Bonnie Carroll's Life Bites

Museyon Art+ series of books of books is a series that looks at various cities through the lens of their artworks). Art + Paris: Impressionists and Post-Impressionists has been released and will closely be followed by the re-opening of Paris’ Musée D’Orsay this Fall.

The museum has been undergoing a two-year renovation. Its makeover will be revealed in time to celebrate its 25th anniversary (the D’Orsay opened to the public on December 9, 1986).

During the renovation, its famed Impressionist and Post-Impressionist have been on tour in San Francisco, Madrid and Nashville as part of a traveling exhibition (‘The Birth of Impressionism’). $19.95 US.

Jonathan Bober has joined the National Gallery of Art as curator and head of the department of old master prints. One of Bober’s first undertakings will be organizing an exhibition from the Gallery’s collection to explore the graphic work of Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione. The exhibition will focus on the complex origins of Castiglione’s graphic oeuvre, including the etchings of Rembrandt, and his critical influence on later masters ranging from François Boucher to Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. Bober comes to Washington from the Blanton Museum at the University of Texas at Austin.

The Gallery's collection of prints, drawings, and illustrated books overseen by A. W. Mellon Senior Curator of Prints and Drawings Andrew Robison, contains approximately 105,000 Western European and American works on paper and vellum dating from the 11th century to the present day.

The Art Institute of Chicago has organized a landmark exhibition exploring the work of Bertrand Goldberg (1913-1997), one of the most innovative modern American architects. On view from September 17, 2011, through January 15, 2012, in the Modern Wing's Architecture and Design Galleries (283-285), Bertrand Goldberg: Architecture of Invention is the first comprehensive retrospective of the architect's work, featuring more than 100 original drawings, models, and photographs, as well as significant examples of his rarely-shown graphic and furniture design. Long recognized for his seminal contributions to the built environment of Chicago, most notably his groundbreaking design for Marina City (1959-67), this exhibition showcases his progressive vision, dramatic architectural forms, and inventive engineering with a wide range of built and experimental projects. As a tribute to Goldberg's career, the Art Institute has specially commissioned a stunning installation by John Ronan Architects and graphic design firm Studio Blue.

Born in 1913 in Chicago, Goldberg began studying architecture in 1930 at Harvard College. In 1932, he moved to Germany to take courses at the Bauhaus in Dessau, before relocating to Berlin to apprentice in the office of architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. After his return to the United States in 1933, Goldberg worked for Chicago modernist George Fred Keck while studying engineering at the Armour Institute of Technology (now the Illinois Institute of Technology). Goldberg established his own firm in 1937 with a range of innovative work in housing and industrial design before devoting his practice to large-scale urban projects. His architectural achievements were recognized with numerous professional awards: in 1966, Goldberg was elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects, and in 1985 he was awarded the Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government. During his lifetime, his work served as a touchstone for a generation of international architects and critics including Reyner Banham, the Japanese Metabolist group, and members of the British architectural collective, Archigram. Today, Goldberg's pioneering cross-disciplinary approach resonates with the diverse practices of contemporary architects and designers.

Bertrand Goldberg: Architecture of Invention draws on the important holdings of the Art Institute's Bertrand Goldberg Collection and Archive, which includes more than 30,000 drawings and models spanning the architect's career from the 1930s to the 1990s. This rich archival collection was given to the Art Institute in 2002 by the Goldberg family, and includes such seminal projects as Marina City, River City (1972-89), and the Health Sciences Center in Stony Brook, New York (1965-76). This work is complemented by early student Bauhaus drawings borrowed from the Harvard Art Museums and furniture from the Goldberg family's private collection, which makes its public debut in this exhibition.

The exhibition is organized thematically, demonstrating how Goldberg's work mirrored the changing priorities of American culture at large, beginning with his early interest in prefabrication and low-cost housing, his projects for middle class leisure culture in the 1950s, his expanded engagement with new cultural programs throughout the 1960s, and the large-scale projects for hospitals and urban planning in his later practice. Many of Goldberg's early projects experimented with new materials and manufacturing processes, including prefabricated plywood structures and designs for mobile medical facilities for the United States government during World War II. As his work grew in scale, Goldberg explored new building technologies to realize his distinctive designs, from the daring structures of the Marina City towers and Raymond Hilliard Center (1963-66), to the groundbreaking cantilever of his Prentice Women's Hospital (1969-74). He worked tirelessly to redefine conventional building and urban typologies and pioneered some of the first mixed-use developments in the United States at a time when American cities were facing serious problems of population and commercial development. The university and hospital buildings of his mature career demonstrate his interest in improving the quality of education and health care through new spatial configurations designed to function as close-knit "villages" promoting healing and social exchange.

