THE SEASONS EXHIBIT
at the Nassau County Museum of Art
BY LORRAINE BERTAN,
CULTURE COMMITTEE
How do we mark the passing
of time? The four
seasons bring significant
environmental changes to our
lives, and many festivals are associated
with the seasons. “The
Seasons,” curated by Franklin
Hill Perrell and Debbie Wells,
is overflowing with paintings,
sculpture, fashion, photography,
fashion and design, in an eclectic
and exciting collection.
The paintings and art work on
the first floor of the exhibit are
based on the four seasons, and
some require extra attention from
the viewer to see the evidence of the
seasons. Several
of the paintings
are in the style of
“Photorealism,”
in which the
artist carefully
examines a photograph,
and
reproduces it as
realistically as
possible in a different
medium,
like oil paint or
sculpture. There
are paintings by Marc Chagall,
Norman Rockwell, Robert De Niro,
Sr., Hunt Slonem, Jasper Johns,
Toulouse-Lautrec, Wolf Kahn,
David Hockney and Christian
White. A large colored pencil collage,
Judith Leiber Handbag
“Spring,” by Federico Uribe,
covers one wall. Federico Uribe
is a Columbian artist who lives in
Florida, and his work intersects
painting and sculpture. Illustrations
by Al Hirschfeld and Milt Glaser
depict aspects of the seasons. A
very special exhibit of Judith Leiber
evening handbags, works of art
“Spring” by Federico Uribe
in Swarovski crystals and metal
depicting baby pigs, birds, fruits,
etc., is a joy to observe. What are
the differences between fine art and
applied art?
The oldest painting in the exhibit
is a winter scene by Pieter Brueghel
the Younger, a Dutch/Flemish
painter of the Renaissance. The
painting is a small one, depicting
peasants skating in winter. A similar
winter scene by Grandma Moses
is nearby, contrasting the joyless
Brueghel painting with a happier
one showing skaters on a pond.
Jane Kallir of Gallerie St. Etienne
will give a free talk on Grandma
Moses on Saturday, February 9 at
3 PM at the museum. Grandma
Moses, nee Anna Mary Robertson,
was born on a farm in New York in
1860 and began working as a hired
girl at the age of twelve. She married
a farmer, had ten children and
embroidered pictures as a hobby.
A the age of 76 she began painting
and had a one woman show in
1940 in New York, which assured
her success. The mid-19th century
Hudson River School of painting is
represented by James Church.
The second floor has unusual
exhibits celebrating holidays like
Valentine’s Day and Lincoln’s
birthday. On entering one of the
exhibit rooms, one notices three
Diane von Furstenberg wrap
dresses and the Lincoln painting
of Ashley Longshore. Both fashion
designer and painter have partnered
in showing the Ashley Longshore
paintings of women in the Diane
von Furstenberg Gallery in New
York City. A large red Valentine
candy box, containing larger than
life size chocolates is the work of
Peter Anton. His work represents
hyper-realistic sculptures, and he is
very fond of food, especially those
foods representing the seasons. He
will be giving a free talk about his
work on Sunday, January 12 at 3
PM at the museum.
In addition to the exhibits, an
interesting film, “Tina Barney,” is
shown at 3 PM Tuesday-Sunday.
Tina Barney is a member of the
Lehman family and her large scale
photographs represent the lives of
her affluent relatives and friends.
The film shows examples of classical
paintings which influenced the
composition, or “choreography,” of
her photographs.
The “Seasons,” which is on exhibit through March 1, has
much to see and think about. The museum is also offering free
talks at 3 PM on the following Sundays in January and February:
• January 12: Peter Anton, “Sculptures of Foods of the Seasons”
• January 26: Ann Fristoe Stewart, “Judith Leiber”
• February 9: Jane Kallir, “Grandma Moses”
• February 23: Frank Olt, “Contemporary Artist”
Nassau County Museum of Art
One Museum Drive, Roslyn Harbor
Tuesday - Sunday 11 am-4:45 pm/Tours at 2 pm
Admission: $15 Adults/$10 62+/$5 Children under 12
www.nassaumuseum.org
“Valentines Candy” by Peter
Anton
“Winter” by Grandma Moses
“The Bird Trap” by Pieter
Brueghel the Younger
34 NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER ¢ January 2020
/www.nassaumuseum.org
/www.nassaumuseum.org
