Beili Liu Tomorrow Nov. 17 5:00 pm!

Taking place in the Blanton Auditorium is the last of the lecture series Art and Diaspora: Asian In America. Artist and UT Professor Beili Liu will discuss Mining the Material: Time and Process.

More info...here.

Lectures at the Blanton this weekend!

Join us at the Blanton Museum of Art this weekend for two exciting discussions:

Saturday, November 14th
3:00 – 4:30 PM
Conversation: Artist Pablo Vargas Lugo with Roberto Tejada
Artist Pablo Vargas Lugo discusses his current WorkSpace installation, Eclipses for Austin, with Roberto Tejada, associate professor in the Art and Art History Department.

Sunday, November 15th
3:00 – 4:30 PM
Panel: Creating the Sacred
Join Craig Kanewske of Venture Four Architects, Mark Landers of Landers' Studio, and Father Jim Wiesner of St. Austin's Catholic Church, for a discussion on the architectural, logistical, and formal implications of creating a sacred space, such as an altarpiece, within a church setting.


Both events will be held in the Edgar A. Smith Building Auditorium at The Blanton Museum of Art.

Austin Art Events

The best local art happening in Austin-
don't miss out!

see info here... East Austin Studio Tour

TERESITA FERNANDEZ

Blind Landscape and Drawn Toward Light
November 1, 2009 – January 3, 2010


"Contemporary American artist Teresita Fernández (American b. 1969) is widely known for her immersive installations and evocative large-scale sculptures that explore the cultural fabrication of nature. Characterized by her deft ability to transform common materials like steel, graphite and glass into forms and images reminiscent of the natural world, Fernández' works bring idea and experience into poetic tension. Meticulous, subtle, and always surprising, her sculptural scenarios offer viewers unique opportunities for contemplation and discovery."
http://blantonmuseum.org/works_of_art/exhibitions/teresita/index.cfm

and some recent news coverage:
http://uptownstudiosaustin.com/clients/AustinArtsMinute/ArtsMinute-1119.wmv
http://www.austin360.com/arts/content/arts/stories/2009/10/1101fernandez.html
http://www.austin360.com/arts/content/arts/stories/2009/11/1101kleins.html

Petrobelli Altarpiece now on view!

Check out a recent feature story by Jeanne Claire van Ryzin from the Austin American Statesman...here.




The Blanton tech crew during the installation of the altarpiece.
Photo by Rick Hall

New Exhibit At Lora Reynolds

Check out the new exhibit at the Lora Reynolds Gallery opening this Saturday!  It will be featuring Blanton artists such as Conrad Bakker and Kehinde Wiley!!

October 4, 2009 – February 7, 2010

Paolo Veronese: The Petrobelli Altarpiece
Reconstructing a Renaissance Masterpiece


















The Blanton Museum of Art recently announced an important discovery regarding a work by Venetian master Paolo Veronese (1528 – 1588). Head of an Angel, a painting from the Blanton's Suida Manning collection, has been identified as a fragment of a long-lost Veronese masterpiece. The reconstructed altarpiece will be exhibited alongside x-rays and other ephemera and will travel to the Blanton in October 2009.

Recent news on the exhibit here:
http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=33053

http://elogedelart.canalblog.com/archives/2009/09/03/14940759.html

Naturalism in painting.

You may have thought it was a past necessity destroyed by photography, but there will always be something startling about the realistic forms artists can create with paint. I myself work with graphite and charcoal and find oil or acrylic to be an obstacle I have yet to overcome as far as artistic expression goes. Anyone who can yield a paint brush like Vouet has gotten as close to godliness as possible in my book.

In my visits to the Blanton, there is a painting that never ceases to capture my eye. Appropriately titled "That Suicide World" by Diego Gravinese. I love his work because he paints every day scenes with such clarity. Perhaps the subject matter is banal to you, but no one really paints like this anymore.

View some paintings.

Read a nice article.

Damien Hirst

Photo taken from

"Beautiful Lakshmi Nirvana Painting"

Could I say more to describe Damien Hirst's painting at the Blanton??? This work attracts visitors with its size, vibrant colors, and its use of a skull for subject matter. Morbid, but bright (thus happy.) It has its work cut out for itself as it vies for attention in a gallery full of big names such as Conrad Bakker, Marilyn Minter, Anselm Kiefer, etc. After all, taking the place of our Kehinde Wiley is no small task.

