Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art (BGFA) is pleased to announce the opening of “Figuratively Speaking: A Survey of the Human Form”. Organized in partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), “Figuratively Speaking” presents figurative works by such artists as Pierre-August Renoir, Pablo Picasso, Alberto Giacometti, Joseph Cornell, Roy Lichtenstein, David Hockney, Judith Shea, Bill Viola, Yoshitomo Nara, Vanessa Beecroft and many others.
This engaging survey features more than 30 paintings, photographs and sculpture along with video installations by 26 artists whose traditional and contemporary perspectives on figurative art helped to define the genre in the late 19th, 20th and early 21st centuries.
“For this exhibition we are pleased to share some of the best figurative artworks from the permanent collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, two widely respected institutions with whom we have successfully collaborated in the past,” said BGFA Director Tarissa Tiberti. “These pieces will be displayed alongside works from the MGM MIRAGE Fine Art Collection, some of which have never before been displayed in full public view including art by Renoir, Picasso, Edgar Degas and Fernand Leger.”
Different schools of modern and contemporary art fall under the heading of figurative art, from Renoir’s romantic Impressionistic portraits (“The Sweeper”) and Picasso’s distorted Cubist figures (“Woman with Beret”) to Keith Haring’s Pop Art drawings and Chuck Close’s contemporary grid-like paintings. Figurative works of art not only depict a real subject, but also reflect the religious, social, political and mythical beliefs of the times in which it was made.
Hugh M. Davies, The David C. Copley Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego said, “Many of these important works on loan from MCASD will be shown together for the first time, and all demonstrate the breadth and depth of the museum’s collection.” Davies continued, “Spanning more than three decades of figurative expression, these selected works – by such notable artists as Roy Lichtenstein, Bill Viola, Keith Haring, Cindy Sherman, Tony Oursler and Barbara Kruger – use the figure in innovative ways, provoking the most varied of interpretations. Cultural values, generational ideals, personal experience, even the most literal and direct of references are conveyed in these figurative works.”
MFA Deputy Director Katie Getchell said, “The human figure is one of the most frequently depicted subjects in art, and through the expressive images highlighted in this survey, we see how modern and contemporary artists celebrate the vitality and individuality of their subjects. We are delighted to collaborate once again with BGFA and share paintings, drawings and photographs from our encyclopedic collection with new audiences.”
“Figuratively Speaking: A Survey of the Human Form” will be on view May 1, 2010 through January 9, 2011. Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art is open Sunday through Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Last admissions are sold 30 minutes prior to closing.
Tickets are $15 for general admission, $12 for Nevada residents and seniors 65 and older, $10 for students, teachers and military with valid ID. Children 12 and younger are free. Tickets and information are available by calling (702) 693-7871 or (877) 957-9777, or online at www.bellagio.com or www.ticketmaster.com. Audio and docent tours are included in the price of admission. Located adjacent to the gallery, The Gallery Store offers a selection of prints, books, stationery and unique gifts.
About Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art
Located at the heart of the elegant Bellagio resort, Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art is Las Vegas’ premier exhibition space – where great art goes on vacation. Since opening in 1998, the gallery has presented exhibitions of artworks and objects drawn from internationally acclaimed museums and private collections, including “Classic Contemporary,” “American Modernism,” “The Impressionist Landscape: From Corot to Van Gogh,” “Fabergé: Treasures from the Kremlin” and “Picasso Ceramics.”
About Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
Founded in 1941, MCASD is the preeminent contemporary visual arts institution in San Diego County, with locations in downtown San Diego and La Jolla. The Museum’s collection includes more than 4,000 works of art created since 1950 across media—painting, sculpture, works on paper, photography, video, film and installation—by both emerging and established artists.
About Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), is recognized for the quality and scope of its encyclopedic collection, which includes an estimated 450,000 objects spanning all cultures and time periods. The Museum’s collected works encompass Art of the Americas; Art of Europe; Contemporary Art; Art of Asia, Oceania and Africa; Art of the Ancient World; Prints, Drawings and Photographs; Textiles and Fashion Arts; and Musical Instruments.
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