Stamps Released--The U.S. Postal Service has released "Masterworks of Modern American Architecture," with each of 12 buildings depicted through a stunning photograph on the sheet of 37-cent stamps. Included among these are the Guggenheim Museum, Yale Art and Architecture Building, High Museum of Art, and the National Gallery of Art.

Arts/Humanities Award Given--Sculptor Mark di Suvero has received the Heinz Award in the Arts & Humanities for "his sweeping contributions to America's cultural landscape through a daring body of sculpture and an enduring commitment to broaden public venues for the visual arts." The award consists of a medallion and an unrestricted cash prize of $250,000.

Grant Received--The George Eastman House, Rochester, NY, has received a $4 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. This will allow the training of 40 advanced students in the craft of photo conservation.

Approval Given--The NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission has approved a design for the expansion and renovation of the Whitney Museum of American Art. Designed by Renzo Piano, the new design creates additional galleries, a public piazza, new education facilities, an auditorium, an expanded library, art conservation labs, a study center, offices, enclosed loading dock and visitor amenities.

Design Winner Announced--Enrique Norten (TEN Arquitectos, Mexico City and NYC) has won the architectural competition to develop a conceptual design for the proposed Guggenheim Museum in Guadalajara. The competition is part of a study to explore the feasibility of establishing a world-class museum in Guadalajara, primarily for Modern and contemporary art.

Milestone Reached--Tadashi Sato, considered one of Hawaii's greatest artists/muralists, has died at age 82. Sato's works are included in prestigious museum collections all over the country as well as Hawaii.

Biennale Awards Given--The International Juries of the 51st International Art Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia, have announced their official awards. Among them, the Golden Lion to an artist exhibited in the International Exhibitions went to Thomas Schutte (Germany), Golden Lion for Best National Participation went to France and the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement went to Barbara Kruger of the USA.

Refurbishing Unveiled--Creative Time and artist Steve Powers have unveiled a public art initiative in New York's renowned Coney Island. The Dreamland Artist Club, named for one of the famous parks of the Island's heyday, features resurfaced rides, custom signs, amusement backdrops and murals by more than 20 emerging and established artists at a range of Coney Island businesses. An exceptional range of artistic styles and practices employs contemporary artists' visions to renew, revive and reinvent the tradition of colorful, hand-painted signage and advertisements dating back more than a century.

NEA News--The U.S. House of Representatives has passed an amendment to increase funds for the NEA by $10 million, bringing the total to over $131 million.--Members of the newly formed Federal Advisory Committee on International Exhibitions will advise the NEA and the Dept. of State on the selection of artists to represent the U.S. at major international arts exhibitions. This will ensure that excellence, vitality and diversity of American contemporary art are represented at international visual arts exhibitions. The first official meeting will be held in late September to review applications from curators and visual arts institutions interested in participating in exhibitions in Sao Paulo, Brazil and Cairo, Egypt.

Exhibitions:

Los Angeles, CA -- The Getty Center -- Rembrandt's Late Religious Portraits brings together for the first time many of Rembrandt's powerful religious portraits that were created towards the end of his life during a time of personal turmoil. This exhibition of 16 paintings considers the relationship between his religious convictions and his creative impulses. Through Aug. 28.

New York, NY -- Museum of Modern Art -- Pioneering Modern Painting: Cezanne and Pissarro 1865-1885 is a major exhibit that presents the work of these two artists in the context of their artistic relationship. Featured are approximately 80 paintings and eight drawings executed by both artists as they worked side-by-side in Pontoise and Auvers in France's Oise River Valley. Through Sept. 12.

New York, NY -- Metropolitan Museum of Art -- Matisse: The Fabric of Dreams--His Art and His Textiles features approximately 30 paintings and 35 works on paper displayed alongside samples of the artist's personal collection of fabrics, costumes and carpets. This marks the first public showing of Matisse's textile collection. Through Sept. 25.

Blue Mountain Lake, NY -- Adirondack Museum -- Wild Exuberance: Harold Weston's Adirondack Art includes early oil and pencil on board sketches; studio oil on canvas landscapes in their original hand-carved and gilded frames; landscape nudes; work of the '30s done before the GSA murals and after; and examples of abstract work of the '60s, as well as cases containing photos, sketchbooks, diaries, reviews, mementos and more. Through October 2006. Also, Wild Impressions: The Adirondacks on Paper showcases the museum's comprehensive print collection and presents pictures of the region's topography and everyday life and the role of word and image to advocate conservation of natural resources. Through Oct. 2005.

Santa Fe, NM -- Georgia O'Keeffe Museum -- Georgia O'Keeffe and Andy Warhol: Flowers of Distinction brings together approximately 40 depictions of flowers by two of America's most celebrated and popular artists. The exhibit demonstrates how the artists' paintings of the same subject allowed them to both position and distinguish themselves within an age-old tradition of flower painting. Through Jan. 8.

Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 15 No. 9 -- July 2005