ArtPourri

Garden Opens--A Monet-inspired garden is now open at the Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver, CO, to present visitors with a garden as a living canvas, a tool for inspiration and creative focus. Adjacent to the large water lily pool (and open through the first autumn frost), the garden features elements of reflected light, shimmering water, colorful flowers, and dramatic foliage that showcase Monet's passion for art with the plants he grew and painted. (303) 370-8187.

Grants Awarded--The annual grants by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, known as the genius awards, have been awarded to 32 individuals. Seventeen men and 15 women received grants that ranged from $235,000 to $375,000 to be given over five years to pursue whatever interests they desire. Among the anonymously selected recipients were Elizabeth Murray, a professor at Bard College and a painter; Pepon Osorio and Fred Wilson, installation artists; and Xu Bing, an artist who uses ancient Chinese methods of printmaking and calligraphy to explore new dimensions for contemporary Chinese art.

New Home in Sight--After being without a permanent home for 15 years, one is now in sight for the Museum of American Folk Art thanks in part to a recent $2.5 million appropriation from New York City. An opening is planned in 2001.

Auction Records Set--Ten records were set recently at Christie's London sale of treasures looted by the Nazis and returned to the Rothschild family by the Austrian Government. The sale totaled $89.9 million, over twice the estimate. And a record price for Degas was set at Sotheby's in London recently. Dancer in Repose, an 1879 pastel, sold for $27.9 million, more than three times its estimate.

Artbits--The Corcoran Gallery of Art has selected Frank O. Gehry as the winner of a competition to design a new wing for its historic Beaux-Arts building...One hundred ten 17th century Dutch drawings worth as much as $20 million have been given to the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard U. by Maida and George Abrams...The Seattle Art Museum's board of trustees has voted unanimously to return the painting Odalisque by Matisse to the heirs of a French Jewish art dealer from whom it was confiscated by the Nazis in 1941...Architect Steven Holl has been selected to design an expansion of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, MO.

Exhibitions

--Blue Mountain Lake, NY - Adirondack Museum - The View from Asgaard: Rockwell Kent's Adirondack Legacy is a two-year exhibition that explores Kent's life and artistic creativity through paintings, commercial art and artifacts that were inspired by the Adirondack wilderness. This year through Sept. 18.

--Williamstown, MA - Clark Art Institute- Jean-Francois Millet: Drawn into the Light includes over 80 oil paintings, drawings and pastels that explore Millet's rich imagery and innovative technique as both painter and graphic artist. Through Sept. 6. Also Winslow Homer: Works on Paper through Oct.

--Cleveland, OH - Cleveland Museum of Art - Bugatti - Six of the most beautiful automobiles ever made are among nearly 80 objects on display to celebrate the talents of the Bugatti family. Through Sept. 19.

--Boston, MA - Museum of Fine Arts - John Singer Sargent includes more than 100 paintings and watercolors of portraits, landscapes, impressionist works and figure sketches. - Through Sept. 26.

--Chicago, IL - The Art Institute of Chicago - The Pritzker Architecture Prize 1979-1999 includes architectural drawings, models, photos and plans from the winners of this prestigious award. Through Sept. 26.

--New York, NY - Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum - Surrealism: Two Private Eyes is a major exhibition of more than 700 works of Surrealist art. Though Sept. 12.

August Birthdays:
  4   John Twachtman
  7   Emile Nolde
12   George Bellows
21   Asher Durand
27   Man Ray
29   J.A.D. Ingres