Philadelphia, PA – In conjunction with the Kimmel Center’s 2011 inaugural Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA), PAFA presents "How 'ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm after they've seen Paree?" on view April 1 through May 29, 2011, in PAFA’s Historic Landmark Building, 118 N. Broad Street.
“We are excited to partner with the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts,” says PAFA’s newly appointed Museum Director Harry Philbrick. "This type of a multi-disciplinary and collaborative approach allows us to showcase new artistic innovation and interpretation within the larger community.”
An installation of art from the 1910s and 1920s showing American artists’ connections with France, the exhibition includes works from PAFA’s permanent collection by modern artists who traveled to France to experience its art and culture first hand. The title, taken from a World War I-era popular song, alludes to how an entire generation was turned on to cosmopolitan temptations and unprecedented encounters in Paris and beyond. What many took away from their travels and study in the “City of Light” was not simply exposure to avant-garde styles but diverse exchanges with artists from broad backgrounds.
“Anything seemed possible in this environment – artistic, political, and sexual revolution,” explains Robert Cozzolino, PAFA’s Curator of Modern Art. “Many considered their time in France the new beginning in their artistic growth. The installation will show the fruits of exchange between French and American artists and reveal how impressionable young artists never looked back after their new experiences abroad.”
Among the highlights of the installation are Florine Stettheimer's sumptuous scene of artist friends (including the three American Stettheimer sisters, plus European artists Marcel Duchamp and Elie Nadelman) enjoying a picnic idyll at the tail end of World War I. The Stettheimers were instrumental in fostering exchange between European modernists and Americans during the teens and PAFA's painting symbolizes this fruitful transatlantic relationship. Viewers will see this directly through a juxtaposition with Nadelman’s 1918 work entitled Chanteuse which rhymes visually with his portrait in the Stettheimer painting.
A strong representation of modernists who studied and then taught at PAFA – Hugh Breckenridge, Arthur B. Carles, and Henry McCarter – will anchor the gallery, reminding viewers of the major role PAFA and Philadelphia played in fostering modernist styles in America. Other artists included in the installation are Stuart Davis, Charles Demuth, Marsden Hartley, Henry Fitch Taylor and many others.
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This exhibition is presented in partnership with the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts, inspired by the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. www.PIFA.org
Founded in 1805, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is America's first school of fine arts and museum. A recipient of the 2005 National Medal of Arts presented by the President of the United States, PAFA is a recognized leader in fine arts education. Nearly every major American artist has taught, studied, or exhibited at the Academy. The institution's world-class collection of American art continues to grow and provides what only a few other art institutions in the world offer: the rare combination of an outstanding museum and an extraordinary faculty known for its commitment to students and for the stature and quality of its artistic work.
Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Academy is located at 118-128 N. Broad Street in Philadelphia. Admission to the Permanent Collection is Adults $10, Seniors (60+) & Students with I.D. $8, Youth ages 13-18, $8. Admission to Special Exhibitions (includes Permanent Collection) is Adults $15, Seniors (60+) & Students with I.D. $12, Youth Ages 13-18, $12. Admission is free for members and children under age of 12. Admission to Morris Gallery exhibitions is free.