Norman Rockwell Museum Presents A Tribute to Elvis Presley and Early Rock and Roll
Stockbridge, MA, July 28, 2016—As part of its “Real or Imagined? Adventures in Visual Cultural” lecture and performance series, Norman Rockwell Museum will present a tribute to Elvis Presley and early rock and roll on Thursday, August 11, starting at 5:30 p.m. Meet Elvis impersonator Joe Borelli and his band, who will bring beloved songs by the “King of Rock and Roll” and from the 1950s, 60s and 70s to life. Visitors are invited to step back in time to mid-century America, when Elvis Presley energized popular music by blending influences from across color lines. The event is free for Museum members, or included with Museum admission. Reservations are suggested by contacting the Museum at 413.931.2221 or register@nrm.org.
Real or Imagined? Adventures in Visual Culture
Thursday Evenings at 5:30 p.m. through July and August
Enjoy an engaging series of talks and performances inspired by Norman Rockwell’s newest exhibition, Rockwell and Realism in an Abstract World, and the persuasive power of visual imagery in its many forms. Sponsored by Berkshire Magazine, the evenings are free for Museum members, or included with Museum admission. Upcoming events include:
Benton, Pollock, and the Politics of Modernism:
From Regionalism to Abstraction with Erika Doss
Thursday, August 18, 5:30 p.m.
The Visual Narrative: Three Perspectives
with Illustrators Marshall Arisman, Anita Kunz, and Thomas Woodruff
Thursday, August 25, 5:30 p.m.
Rockwell and Realism in an Abstract World
On view through October 30, 2016
In post-World War II America, the primacy of abstract art was clearly acknowledged, and by 1961, when Rockwell painted The Connoisseur, Abstract Expressionism had been covered in the popular press for nearly 15 years. Originated in the 1940s by Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline, Barnett Newman, and Mark Rothko, among others, Abstract Expressionism was the first American movement to achieve widespread international influence.
For the first time, Norman Rockwell Museum will explore the contrast between the abstract and realist movements, placing works by Rockwell, Wyeth, and Warhol side by side with Pollock, Calder, Johns, and over 40 other preeminent artists. Rockwell and Realism in an Abstract World examines the forces that forged the mid-century dismissal of narrative painting and illustration, as well as the resurgence of realist painting during the latter half of the twentieth century, its presence and critical consideration today, and the ways in which our contemporary viewpoints have been shaped by post World War II constructs.
The exhibition features the art of prominent illustrators, painters, and sculptors whose autographic art spans more than 60 years, representing many dynamic forms of visual communication. Featured artists include: Marshall Arisman, Bo Bartlett, Austin Briggs, Alexander Calder, Alan E. Cober, Robert Cottingham, Robert Cunningham, Joe De Mers, Walton Ford, Eric Forstmann, Helen Frankenthaler, Bernie Fuchs, Sam Francis, Edwin Georgi, George Giusti, Ralph Goings, Cleve Grey, Brad Holland, Dan Howe, Jasper Johns, Jeff Koons, Anita Kunz, Jacqui Morgan, Robert Motherwell, Barbara Nessim, Barnett Newman, Tim O’Brien, Claes Oldenburg and Coosje Van Bruggen, Al Parker, Bob Peak, Philip Pearlstein, Jackson Pollock, Robert Rauschenberg, Larry Rivers, Norman Rockwell, Peter Rockwell, James Rosenquist, David Salle, Saul Steinberg, Cy Twombly, Andy Warhol, Robert Weaver, Thomas Woodruff, Andrew Wyeth, and Jamie Wyeth. The exhibition is sponsored by TD Bank.