professional illustrator before he was 20 when he was hired by Boy's Life Magazine, the official publication of the Boy Scouts of America, and continued to work for many years for a variety of magazines such as Life, Literary Digest and Country Gentleman. His most famous assignment was with The Saturday Evening Post, with which he had a relationship from 1916 until 1963. Many of Norman Rockwell's cover illustrations for the Post are so well known and reproduced so often that those images have become synonymous with the "American experience." In 1961, he began to work for Look magazine, producing illustrations representing more socially sensitive issues of that time, such as civil rights and poverty. He died in 1978 at the age of 84. The Tyler Museum of Art will extend its hours to stay open until 8:00 p.m. on Thursday evenings throughout the period of the exhibition. Among the special events to be presented in conjunction with the exhibition are Family Days, a Scouting Day, and Rockwell Photo Days. Chez Bazan will serve light lunches in the Museum Café from 11:00–2:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday throughout the exhibition. Other events will also be offered throughout the summer. For the exhibition, TMA is expanding The Museum Shop to include Rockwell posters, books, videos, collectibles and other items. This exhibition was organized by the Tyler Museum of Art and will not be shown anywhere else. Lead sponsor for the exhibition is Su Holder. Additional support is being provided by The Vaughn Foundation, Target Stores, Southside Bank, Tyler Morning Telegraph, A. G. Edwards and Sons/Rose Brown, East Texas Medical Center, the Dairy Palace of Canton, the Spectrum Financial Group of Tyler, Dr. and Mrs. Harold Cameron, Dr. and Mrs. Leo Mack, and Dr. and Mrs. Jerry Parrish. The Tyler Museum of Art is located on the east side of the Tyler Junior College campus at 1300 South Mahon. Museum hours are 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday. The Museum is closed Mondays and major holidays. |