From his experimental roots at the Bauhaus to his visionary designs for urbanism, Bertrand Goldberg's 50-year-long career reflects a remarkable engagement with issues central to his time developed through a unique approach to structure and form that defied architectural convention. His steadfast commitment to innovation across a multitude of disciplines, including architecture, urban planning, and graphic and industrial design, mirrors the fluid exchange that occurs between these fields today, as practitioners venture beyond the confines of their specializations to provide solutions that transform our social and built environment.

Bertrand Goldberg: Architecture of Invention is accompanied by a photography exhibition, Inside Marina City: A Project by Iker Gil and Andreas E.G. Larson . In this exhibition, visitors are offered the rare opportunity to see inside the apartments of Marina City with more than 30 images that explore the relationship between Goldberg's rigorous modular framework for the building and the informal development of these interior spaces by residents throughout its history.

Bertrand Goldberg: Architecture of Invention is accompanied by a handsome, fully illustrated, 192-page catalogue designed by Studio Blue. The book, edited by Zoë Ryan, Chair and John H. Bryan Curator of Architecture and Design at the Art Institute of Chicago, features 140 color and 75 black-and-white illustrations, and scholarly essays written by Ryan; Alison Fisher, the Harold and Margot Schiff Assistant Curator of Architecture at the Art Institute; Elizabeth Smith, Executive Director, Curatorial Affairs at the Art Gallery of Ontario; and Sarah Whiting, dean of the Rice University School of Architecture. The catalogue, published by the Art Institute and distributed by Yale University Press, will be available beginning October 3, 2011, at the Art Institute's Museum Shop for $60.

Bertrand Goldberg: Architecture of Invention is organized by the Art Institute of Chicago and curated by Zoë Ryan, Chair and John H. Bryan Curator of Architecture and Design, and Alison Fisher, the Harold and Margot Schiff Assistant Curator of Architecture, with guest curator Elizabeth Smith, Executive Director, Curatorial Affairs, Art Gallery of Ontario. The exhibition and its publication are made possible by the generous support of the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, the Albert Pick, Jr. Fund, the Architecture & Design Society at the Art Institute of Chicago, and by anonymous donations. Additional support is provided by the Exhibitions Trust: Goldman Sachs, Kenneth and Anne Griffin, Thomas and Margot Pritzker, the Earl and Brenda Shapiro Foundation, Donna and Howard Stone, and Melinda and Paul Sullivan. Inside Marina City is made possible by the generous support of the Architecture & Design Society. Additional sponsorship is provided by The Print Lab.

It features replications of paintings by Renoir, Degas, Manet and Monet, and includes unchartered ‘through the eyes of the Impressionists’ walking tours of Paris.

13TH ANNUAL WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL: CHICAGO 2011
SEPTEMBER 15 – 22
The Largest and Longest Running Festival of International Music in the United States
Returns with Eight Days of Free and Low-Cost Concerts Throughout Chicago

From September 15 to 22, the City of Chicago transforms into a global center for the best of today’s international music when the 13th annual World Music Festival: Chicago 2011 returns. Presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), in partnership with the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture (COTC), the city-wide, multi-venue, eight-day festival features acclaimed musicians from more than 40 countries. Featuring traditional and contemporary music from diverse cultures, the performances and events include a combination of free and low-cost ticketed concerts, many of which are family friendly.

The festival kicks-off in Grant Park’s Spirit of Music Garden as part of Chicago SummerDance, followed by seven jam-packed days of performances and events in Chicago’s neighborhood parks, clubs, cultural centers and downtown venues, culminating with the “One World Under One Roof” finale featuring multiple concerts held throughout the Chicago Cultural Center from 6:30 to 11:30 p.m.

Highlights include the Chicago debut of Staff Benda Bilili, an extraordinary group of paraplegic street musicians from the Democratic Republic of Congo who perform on homemade instruments, make their Chicago debut as part of their first U.S. Tour; The Creole Choir of Cuba (Caribbean); Boubacar Traore Trio (Mali); Sounds & Rhythms of Afghanistan; Esma Redžepova (Macedonia); Movits! (Sweden); Mad Professor (UK), among many others.

New this Year
•The first-ever World Music Festival: Chicago Android App will be unveiled Tuesday, Sept. 6. The App offers an easily accessible schedule of performances, bios, pictures, music clips and insider information.

