Norman Rockwell Exhibit Opens at Nassau County Museum of Art on September 20
Rockwell's oil on canvas, "Volunteer Fireman," was done in 1931 for the Saturday Evening Post. |
Norman Rockwell, whose iconic paintings and illustrations of American life made him a household name to generations of Americans, will be the focus of an exhibit opening at the Nassau County Museum of Art (NCMA) on Sunday, September 20. The exhibit runs through Sunday, January 3, 2010.
During a career that spanned a turbulent historical period from World War I through Vietnam, Rockwell created scores of memorable homespun images conveying an innocent and small-town vision of America that resonated at home and abroad. His enormous impact was achieved in particular through the 321 covers he created for the widely circulated Saturday Evening Post from 1916 to 1963, including his famous "Four Freedoms" series of patriotic wartime paintings.
Organized by New Yotk's American Illustrators Gallery and the Newport, R.I.-based National Museum of American Illustration, the exhibit is curated for NCMA by Constance Schwartz and Franklin Hill Perrell and includes approximately 300 Saturday Evening Post covers and about 48 paintings. The exhibit is sponsored by Sterling Glen Senior Living and David Lerner Associates with support from Wachovia Bank and Wells Fargo and Company.
Born in 1894 on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Rockwell demonstrated drawing talent from a young age, sketching as literary works were read to him . While in high school, he studied at the Chase School of Fine and Applied Art, but left before graduation to attend the National Academy of Design, later transferring to the prestigious Art Students League in New York. His earliest commission, at the age of 16, was for Christmas cards. He was then retained to illustrate a series of children’s books and became the art director for Boy’s Life, the official publication of the Boy Scouts of America — an association that would continue for a half century.
Rockwell began freelancing for a number of popular magazines, among them Life, Literary Digest and Country Digest, but at age 22 began his legendary association with the Saturday Evening Post. Rockwell’s first work for the Post was "Mother’s Day Off," which ran on the May 20, 1916, cover. From then until 1963, he went on to produce 321 Post covers — his greatest legacy.
In conjunction with the showing of "Norman Rockwell," NCMA is sponsoring several public programs to illuminate and enhance the experience of viewing the exhibition. For information about the events or to register, call (516) 484-9338, extension 12, or log onto nassaumuseum.org.
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 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Docent-led tours of the main gallery exhibitions are offered each day at 2 p.m. On Sunday afternoons, the museum offers supervised art activities for children and their families and family tours of the exhibitions.
Exhibition tours and "Family Sundays" at the Museum are free with museum admission. Admission to the main building, the Arnold & Joan Saltzman Fine Art Building, is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors (62 years of age and over) and $4 for students and children ages 4 - 12. Fees includes admission to the MiniArtMuseum for Children, open noon - 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday (admission to the MiniArtMuseum only is $5 adults, $4 seniors, students and children ages 4-12). Members are always admitted free. There is a $2 parking fee on weekends (members free). The Museum Shop is open all museum hours.
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