Nassau County Museum of Art’s (NCMA) newest exhibition portrays the magnetism we feel for bodies of water alongside the dangers, even the terror, that seas often present. This exhibition examines the romantic fascination artists have always had for expanses of water through American and European artists working in many styles from the mid-19th century to the present. Organized by Director Emerita Constance Schwartz, the exhibition opens on Saturday, June 5 and remains on view through Sunday, September 12. The Sea Around Us is sponsored by David Lerner Associates with additional sponsorship by Astoria Federal Savings.
Luce Port of Rotterdam
The Sea Around Us celebrates the oceans and waters that cover much of the earth’s surface. With our increasing awareness of environmental issues, this exhibition provides an examination of how artists have portrayed both the attractions and dangers of oceans and waters as well as their qualities as metaphor.
Waterscapes provide the frontier in this exhibition. Offering a fresh look at marine art, The Sea Around Us includes artistic styles from 19th-century American landscape and Impressionism to those of modern and contemporary artists. They depict water as a natural phenomena that seems to overpower mankind. Imagery in the exhibition ranges from placid seas, quiet lakes and sun-filled beaches to the dramatic dangers inherent in angry seas, tsunamis and creatures of the sea. Man-made objects such as ports and seaside villages, boats and ships, wharfs and docks are dwarfed by the grandeur of nature. The imagery of men dominated by the natural force of water has frequently fueled the artist’s imagination. These are subtle allegories of the span of life and of the struggle and joy experienced as mankind attempts to conquer that which is unconquerable.
Included in The Sea Around Us are works by Jasper F. Cropsey, Thomas Buttersworth, Childe Hassam, Red Grooms, Edward Hopper, Claude Monet, Louis Comfort Tiffany and N.C. and James Wyeth as well as other masters of seascapes. The works on view are on loan from such prestigious institutions as the Newark Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Columbus Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art and other major public and private collections.
NCMA plans several public programs that will serve to enhance the experience of the exhibition. Among these programs are Private Tea & Tour of the Exhibition (July 14 and August 25), Sea Fever with Charles A. Riley II, Ph.D (July 18), Highlands of the Hudson with Stephen P. Rice, Ph.D. (August 7) and a family boat-making workshop, What Floats Your Boat? (July 24).
Nassau County Museum of Art is located at One Museum Drive (just off Northern Boulevard, Route 25A, two traffic lights west of Glen Cove Rd.) in Roslyn Harbor. Hours are 11 am to 4:45 pm Tuesday through Sunday. Docent-led tours of the exhibition are offered at 2 pm each day. Admission to the main building, the Arnold & Joan Saltzman Fine Art Building, is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors (62+) and $4 for students and children ages 4-12; includes admission to The Art Space for Children. Members are always admitted free. There is a $2 parking fee on weekends (members free). The Museum Shop is open during all museum hours.
Nassau County Museum of Art is chartered under the laws of New York State as a not-for-profit private educational institution and museum. A privately elected board of trustees is responsible for its governance. The museum is funded through income derived from admissions, parking, membership, special events and private and corporate donations as well as federal and state grants.
Open June 5, 2010 through September 12, 2010
Sponsored by David Lerner Associates
Additional sponsorship by Astoria Federal Savings
Call (516) 484-9337 for current exhibitions, events, days/times and directions or log onto nassaumuseum.org
