1. NEW WEB FEATURE: MAX ERNST: ILLUSTRATED BOOKS
Drawn from the Gallery's rare book collection, the Max Ernst: Illustrated Books exhibition (through September 6, 2008) highlights the mysterious, species-bending creatures invented by this German surrealist. Browse through an online gallery in our new Web feature, showing prints that run the gamut from supernatural and whimsical to sinister and dramatic. Visitors to the National Gallery of Art are also invited to attend a lecture, Max Ernst in America, on August 10, 2008.
http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2008/ernst/index.shtm (Web feature)
http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/ernstinfo.shtm (exhibition information)
http://www.nga.gov/programs/lectures/index.shtm#ernst (lecture)
2. THIS MONTH'S FEATURED ARTWORK FROM THE COLLECTION: The Lute Player by Orazio Gentileschi
Orazio Gentileschi was one of the earliest and most gifted painters to be inspired by Caravaggio's genre scenes in Rome. Here, he must have had in mind Caravaggio's famous picture on the same theme. Orazio's young woman listens intently to a note as it resonates in the pear-shaped body of the instrument. She may be tuning her lute in anticipation of the concert promised by the assortment of recorders, a cornetto and violin, and the song books lying open on the table before her. On view in the West Building, Main Floor, Gallery 29.
http://www.nga.gov/fcgi-bin/tinfo_f?object=46434 (The Lute Player)
http://www.nga.gov/cgi-bin/tbio?tperson=1332 (biography of Orazio Gentileschi)
3. RECENT ACQUISITION: THE NORTHERN WHALE FISHERY: THE "SWAN" AND "ISABELLA" BY JOHN WARD OF HULL
During the 18th and 19th centuries, Hull—an important British port and center for whaling—attracted a number of accomplished marine painters, including John Ward. The Northern Whale Fishery: The "Swan" and "Isabella" was unknown to modern scholarship until its appearance at auction in September 2006, and is among the most beautifully painted of all of Ward's creations. The two principal ships are painstakingly rendered to capture exact details of rigging and overall form; the scene is filled with activities associated with whaling; and a remarkable array of wildlife is present, including three seals and pairs of polar bears, walruses, and narwhales. As the Gallery's collection has only a few marine pictures by British artists and none depicting an Arctic scene, the work is an important and welcome addition. On view in the West Building, Main Floor, Gallery 91.
http://www.nga.gov/cgi-bin/pinfo?Object=135976+0+none
4. In Memoriam: Robert Rauschenberg (1925–2008)
In Robert Rauschenberg's practice, sculpture, painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, theater, dance, video, poetry, and musical composition all expanded to absorb the everyday and accidental. He challenged preconceptions about the boundaries between art and life and profoundly altered the course of art after midcentury. Learn more about this pioneer artist in our Web feature, which includes links to podcasts, the Gemini G.E.L. Online Catalogue Raisonne, works in the collection, past exhibition features, and more related resources.
http://www.nga.gov/collection/artists/rauschenberg.shtm
http://www.nga.gov/fcgi-bin/gemini.pl?command=search&slide=1&artist=42 (Gemini G.E.L. Online Catalogue Raisonne)
5. ONLINE TOUR: M. C. Escher—Life and Work
Dutch artist Maurits C. Escher was a draftsman, book illustrator, tapestry designer, and muralist, but his primary work was as a printmaker. Escher's early work often includes enigmatic spatial effects, created by combining various—often conflicting—vantage points. Later, his interest shifted from landscape to something he described as "mental imagery," based on theoretical premises. Our online tour explores works from the Gallery's preeminent collection of Escher's art outside Holland.
http://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/ggescher/ggescher-main1.html
6. CELL-PHONE TOUR: NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART EAST BUILDING
With more than 10,000 callers to date, the Gallery's cell-phone tour is a convenient way to learn more about the East Building and 10 artworks from the collection. Callers can stroll through the atrium while listening to Gallery director Earl A. Powell III, curators, and architect I. M. Pei discuss the building, the artworks, and the importance of sculpture in relation to the architecture. In addition to dialing in, visitors may now listen to all the tour stops in MP3 format and read the printer-friendly transcript on our Web site.
http://www.nga.gov/cell
http://www.nga.gov/cgi-bin/pinfo?Object=56253+0+none (Alexander Calder)
http://www.nga.gov/cgi-bin/pinfo?Object=130693+0+none (Andy Goldsworthy)
http://www.nga.gov/cgi-bin/pinfo?Object=56124+0+none (David Smith)
http://www.nga.gov/cgi-bin/pinfo?Object=56841+0+none (Max Ernst)
http://www.nga.gov/cgi-bin/pinfo?Object=124416+0+none (Ellsworth Kelly)
http://www.nga.gov/cgi-bin/pinfo?Object=115992+0+none (Richard Serra)
http://www.nga.gov/cgi-bin/pinfo?Object=81692+0+none (Sol LeWitt)
http://www.nga.gov/cgi-bin/pinfo?Object=128234+0+none (Rachel Whiteread)
http://www.nga.gov/cgi-bin/pinfo?Object=124632+0+none (Tony Smith)
http://www.nga.gov/cgi-bin/pinfo?Object=70066+0+none (Martin Puryear)
7. August Calendar of Events
Plan your visit to the Gallery with the help of the August Calendar of Events. Schedules of films, lectures, gallery talks, family activities, and concerts are listed along with information about each event. Events will be added as they are scheduled. Please check back regularly for the most up-to-date information.
http://www.nga.gov/programs/calendar
PLAN A VISIT / GENERAL INFORMATION
http://www.nga.gov/ginfo/index.htm
This page provides links to the Gallery's hours and location, Calendar of Events, restaurant hours, accessibility information, Gallery history, and news releases.
The National Gallery of Art, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Gallery is closed on December 25 and January 1.
Admission is free. For general information, call (202) 737-4215 or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) at (202) 842-6176.
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