Read a bio about Hirst and check out more of his art.

Watch a video with him and his art (please excuse the techno beats!)

And of course, SHOP at Other Criteria - a company Hirst help found and works with!

I'm sooo happy that the Grisebaums loaned this one to the Blanton!

Francisco Matto Interactive Feature

I love exploring our website. I continually find fun new things.
Check out this great online educational addition to our Matto exhibit!

http://www.utexas.edu/cofa/bma/interact/matto/

Francisco Matto

When I heard that the next special exhibition at the Blanton Museum would focus the on the artist Francisco Matto, I didn't think a great deal about it, honestly. I had never heard of the artist and had never studied the School of the South. I could sense that he was a big deal, so I Googled him. Try Googling him and see what you get (aside from the Blanton's information.) Needless to say, I didn't learn much about him. Search for the El Taller Torres-García, and you'll

get a little more. But the question of who was Matto and why was he coming to the Blanton still remained...

The exhibition not only sheds light on a great modern artist, it allows the Blanton to share some of its vast Latin American collection. I sent Ursula Davila-Villa, interim curator of Latin American art, a few questions about the exhibition:

This is the first retrospective exhibit on Francisco Matto in the U.S., correct? Why do you think his art is drawing the attention of the public now and why is it important for the Blanton to do an exhibition like this?

In the long history of exhibitions organized by the Blanton focusing on
Latin American Art, two have contributed greatly to the field of Modern art

history: “The School of the South” and “The Geometry of Hope: Latin American
Abstract Art from the Patricia Phelps de Cineros Collection.”

“Francisco Matto: The Modern and the Mythic” is the continuation of our
efforts to study this period through exhibitions. Additionally, Matto was
one of the most important students of Joaquin Torres Garcia, a key figure in
the history of Modern art. But Matto’s work has never been presented in the
US in a comprehensive way. We will be the first museum to organize an

exhibition that features the entire work of Matto from the 1940s to the
1990s.

What do you hope a museum visitor might be exposed to for the first time?

This exhibition is one that will invite the visitor to experience

abstract art in a very intimate and personal way. Matto’s life is important,
but more important is how we—individually—connect with each of the works on

view. Some viewers might feel closer to the still-lifes, while others might be
drawn to the abstract compositions. All the works offer a different yet
similar face of Matto’s world and his vision as an artist—to see
art within the urban landscape in hopes to improve and enrich the everyday life of

all citizens.

What ideas would you explain further that you think one might overlook in the exhibit?

This last sentence I reference above—Matto’s wish to see art through out his

native city, Montevideo—is one that might be overlooked. But a closer look reveals there
are several paintings and drawings in which Matto depicted an abstract sculpture

in the middle of a port scene or in the urban landscape. Also, several

photos located in the resource room [within the exhibition] illustrate Matto’s ambition to see his totems live in the open and close to the urban center of Montevideo, where

many could appreciate them.

Matto's work has had a lasting impact on Latin American artists. What ideas would you like museum visitors to take with them when leaving the Matto exhibit and going upstairs to the America/Americas?

I would actually put Matto in the context of Modern art and not just Latin

American art. His importance and contributions are part of the history of
modernism — this is what associates Francisco Matto and
America/Americas [currently on view, drawn from the Blanton’s permanent collection]. The most important ideas to take from this exhibition are the influence of Joaquin Torres Garcia, one of the most important artists in the history of modernism, and Matto’s incorporation of

pre-Columbian art in modern and contemporary art. These two aspects are

present in our permanent collection.

Would you compare any specific permanent works on display now to Matto?

America/Americas opens with a work by Joaquin Torres Garcia among a cluster devoted to The School of the South (a group founded by Torres Garcia). Additionally, next to the Matto exhibition, the visitor will also by members of The School of the South, or artists influenced by

this group.

What works of Matto's do you enjoy the most and why?

I cannot say I have one piece, but I have two favorite groups of works:

Matto’s still lifes and his wooden totems. I like the still lifes for their

simplicity, and the astonishing way Matto was able to abstract the purity of
forms and represent ordinary things such as a jar. I like the totems because
of their universal appeal, by this I mean that Matto chose to work with very
specific figures that are embedded in many cultures and thus when the viewer
sees the totems they will feel a certain familiarity.

