Birmingham Museum of Art Shows 'Portraits of the Founding Fathers'

Tuesday, 24 October 2006 14:05

Birmingham, AL - The Birmingham Museum of Art presents Framing a Nation: Portraits of the Founding Fathers from the Westervelt Warner Museum of American Art ( WWMAA) through December 30, 2006.  The first exhibition in a series of four to come from the WWMAA, Framing a Nation explores the colonial period of our country, featuring such historical images as George Washington by Gilbert Stuart and The Declaration of Independence by Edward Hicks.  The WWMAA, housing the extensive private collection of Jack Warner’s American art, has partnered with the Birmingham Museum of Art to bring this series of exhibitions that traces the founding, development and expansion of America.

Warner, a World War II veteran, a top 200 private art collector (as named by Art & Antiques magazine), and patriotic man, hopes that generations to come learn about the history of our nation through the art collection, and the visual narrative that is organized to travel to Birmingham.

“This first show says a lot about Jack Warner as a Collector.  Jack is passionate about his art, and that passion is driven by his patriotism and his love of the American Story,” says Dr. Susan Austin, WWMAA Director.

Each exhibition in the series is small and focused, with fifteen to twenty carefully chosen objects that best tell the story of the particular historical period.  The Birmingham Museum of Art believes this exhibition reaches beyond lovers of American art who are interested in viewing pieces by American Masters such as Rembrandt Peale, Frederic Edwin Church, Andrew Wyeth, his son Jamie Wyeth.  Framing a Nation and subsequent exhibitions are a must-see for those interested in history, government and the growth of a nation.

“Mr. Warner’s generosity has provided a unique opportunity to engage firsthand with some of the most significant depictions of our founding fathers and to understand the importance of portraiture to the formation of our national identity,” says Graham Boettcher, The Luce Foundation Curatorial Fellow of American Art.

The remaining three exhibitions in the series are scheduled throughout 2007. The series culminates at the beginning of World War II.

The Birmingham Museum of Art, one of the finest regional museums in the United States, houses a diverse collection of more than 25,000 paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings and decorative arts dating from ancient to modern times.  The collection, based on the exceptional quality of each work, presents a rich panorama of cultures featuring the museum's extensive holdings of Asian, European, American, African, Pre-Columbian and Native American art.  Visit : www.artsbma.org/