Lubin House Gallery presents “Defining Moments: American Masterworks”

Lubin House Gallery presents “Defining Moments: American Masterworks”September 23, 2005Sara Millersemortim@syr.edu

“Defining Moments: American Masterworks,” from the Syracuse University Art Collection, will be on display in the Louise and Bernard Palitz Gallery at Lubin House, 11 East 61st Street, between Madison and Fifth avenues in Manhattan, Oct. 3-Nov. 11.

“American Masterworks” examines the issues that have affected the development of American art. Artists highlighted include Louis Comfort Tiffany, John Sloan, Reginald Marsh, Willem De Kooning, Robert Rauschenberg and Jim Dine. Objects by these and other artists illustrate the development of American art from the middle of the nineteenth century to 1982. What becomes clear is that this period of American art experienced ebb and flow of influences, especially from Europe, that affected how native artists thought about and made their work.

According to David Prince, curator of this exhibit and of the Syracuse University Art Collection, “The influx of European artists into America before and during the Second World War, coupled with Abstract Expressionism’s success, established New York as the world’s art capital in the early 1950s. Later artists, like Robert Rauschenberg, established their reputations by creating images that formed bridges between Abstract Expressionism and the later, cooler period of Pop Art. By incorporating into their work elements of advertising and popular culture, these artists propelled American art and the New York scene to greater heights of international popularity.”

For this exhibition only, gallery hours are Monday-Friday, noon-5 p.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. For more information, call (212) 826-0320.