Written by Gerald Steiner Saturday, 25 June 2011 22:22

National Museum of American Illustration Shows Tom Wolfe's Illustrations

Newport, RI.- After an outstanding reception by visitors last summer at the National Museum of American Illustration’s 10th Anniversary Gala, Tom Wolfe’s illustrations from his 1980 book "In Our Time" returns in an expanded format for the 2011 Summer season - continuing the first ever exhibition of Tom Wolfe’s illustrations. Widely known for his satirical accounts of modern life, Wolfe is far less known for his brilliantly humorous and engaging pen and ink illustrations. Now on exhibit in conjunction with the widely acclaimed exhibition, "Norman Rockwell: American Imagist", viewers have the unique opportunity to see two very different interpretations of American life; Rockwell’s quintessential Americana, and Wolfe’s New Journalistic social commentary and cultural observations, concurrently exhibited at the NMAI’s venue, Vernon Court, a 19th century Gilded Age mansion in Newport. "Tom Wolfe: In Our Time" is on view at the museum until September 4th.

The leading figure in the New Journalism movement of the 1960s and 70s, Tom Wolfe is widely renowned for his unconventional writings on American society and culture, such as his near manifesto 'The KandyKolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby' and later 'The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test', as well as fictional works including 'The Bonfire of the Vanities' and 'A Man in Full'. "In Our Time", is a compilation of essays originally printed in Harper’s Magazine reflecting changes which occurred throughout American society during the 1970’s. George Christian, of the Houston Chronicle, remarked when viewing Wolfe’s illustrations for In Our Time:  “The  sometimes exaggerated yet always vivid, colorful style that makes Wolfe the master of the printed word also marks his art…mere words cannot adequately describe the sly humor, biting sarcasm or sharp insights of these drawings, but be assured that they make the same dramatic impact as the incredible sentences.”

In a speech given at the NMAI’s 10th Anniversary Gala, Wolfe reflected on the evolution of modern and contemporary art: “I feel very comfortable predicting that art historians 50 years from now, assuming we are in a world kind enough to indulge art historians, will look back upon illustrators as the great American artists of the second half of the 20th century.”

Vernon Court, an adaptation of an early 18th century French chateau, was designed and built in 1898 for Mrs. Richard van Nest Gambrill of Peapack, New Jersey. Occupying one full block on historic Bellevue Avenue, Vernon Court was widely heralded as the most spectacular mansion of its kind in America. Author Barr Ferree wrote in American Estates and Gardens (1904) that Vernon Court was "one of the truly greatest estates in America... it has startling beauty and daring originality giving it high rank among the notable houses of America". It was compared with the White House, the Biltmore, The Breakers, and several other mansions as one of the ten greatest mansions in America. Vernon Court stands today as an incredible architectural monument and clearly remains one of the most significant structures in the nation. The late J. Carter Brown, Director Emeritus, National Gallery of Art in Washington remarked in a 1999 letter to our founders, "Vernon Court has to be one of the very most beautiful in Newport, and its state of conservation should be a role model for everyone in the preservation field." The National Museum of American Illustration (NMAI) is a nonprofit independent, educational, and aesthetic organization located in Vernon Court. It is the first national museum devoted exclusively to illustration art, images created to be reproduced in books, periodicals, art prints, and advertisements. The NMAI’s American Imagist Collection features paintings by Norman Rockwell, JC Leyendecker, Maxfield Parrish, NC Wyeth, and over 180 others – it is considered a national treasure of art and architecture. Visit the museum's website at ... http://www.americanillustration.org

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