NUDES AT BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM OF ART

"When we respect the nude we will no longer have any shame about it."
Robert Henri, 1865-1929, American painter, The Art Spirit, 1923

Birmingham, AL, January 14, 2008 — The Birmingham Museum of Art will present Body Image: American Art and the Human Form, through May 9, 2009. This exhibition explores the ways American artists have represented the human body in a variety of mediums, and features 28 drawings, prints, photographs, and bronzes dating from 1863 to 1984. The artists represented include Robert Henri, Edward Weston, and Robert Mapplethorpe, as well as Alabama artist Lucille Douglass, Geneva Mercer, and William Spratling. Many works have never before been exhibited. Pairing the works of art with each other and with quotes from the artists themselves, the exhibition demonstrates the enduring importance of the human body in the evolution of art and in our collective consciousness.

"The human body has been an important subject for artistic expression from prehistoric times," says Graham Boettcher, PhD, William Cary Hulsey Curator of American Art at the Birmingham Museum of Art. "The most fundamental training for any artist long consisted of the study of anatomy and life drawing."

Artists have taken myriad approaches to the depiction of the body, ranging from the realistic to the abstract. What draws artists to the nude? According to Boettcher, for American photographer Edward Weston it was the inherent geometry of the human form. George Biddle was influenced by Japanese woodblock traditions and Abraham Walkowitz by the French avant-garde. John La Farge, among other artists, sought out locations such as Tahiti in the South Pacific to explore the nude form in a natural setting.

While some artists render the human form to hone technical skills, others use the body to convey emotions and actions that underscore our common humanity, according to Boettcher. "The French sculptor Auguste Rodin declared ‘Man’s naked form belongs to no particular moment in history; it is eternal, and can be looked upon with joy by the people of all ages.’ It is in this same spirit that the Birmingham Museum of Art is pleased to present Body Image."

The Birmingham Museum of Art gratefully acknowledges Dr. Bill Mason and Mr. Bob Scharfenstein, and Dr. and Mrs. David A. Skier for their generous loans to this exhibition. General exhibition support is provided by the City of Birmingham and the Alabama State Council on the Arts, with assistance from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

RELATED PROGRAMS

Can You Bare It?  (SOLD OUT)
Friday, January 23, 6-8pm;
Saturday, January 24, 10am–5pm;
and Sunday, January 24, 2-6pm
A fast-paced and intensive three-day workshop to advance artistic skills in portraying the human figure. Inspired by the exhibition Body Image: American Art and the Human Form, this workshop will begin with an introduction to the exhibit by Curator of American Art, Graham Boettcher, followed by a sketching session in the galleries. Day two includes an in-depth anatomical study and figure drawing from a live model. On day three, students will finalize a personal masterpiece from a live model and their work professionally critiqued.

BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM OF ART 

Founded in 1951, the Birmingham Museum of Art today has one of the finest collections in the Southeast. Its collection of more than 24,000 paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings, and decorative arts represents a rich panorama of cultures, including American, African, Asian, European, Native American and Pre-Columbian.

The Birmingham Museum of Art is located in the heart of the City’s cultural district. Erected in 1959, the present building was designed by architects Warren, Knight and Davis of Birmingham, with a major renovation and expansion by Edward Larrabee Barnes of New York completed in 1993. The facility encompasses 180,000 square feet, including a splendid outdoor sculpture garden.

ADMISSION to the Museum’s permanent collection is FREE.

MUSEUM HOURS:
Tues—Sat, 10 am to 5 pm; Sun Noon—5 pm; closed major holidays.

Go to www.artsbma.org or call 205.254.2565.