182nd Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Art at the The National Academy

Sunday, 06 May 2007 23:50

New York City - From May 16 – June 24, 2007, the National Academy is holding its 182^nd Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Art, an exciting opportunity for viewers to explore a variety of styles and trends that currently comprise contemporary American art.  The National Academy has been a contemporary fine arts organization for nearly 200 years.  When the Academy instituted its Annual in 1826, it inaugurated an exhibition designed specifically to provide living American artists with a place to exhibit their works during a time when there were no museums in New York City.

Modeled after London’s Royal Academy of Arts, the National Academy’s key objective was to establish a forum to exhibit works by living artists to the public. Since then, visual culture and its methods of expression have expanded enormously and the National Academy continues to serve as an important conduit for promoting a wide range of contemporary art.

The Academy alternates yearly between members and non-member shows.  This year’s Annual is for artist members only and 196 of the approximately 350 National Academicians are participating.  Works range from complete abstraction to figuration, using a variety of media in the categories of painting, sculpture, prints, and architectural renderings and models.  This unique exhibition is organized without a curatorial presence, therefore it encompasses a broad range of art.  It is this pluralism which enlivens the exhibition and celebrates the breadth of contemporary American art.  Reminiscent of the Art Academies of Europe, the size and diversity of the exhibition invites the visitor to discover what is happening in art across the country and includes something of interest for everyone.

An exciting aspect of the National Academy Annual Exhibition is the $150,000 in prizes that will be awarded, including the prestigious Alex Ettl Award of $15,000 for an outstanding sculpture, an award given only once every three years.  A full-color catalogue by the Director of the Artists Membership, Nancy Malloy, accompanies the exhibition with an introduction by the Director of the National Academy, Annette Blaugrund, and a note from the Academy’s President, Susan Shatter, PNA.

Among the artists and architects represented are:

Gregory Amenoff ? Stephen Antonakos ? William Bailey, II ? Will Barnet ?Robert Cottingham ? Lesley Dill ? Lois Dodd ? Richard Estes ? Janet Fish ? Leon Goldin ? Robert Goodnough ? Charles Gwathmey ?Richard Haas ?Richard Hunt ? Wolf Kahn ? Robert Kipniss ? Joyce Kozloff ? Robert Kushner ? Whitfield Lovell ? Sylvia Plimack Mangold ? Knox Martin ? Nathan Oliveira ? Philip Pearlstein ? Paul Resika ? Dorothea Rockburne ? Susan Shatter ? Altoon Sultan ? George Tooker ? Bartholomew Voorsanger ? among others.

The National Academy Museum continues to remain a center for the study, enjoyment, and preservation of America's cultural heritage and the Annual Exhibition is one of the manifestations of its enduring relevance in the contemporary art world of today.

The National Academy was founded in 1825, and is currently an honorary association of professional artists, a museum, and a school of fine arts.  The Academy has an outstanding collection of American art, and its holdings represent all of the major and minor movements from the 19^th-century to the present.  The Academy Museum presents changing exhibitions of paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings, and architecture.  Fashioned after the great European academies of art, The School of Fine Arts offers classes in painting, sculpture, and printmaking for students of all ages and levels of experience.

Web site: www.nationalacademy.org Where: 1083 Fifth Avenue at 89th Street - New York City