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| BOOK AS ART XIV: TEMPTATIONS OFFERS SUMPTUOUS INTERPRETATIONS OF HUMAN DESIRES AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WOMEN IN THE ARTS MARCH 4, 2002 – JANUARY 5, 2003 | |
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Washington, D.C. – The allure of food, love, money, and other permitted and forbidden pleasures are explored in the exhibition Book as Art XIV: Temptations, on view March 4, 2002 – January 5, 2003 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts’ Library and Research Center. The 73 paintings, drawings, and distinctive books by 37 artists will focus on temptations that are ever enticing to humans. Food has seductive associations with relationships, love, and sex. Molly Van Nice's book installation Dinner with Mr. Dewey presents a lavish meal of sculpted books, all classified according to the Dewey Decimal system. Delicious-looking chocolate pastries represent the intellectual nourishment provided by the act of reading. Katherine Glover's book Green Salad takes the shape of a bowl of salad that had been prepared by the artist's lover, which was then left untouched when romance intervened. Carrots Anyone? by Susan Share lures the viewer with its inviting display of carrots, offering the vegetable tidbits like a box of chocolates for a sweetheart. The aesthetics and allure of preparing food are evident in still lifes such as Patricia Tobacco Forrester’s brilliantly-colored Hot Peppers and in Elena Vidotto’s more reflective Turnips. A fond food memory of poet Diane Wakoski inspired artist Ellen Lanyon’s imaginative illustrations for the book Making a Sacher Tort. Lanyon's own illustrated recipes are also represented in the exhibition. The most famous forbidden pleasure, the apple, is explored alongside other symbols from the Judeo-Christian tradition in several works, including Lorraine Grace's canvas Three Apples. Wewer Keohane's book-sculpture It Wasn't the Apple is a defense of the much-maligned fruit. In Betty Sweren's book The Snake and Katherine Glover's book Snake Skin, the seducer of Eve is the main focus of attention. Darker temptations such as the desire to destroy and the lure of money are also addressed in the exhibition. Sandra Jackman's book On the Darkling Plain was inspired by the 19th-century poem Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold. The illustrations of fears and nightmares surrounding a panic caused by an unexpected attack were created in 2000. After the September 11th, 2001 tragedy, the book carries even more power with its pages that are burned, torn, and covered with ashes. In Selected by Vera Khlebnikova the artist affixed Russian currency to the pages of her work. It illustrates the power of money in Russian society and the desire to quickly acquire material goods. Book As Art XIV: Temptations is organized by the National Museum of Women in the Arts, with funds provided by the Library Fellows. Curator of the exhibition is Krystyna Wasserman, director of the Library and Research Center. A color catalogue of the exhibition may be purchased in the museum’s shop for $8.95. Public programs will be offered in conjunction with the exhibition; call 202.783.7370 for further details. About the Museum The National Museum of Women in the Arts, founded in 1981 and opened in 1987, is the only museum dedicated solely to celebrating the achievements of women in the visual, performing, and literary arts. Its permanent collection contains works by more than 800 artists, including Judith Leyster, Maria Sibylla Merian, Mary Cassatt, Camille Claudel, Georgia O’Keeffe, Frida Kahlo, Elizabeth Catlett, Lee Krasner, Helen Frankenthaler, and Louise Bourgeois. The museum also conducts multidisciplinary programs for diverse audiences, maintains a Library and Research Center, publishes a quarterly magazine, and has organized 28 state committees. Nearly 120,000 people visit the museum each year, including thousands of young people who come with schools and scouting groups. NMWA’s national membership of more than 35,000 is among the top ten percent of museum memberships nationwide. The museum is located at 1250 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, in a landmark building near the White House. It is open Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday noon – 5 p.m. For information call 202.783.5000 or visit the museum’s website, www.nmwa.org.# # # |
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|  For images, interviews, and more information, contact Michelle Cragle or media@nmwa.org or call 202.783.7373 |