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Press Release

CONTACT
Matt Montgomery
401/454-6793, mmontgom@risd.edu

The RISD Museum of Art Presents Two Exhibitions

Friday, February 27 through Sunday, August 23, 2009

PROVIDENCE, RI - The RISD Museum of Art presents two complementary exhibitions which highlight portraits of artists. Yousuf Karsh: Portraits of Artists and Facing Artists: Twentieth Century Portraits from the Collection will showcase the work of the photographer Yousuf Karsh and other artists such as Andy Warhol, Lucien Freud, and Pablo Picasso. The two exhibitions are presented in adjoining galleries and offer the visitor the opportunity to make connections between the various artists.

The Karsh exhibition celebrates the 100th anniversary of the birth of Yousuf Karsh (Canadian, born Armenia, 1908-2002) as part of a nationwide celebration. Karsh is one of the most celebrated portrait photographers of the twentieth century. More than 15,000 people sat in front of Karsh's camera - from ordinary citizens to such influential figures as Winston Churchill and Albert Einstein. Karsh made a concerted effort to record the century's most accomplished individuals, especially those in the arts. A selection of twenty-seven photographs of visual artists and designers comprise this exhibition; all are promised gifts to The RISD Museum from the artist's estate administered by his wife, Estrellita Karsh.

Karsh's portraits are collaborations. His charming manner and ability to connect with his sitters come through in the images, which reveal as much about his admiration for his subjects as they do about the subjects themselves. As fastidious as he was spontaneous, Karsh researched his subjects and planned his shots before every sitting, but he was always alert to the opportunity of the moment and eschewed choosing any single portrait convention. When he photographed Jasper Johns, for example, he changed his initial plan to show him with one of his paintings, instead tightly framing the artist's penetrating gaze to better capture his cerebral nature. For his portrait of Josef Albers, Karsh posed the artist seated in profile, creating geometry within the frame that echoes Albers's celebrated Homage to the Square painting behind him. In the nearly full-length portrait of Russell Wright, the designer gazes out a window in a domestic setting that perfectly suits his dishware and furniture.

Karsh wrote about his sittings in a diary. Several of his entries are included with the portraits on view, offering insight into his experience of his collaborations.

The exhibition of portraits drawn from the Museum’s collection consists of portraits of literary, performing, and visual artists by a broad range of twentieth-century artists associated with the genre. It is intended to give context to the Yousuf Karsh's photographs in the adjacent gallery by grouping the works by portrait type so that viewers will see how artists have embraced the conventions of portraiture and how they have expanded its parameters. Some of the portraits on view include Marlene Dietrich by Cecil Beaton; Stephen Spender by Lucien Freud; Brassai by Pablo Picasso; and Mick Jagger by Andy Warhol.

PROGRAMMING
Tuesday Talk Series: Portraits
Join in a series of informative lectures by engaging curators and professors. Each of these short lectures, focused on usual and fascinating aspects of portraiture, will include images from the Museum's collection. Lectures begin at 1 pm in the Michael P. Metcalf Auditorium, Chace Center. Fee: $15 per lecture for nonmembers or $35 for the 3-lecture series; free to members. To register, contact Deb Clemons at 401 454-6530 or dclemons@risd.edu.

Tuesday, March 10
Ancient Roman Portraits
Life-size sculpted portraits and tiny ones on gems and coins were seen everywhere in the Roman world. In this lecture by Gina Borromeo, curator of ancient Art, learn how portraits of ancient Romans - from famous emperors to unknown citizens - underscored their status in society, highlighted their ambitions, and embodied their dreams.

Tuesday, April 7
The History of Costume
Lorraine Howes, RISD professor emeriti of apparel design, discusses how clothing in a portrait can give clues about significant historical and cultural influences.

Tuesday, May 12
The Portrait as a Window into the Past
Dr. Rebecca More, director at the Sheridan Center for Teaching & Learning at Brown University and a professor of history at RISD, uses works from the Museum's collection to discuss how portraits may serve as windows for understanding the past.

Adult Programming
Thursday, March 19, 6 pm
Lecture: Photography + Portraits of Artists
Michael P. Metcalf Auditorium, Chace Center
Joseph Chazan shares his personal inspiration for NetWorks 2008, a series of exhibitions and documentation celebrating the work of 16 contemporary Rhode Island visual artists. Following Dr. Chazan, photographer Salvatore Mancini discusses his body of work, which ranges from landscape essays to industrial archaeology. 5:30 - 8 PM - Paul and Veronica Lowe perform a variety of jazz favorites from the 1920's to today on the soprano saxophone and violin. Cash wine bar and snacks

Noontime Guided Tours
Fridays, 12:15 pm
Docent-led 30-minute tours present special exhibitions and Museum highlights; free with Museum admission. Tours begin in the lobby of the Chace Center.

Family Programming
Free-For-All Saturday
May 30, 2009, 11 am - 4 pm
Portraiture
Visit the galleries for inspiration then create your own collage portraits.
Held the last Saturday of the month, 11 am-4 pm. Admission and all activities are free! These programs offer fun for the entire family: a variety of hands-on workshops, performances, videos, and special gallery quests throughout the day. Refreshments, too. Stay half an hour or the whole afternoon. Children must be accompanied by an adult. For information, please call 401 454-6674 or visit www.risdmuseum.org.

Sunday Family Workshop: Royal Portraits 
February 8, 3 - 4:30 pm
Observe the full-size, full-figure portraits of the king and queen of the Netherlands in the Main Gallery. Using paper, cloth, and your own drawings, make your own royal pair. These workshops, for families with children ages 5 to 12, combine gallery and studio experience. Learn about art in the Museum, then create a related artwork using a range of media. Workshop tickets (required) are $15 each for adults and kids, which includes Museum admission. Members pay $5 each. Advance tickets to the Sunday Family Workshops are now available through ArtTix RI. You can book for one or all of the workshops. Purchase your tickets online at http://arttixri.com or call the Info Line at 401 621-6123. You may also buy tickets at the ArtTix box office, located at 155 Westminster Street. The ArtTix box office is open Monday through Friday from noon to 6pm. For more information, please call 401 454-6674 or visit our web site at www.risdmuseum.org.

The RISD Museum of Art, a world-class museum in Providence, RI, was founded as part of Rhode Island School of Design in 1877. Its permanent collection of more than 84,000 objects includes paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, costume, furniture, and other works of art from every part of the world, including objects from Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, and art of all periods from Asia, Europe, and the Americas, up to the latest in contemporary art. In addition, the Museum offers a wide array of educational and public programs to more than 100,000 visitors annually.

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