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American Moderns: The Legacy of Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest opens on June 2 This summer, the James A. Michener Art Museum will present American Moderns: The Legacy of Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest, an exhibition that showcases the remarkable gifts of the Lenfest family and explores their lasting impact on the museum's legacy. Opening on June 2, American Moderns will be on view through October 21, 2018. Charles Evans, Yellow Extraction, c. 1952. Oil on canvas. 40 x 46 inches. James A. Michener Art Museum. Gift of Marguerite and Gerry Lenfest. "In creating this exhibition, we wanted to draw attention not only to the generosity of remarkable collectors such as the Lenfests, but also to the lasting contributions of artists in this region to the evolution of 20th-century art," said Louise Feder, who curated the exhibition. "We felt it was particularly appropriate to do so by mounting this special exhibition in the Michener's 30th anniversary year." At the cusp of the 20th century, artists began to rebel against traditional modes of expression and exhibition. Although the Delaware Valley region is frequently associated with Impressionism, the area also launched some of the most important developments that transformed American art: the roots of the Ashcan School; the leading proponents of Precisionist painting; and some of the first artists to explore non-objective painting. A significant gift of 33 works from Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest enabled the Michener Art Museum to highlight the significant contributions to the development of modern art in America as seen through the prism of our region. Artists such as Charles Frederick Ramsey, Louis Stone, Charles Evans, Lloyd Ney, and Charles Rosen were actively engaged in the artistic dialogue that resulted in major shifts in American art at mid-century. Influenced by the innovative achievements of the European avant-garde, these painters experimented with such modernist trends as Cubism, Futurism, Surrealism, Biomorphism, Synchromism, Precisionism, and Neo-Plasticism. Along with the exhibition, the Michener Art Museum will present a series of programs including a gallery talk by Curator Louise Feder at 3 pm on June 7; a musical performance by Phyllis Chapell and SIORA at 3 pm on September 30; and a lecture by Jessica T. Smith, Susan Gray Detweiler Curator of American Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, at 1 pm on October 2. American Moderns: The Legacy of Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest is supported by Mary and Dennis Helf and Judy and Seth Blau. For more information and to purchase tickets in advance, visit MichenerArtMuseum.org. About the James A. Michener Art Museum The James A. Michener Art Museum collects, preserves, interprets and exhibits American art, and promotes the work of nationally and internationally known Delaware Valley artists of all eras and creative disciplines. The museum presents exhibitions that explore a variety of artistic expressions and offers diverse educational programs that develop a lifelong involvement in the arts. The James A. Michener Art Museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The Michener Art Museum is located at 138 South Pine St., Doylestown, PA. The museum is open Tuesday through Friday, 10:00 am - 4:30 pm; Saturday, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm; and Sunday, noon - 5:00 pm. For more information, visit MichenerArtMuseum.org or call 215.340.9800.
American Moderns: The Legacy of Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest opens on June 2
This summer, the James A. Michener Art Museum will present American Moderns: The Legacy of Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest, an exhibition that showcases the remarkable gifts of the Lenfest family and explores their lasting impact on the museum's legacy. Opening on June 2, American Moderns will be on view through October 21, 2018.
Charles Evans, Yellow Extraction, c. 1952. Oil on canvas. 40 x 46 inches. James A. Michener Art Museum. Gift of Marguerite and Gerry Lenfest. "In creating this exhibition, we wanted to draw attention not only to the generosity of remarkable collectors such as the Lenfests, but also to the lasting contributions of artists in this region to the evolution of 20th-century art," said Louise Feder, who curated the exhibition. "We felt it was particularly appropriate to do so by mounting this special exhibition in the Michener's 30th anniversary year."
At the cusp of the 20th century, artists began to rebel against traditional modes of expression and exhibition. Although the Delaware Valley region is frequently associated with Impressionism, the area also launched some of the most important developments that transformed American art: the roots of the Ashcan School; the leading proponents of Precisionist painting; and some of the first artists to explore non-objective painting. A significant gift of 33 works from Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest enabled the Michener Art Museum to highlight the significant contributions to the development of modern art in America as seen through the prism of our region. Artists such as Charles Frederick Ramsey, Louis Stone, Charles Evans, Lloyd Ney, and Charles Rosen were actively engaged in the artistic dialogue that resulted in major shifts in American art at mid-century. Influenced by the innovative achievements of the European avant-garde, these painters experimented with such modernist trends as Cubism, Futurism, Surrealism, Biomorphism, Synchromism, Precisionism, and Neo-Plasticism.
Along with the exhibition, the Michener Art Museum will present a series of programs including a gallery talk by Curator Louise Feder at 3 pm on June 7; a musical performance by Phyllis Chapell and SIORA at 3 pm on September 30; and a lecture by Jessica T. Smith, Susan Gray Detweiler Curator of American Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, at 1 pm on October 2.
American Moderns: The Legacy of Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest is supported by Mary and Dennis Helf and Judy and Seth Blau.
For more information and to purchase tickets in advance, visit MichenerArtMuseum.org.
About the James A. Michener Art Museum The James A. Michener Art Museum collects, preserves, interprets and exhibits American art, and promotes the work of nationally and internationally known Delaware Valley artists of all eras and creative disciplines. The museum presents exhibitions that explore a variety of artistic expressions and offers diverse educational programs that develop a lifelong involvement in the arts. The James A. Michener Art Museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
The Michener Art Museum is located at 138 South Pine St., Doylestown, PA. The museum is open Tuesday through Friday, 10:00 am - 4:30 pm; Saturday, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm; and Sunday, noon - 5:00 pm. For more information, visit MichenerArtMuseum.org or call 215.340.9800.