Brooks Museum of Art Honors the Contributions of 'Art Today'

Wednesday, 26 September 2007 22:32

Memphis, Tennessee ─ The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art celebrates Art Today with an exhibition highlighting the founders and some of the important gifts they made to the museum. Art Today, a support group of the Brooks, initiated the acquisition of contemporary art for the museum.

When Art Today was founded in 1953 by Nancy Glazer, Mildred Hudson, Adele Lemm, Marjorie Liebman, and Dorothy Sturm, their goal was to promote “that which is historically significant in our time.” These exceptional women were guided by their experiences as accomplished artists, teachers, and arts administrators. They worked towards educating the public about contemporary art, bringing the finest examples to Memphis through exhibitions, and acquiring important works for the museum’s collection.

Art Today’s first acquisition was a suite of Jackson Pollock prints, purchased in 1957 just shortly after the artist’s death. These were followed by a long line of extraordinary works by artists including Georgia O'Keeffe, Ansel Easton Adams, Robert Arneson, Romare Bearden, and Carrie Mae Weems, and Elizabeth Murray. The five founding women, and the Memphians who followed in their footsteps, played a vital role in bringing together a collection of art that spans many diverse media and includes works by women and artists of color. The exhibition celebrates the founders individually and the organization they started, which was carried forward by equally dedicated enthusiasts until the group disbanded in 2003. Featured in the exhibition is a selection of work by the founders, as well as some of the superb acquisitions made by the organization over the years.

Art Today was curated by Chief Curator Marina Pacini, and is on view until December 2, 2007. The exhibition is part of regular museum admission. On Wednesday, November 7 there will be a gallery tour of the exhibition as part of the Brooks 1st Wednesday events. Call 901-544-6200 for more information.

History of the Brooks Museum Founded in 1916, the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art is the oldest and largest fine arts museum in the state of Tennessee, housing one of the most outstanding collections of fine art dating from antiquity to the present. Strengths of the collection include Italian Renaissance and Baroque paintings and sculpture, principally gifts of the Kress Foundation; English portraits; European and American paintings, sculpture and decorative arts; and a significant collection of works on paper, including drawings, watercolors, prints and photographs. The Museum also hosts world-class traveling exhibitions and several long-term, continuing loans.

Mission: The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art enriches the lives of our diverse community through the Museum's expanding collection, varied exhibitions, and dynamic programs that reflect the art of world cultures from antiquity to present. Visit : www.brooksmuseum.org/