January 30, 2007-The Saint Louis Art Museum invites visitors to celebrate Black History Month by touring some of the Museum's finest examples of art created by American artists of African decent.
On Being Blue, a portfolio by artist Jerald Ians (born 1970) will be on installed February 9 in Gallery 323. Acquired in 2005, the portfolio is comprised of three large-format monoprints, which were conceived as imaginative improvisations on William H. Gass' 1976 treatise of the same name. A St. Louis native, Ieans' series of biomorphic shapes rendered in subtle tones of blue serves as a fitting homage to Gass' quirky meditation on the pervasive impact of blue. The portfolio, as well as two other works by Ieans, will be installed February 9 in Gallery 323.
Two exhibitions featuring works by African American artists-Rachelle Puryear: Word and Image and Currents 99: Isaac Julien-are also on view during Black History Month. Rachelle Puryear: Word and Image, on view through February 25 in Gallery 321, pairs Puryear's etchings with works by African American poets, while Currents 99: Isaac Julien, on view through March 11 in Gallery 335, features a selection of photographs inspired by a polar expedition.
"During Black History Month, we encourage our visitors to celebrate creativity in many forms, both through superb installations such as Ieans, Puryear and Julien, and through the fine works in our permanent collection." said Andrew Walker, assistant director for curatorial affairs and curator of American art.
Over the last 40 years, the Museum has acquired stunning works by such contemporary artists as Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000), Glenn Ligon (born 1960) and Martin Puryear (born 1941). In an effort to grow the collection with works by earlier generations, the Museum also purchased Edmonia Lewis' elegant, neo-classical Portrait of a Woman in 1997, and Henry Ossawa Tanner's important 1912 work Gateway, Tangier in 2005.
"Acquiring and exhibiting African American art-both of the past and of today-mirrors the Museum's obligation to embrace achievement, creativity and excellence everywhere it is found," Walker said.
The Saint Louis Art Museum is one of the nation's leading comprehensive art museums with collections that include works of art of exceptional quality from virtually every culture and time period. Areas of notable depth include Oceanic art, pre-Columbian art, ancient Chinese bronzes and European and American art of the late 19th and 20th centuries, with particular strengths in 20th-century German art. The Museum offers a full range of exhibitions and educational programming generated independently and in collaboration with local, national, and international partners.
Admission to the Saint Louis Art Museum is free to all every day; exhibition admission is free on Fridays. For more information about the Saint Louis Art Museum, call 314.721.0072 or visit www.slam.org.