Mural to be Restored--In celebration of spending 150 years promoting diversity and culture in New York City, the YMCA of Greater New York has announced plans to restore one of the city's most important pieces of African-American art. The 69- year-old mural, "Evolution of Negro Dance" by Aaron Douglas, is over 6 feet high and 15 feet wide and is displayed on a wall of the landmark building. Completion is expected by the end of the year.

Sculpture Project Approved--The Central Park Conservancy has approved a project proposed by Bulgarian-born artist Christo and his wife, Jeanne-Claude. "The Gates" project for Central Park would entail 16-foot-high gates with free hanging saffron-colored translucent fabric panels that follow the edges of the walkways. It would remain for 14 days during February-March 2005, after which the 7,500 gates spread over approximately 23 miles would be removed and the materials recycled. Several other groups must now give their approval.

Paintings Returned--Two paintings by J. M. W. Turner have been returned to the Tate Gallery in London. In 1994 the two paintings were stolen from an exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany, along with a painting by Caspar David Friedrich, which has not yet been recovered.

Museums Fall Victim--Funding problems, along with the lackluster economy, have resulted in the Guggenheim Foundation announcing its withdrawal of a proposal to build a new museum in lower Manhattan. In addition, the Guggenheim Las Vegas museum closed its doors in January.

Numerals for Manhattan--Beginning February 3rd, brightly colored aluminum numerals by the painter Robert Indiana will appear along Park Avenue from 60th to 70th St. Sponsored by two Manhattan galleries--C&M Arts and Paul Kasmin (that will also have corresponding exhibitions)--the sculptures will remain until May 3rd.

Exhibitions

Washington, D.C.--National Gallery of Art--"Drawing on America's Past--Folk Art, Modernism and the Index of American Design" commemorates the 60th anniversary of the acquisition of the Index of American Design, one of the most highly regarded of the New Deal art projects. Presented are approximately 80 of the finest watercolor renderings from the Index along with a selection of approximately 37 of the original artifacts they represent, including quilts, weathervanes, toys, carousel animals, stoneware, and cigar-store figures. Through March 2.

Portland, OR--Portland Art Museum--"Paris to Portland--Impressionists and Post-Impressionist Masters in Portland Collection"--On the occasion of its 110th Anniversary, the Museum has organized an impressive survey of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masters drawn from distinguished private collections. Included are paintings by Pissarro, Cézanne, Toulouse-Lautrec, Bonnard, and more, many of which have never before been seen in public. Through March 23.

New Orleans, LA--New Orleans Museum of Art--"Frederick J. Brown: Portraits in Jazz, Blues, and Other Icons" features 40 paintings that showcase the impact of seminal artist Frederick J. Brown on American portraiture and figuration. Included are evocative portraits of Ornette Coleman, Thelonius Monk and other jazz giants. Through March 30.

Baltimore, MD--Baltimore Museum of Art--"A Grand Legacy--Five Centuries of European Art" - The museum's distinguished collection of 15th- through 19th-century European art has returned to the opulent new galleries of the Jacobs Wing in a dramatic reinstallation. Featured are "Rinaldo and Armida," one of the world's finest paintings by Sir Anthony van Dyck, as well as masterpieces by Frans Hals, Rembrandt van Rijn, Jean Baptiste Simeon Chardin and Louise Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun. The galleries also showcase a superlative collection of 19th-century French sculpture by Auguste Rodin.

Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 13 No. 4 -- February 2003