•World Music Festival: Chicago expands to all corners of the city with more than 20 venues this year. New venues include Margate Park, Lincoln Hall, The Dock at Montrose Beach and Hostelling International, in addition to downtown venues such as Daley Plaza and Millennium Park.

•A new partnership with the Brilliant Corners of Popular Amusements Festival presents Sidi Toure (Mali), Bomba Estereo (Colombia) and more in Eckhart Park, Sept. 16-18.

•Last weekend of Chicago SummerDance kick starts the festival featuring World Music Festival musicians throughout the weekend including Sergent Garcia (France), Joaquin Diaz (Dominican Republic), Bulgarika (Bulgaria) and more in Grant Park’s Spirit of Music Garden.

•A free screening of the award-winning Staff Benda Bilili documentary, “Benda Bilili,” takes place, Sunday, Sept. 18 at the Chicago Cultural Center as part of World Music Festival: Chicago.

Returning favorites
•Special live “Continental Drift” international programs offered each week during the festival on WNUR 89.3 and online at wnur.org. The public is invited to be a live audience member at the Chicago Cultural Center’s Claudia Cassidy Theater for this informative series of live radio broadcasts of interviews and performances.

•Annual free concert at Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park returns, this year featuring Staff Benda Bilili (DR Congo) and Nawal Quartet (Comoros Islands), Wednesday, September 21 at 6:30 p.m.

•Concerts highlighting many Chicago-based international music groups return this year

•Free, low-cost and family-friendly events throughout Chicago’s neighborhoods, parks, and museums

Since its inception, World Music Festival: Chicago has attracted more than a half million concertgoers and has presented more than 500 artists and ensembles from over 75 countries, making it the largest international music festival in the United States.

World Music Festival: Chicago 2011 is presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events in partnership with the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture, and is made possible with generous support from the National Endowment for the Arts; the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; and United Airlines, the Official Airline of the World Music Festival.

Additional support has also been provided by the following individuals and organizations: Andrew I. Dane and Mary Elizabeth Ferraro; Chicago Public Radio 91.5 FM WBEZ; WNUR 89.3 FM; the Chicago Park District; and all venue partners.

Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is dedicated to promoting an ongoing celebration of the arts; supporting the people who create and sustain them; and marketing the city’s abundant cultural resources to a worldwide audience. DCASE, in partnership with the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture, programs and promotes thousands of high-quality free festivals, exhibitions, performances and holiday celebrations presented each year at Millennium Park, Grant Park, the Chicago Cultural Center and other venues throughout the city.

Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture
The Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture (COTC) is dedicated to promoting Chicago as a premier cultural destination to domestic and international leisure travelers, providing innovative visitor programs and services, and presenting free world-class public programs. COTC supports local artists through grants and other resources and creates vital opportunities for artists of all levels. For more information please visit www.ExploreChicago.org.

(New York, August 8, 2011) – The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced today that the exhibition Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, which closed last night at midnight, attracted 661,509 visitors during its run from May 4 to August 7, placing it among the Museum’s top 10 most visited exhibitions. Joining other blockbusters on the list such as Treasures of Tutankhamun (1978), Mona Lisa (1963), and Picasso in The Metropolitan Museum of Art (2010), Savage Beauty ranks as the eighth most popular exhibition ever held at the Met in its 141-year history, and is the most visited of the special exhibitions organized by The Costume Institute since it became part of the Museum in 1946.

“We are enormously gratified that visitors turned out in record numbers to view this powerful exhibition of McQueen’s work,” said Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. “The show was an elegant tribute to the designer's artistry, and we are proud to have shared it with such a broad audience, eager to experience the breadth of his genius.”

To accommodate the public’s keen interest, the Museum extended the exhibition by one week, offered a special viewing hour for Members daily at 8:30 a.m., added late hours through midnight on the last weekend, and implemented $50 ticketed Mondays with McQueen so the public could see the exhibition when the Museum was normally closed. The eight Mondays when the exhibition was open attracted more than 17,000 visitors. During the run of the retrospective, more than 23,000 new Members joined at the Museum—more than double last year’s comparable numbers.

The exhibition catalogue has sold well over 100,000 copies to date through the Met’s book stores and website, as well as through other outlets, with distribution by Yale University Press. Popular McQueen merchandise in the Met Shops, including armadillo shoe ornaments, crystal skull paperweights, and tartan purses, sold out several times and were repeatedly reordered.

The exhibition could not be extended further because the galleries need to be turned over for the preparation of the exhibition “Wonder of the Age”: Master Painters of India, 1100-1900, which will open on September 28.

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty is made possible by Alexander McQueen™.
Additional support is provided in partnership with American Express and Condé Nast.