*********

After seeing the exhibition, perhaps “Who was Matto?” is not the right answer. Perhaps I should have asked, what does Matto stand for? The works speak for themselves and say something eternally simple and beautiful.

I would like thank Ursula for taking the time out of her busy schedule to

answer these questions (who said curators were out of reach?) I hope you
all will see Matto if you haven't already, or go again with renewed
interest.

If you would like to hear more about Matto, join Ursula for a special gallery talk entitled,

"Perspectives: Francisco Matto," September 17th at 12:30pm.

Hope to see you at the Blanton!

Matto is open!

Look!

Summer Film Series at the Blanton-
Beginning Thursday June 18th at 7pm the Blanton and the Austin Film Festival will be presenting five films in the auditorium.
For more information go here!

Listen!

KUT's Julie Moody interviews the new Blanton Director Ned Rifkin:
http://kut.org/items/show/16953

Julius Shulman Film Screening

Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman is being screened this Saturday night at 7pm, in the Blanton's auditorium. The museum is staying open until 8pm, but if you can't get here early enough to see the exhibition AND the movie, then bring your receipt with you on Sunday for admission to the exhibition on it's last day in Austin.

Click here to watch the trailer: http://www.juliusshulmanfilm.com/trailer-gallery/

Big News!!

Ned Rifkin Appointed Director Of The Blanton Museum of Art

Landmarks

This is a great video from OnCampus Multimedia showing some of the installation of the Landmark sculptures on UT campus. You may recognize a couple familiar faces, including our very own Matt Winters...

http://www.utexas.edu/oncampus/2009/04/06/landmarks/


Mark di Suvero's Clock Knot













image by Ben Aqua

We're Cool

USA TODAY's Spring art roundup: Top museum shows across the USA

The Next Third Thursday is on May 21!

Join us for Third Thursday, a monthly themed event that features extended hours and multiple programs.

6:00pm Artistic License: WorkSpace artist Lisi Raskin will give a special gallery talk.
6:30pm Yoga in the Galleries
7:00pm Blanton Book Club: The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean
7 & 8pm Art Brief Tour: Art & Memory
More Info

Don't miss a special "Birth of the Cool" film series sponsored by the Alamo Drafthouse and Austin Film Society. In celebration of the Blanton exhibition, the Alamo Ritz downtown will screen unique films from the 1950s West Coast.

Time:	7-9 p.m.
Description:	Third in the film series is "Visual Acoustics," a 2008 study of the architectural photography of Julius Shulman. 83 min. followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Eric Bricker.
Location:	Alamo Drafthouse, The Ritz, 320 E Sixth St.
Admission:	More about this event... $8.50, $6.25 for students

Birth of the Cool Film Series
Wednesdays, March 25, April 1, April 8, and April 15, 7 PM
Sponsored by the Alamo Drafthouse and the Austin Film Society, the series features unique films from this period. On March 25 enjoy "Designing the Cool," a series of shorts by designers/filmmakers Charles and Ray Eames, along with a film on title designer, Saul Bass. All shows will take place at the Alamo Ritz downtown begin at 7 PM. For ticket information and upcoming film titles, click here.

Birth of the Cool Jazz Series at the Elephant Room
Saturday, March 28, 9:30 PM
Featuring Kat Edmonson
Visit Austin's premier jazz club for a special series highlighting music from the 1950s West Coast. For a list of upcoming shows click here. The Elephant Room is located at 315 Congress Ave., $5 cover

Congrats Mike!!

You may know Mike Castillo, one of our tech crew, from the Blanton rack card 'Our perspective' or you may just know him :)

Tell him congratulations on grandbaby #5!
sweet Kayla Elizabeth, 15in 14 oz, was born during Obama's inauguration.

ahh... Birth of the Cool

Besides being wildly popular, there are a plethora of events around town in conjunction with the exhibit. Some of which are located at Austin's famous Elephant Room.

Next up- Kat Edmonson 3/28 9:30pm
http://www.myspace.com/katedmonson
http://www.elephantroom.com/

A great video from Sam Sanford-

'Walkthrough of Lisi Raskin's installation at the Blanton Museum of Art, Austin, Texas, with behind-the-scenes footage and audio from an interview with the artist.'