Press

ALBANY, NY -- Drawing in part from The Museum of Modern Art's ModernStarts exhibition, Figure and Form, Rodin to Matisse: Sculpture and Works on Paper is a challenging exploration of the beginning of modernism.

The exhibition, which runs from March 2 through May 6, 2001, in the New York State Museum's West Gallery, is the fifth installment of the Fleet Great Art Exhibition and Education Program. It is also MoMA's second appearance in the successful series that brings great art from New York City art museums to Albany. The first Fleet Great Art show was Pop Art: Selections from MoMA, which ran from Feb. 26 to May 2, 1999. ModernStarts, part of the MoMA2000 project, was on view at MoMA from October 7, 1999, to March 14, 2000.

"This series has been a great success for us, so successful that Fleet has decided to continue its commitment to funding the program for another year, extending the series into 2002," State Museum Director Cliff Siegfried said. "Each exhibition draws in a new crowd of New Yorkers."

Glenn D. Lowry, Director of The Museum of Modern Art, said, "MoMA is again pleased to participate in the Fleet Great Art Series with the State Museum. We are particularly pleased that some of the sculpture in this exhibition will be accessible to blind and visually impaired visitors through our Touch Tour program. This helps us to achieve our mission of making MoMA's renowned collection available to all New Yorkers."

MoMA's Touch Tours, a program that allows blind and visually impaired visitors to actually touch sculpture wearing special gloves, will be available during the exhibition. MoMA educators are training State Museum educators on how to conduct these tours in Albany. MoMA was recently honored by VSA (formerly Very Special Arts) and the Metropolitan Life Foundation for innovations in reaching people with visual disabilities.

Figure and Form features works created from 1880 through 1920 by Auguste Rodin, Henri Matisse, Aristide Maillol, Gaston Lachaise and Alberto Giacometti, and examines the development of modern expression.

"The Museum of Modern Art has loaned us what is probably their most powerful collection of figurative sculpture," said Mark Schaming, the State Museum's Director of Exhibitions. "This is a truly unique opportunity for our visitors to feel the presence of these great works together. "

The exhibition, including 25 sculptures and 17 works on paper, presents a unique opportunity to view such masterpieces as Rodin's superhuman-sized Monument to Balzac, Matisse's Large Seated Nude, and Giacometti's Tall Figure III.

Organized by John Elderfield, Chief Curator at Large, and Elizabeth Levine, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Painting and Sculpture, the exhibition also includes two remarkable series of sculptures, the 1891-97 Rodin studies for Monument to Balzac and the 1910-16 Matisse heads of Jeannette. The presentation of these works and others explores themes of size, representation, and the perceptual and physical composition of sculpture at the beginning of the 20th century.

Mr. Elderfield said, "The works in this exhibition exemplify major tendencies in the development of early modern sculpture, and include landmark works ranging from Rodin's Balzac to Matisse's Backs. MoMA is delighted they are being shown in the New York State Museum as our second appearance in the Fleet Great Art Series."

The sculptors' drawings and other works on paper offer rare glimpses into the creative process. Some are studies for finished sculptures. Others offer a look into the artists' worlds. For example, a series of etchings by Giacometti that was created to illustrate a book on painting details the appearance of his studio, packed with paintings and sculptures.

The largest group of works on paper is by Henri Matisse. They include ink drawings related to The Back I and The Back II. Matisse's Girl with Tulips of 1910 is a fully developed portrait of the same model as that of his heads of Jeannette.

Organized by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, this exhibition was made possible by The Starr Foundation, Agnes Gund and Daniel Shapiro, the Contemporary Exhibition Fund of The Museum of Modern Art, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The New York State Museum expresses its gratitude to Fleet for generous support of the exhibition series; Senator Roy M. Goodman and the New York State Senate for their support; the Hearst Foundation Inc. for important seed funding and continuing support; Harry Rosenfeld for his vision and dedication to the exhibition series; and First Lady Libby Pataki for her inspiration in bringing great art to all New Yorkers.

N Y S M

Editor's Notes:

• The New York State Museum is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is on Madison Avenue in downtown Albany next to the Empire State Plaza. A donation of $2 per person or $5 per family is appreciated.
• The public may call 518-474-5877 for further information.
• A reception will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, March 6.
• For images, reporters and editors may contact the Office of Institutional Relations at 518/474-0079 or 486-2003 or send an email to dliquori@mail.nysed.gov