Inka Essenhigh, Alison Van Pelt, Cecily Brown, Richard Prince, Will Cotton, John Currin, Philip Pearlstein, Francesco Clemente, Creating the New Century: Contemporary Art from the Dicke Collection

The Dayton Art Institute Shows  "Creating the New Century": 21st century artworks from the Dicke Collection

Dayton, OH.- On view until July 10th, "Creating the New Century" is a special exhibition organized by the Dayton Art Institute, drawing some of the best 21st century artworks from the Dicke Collection. The exhibition features 70 paintings, drawings, and sculptures, all of which have been created since the year 2000 by 69 artists. The featured artists are represented by works that document the range of styles and technical concerns, as well as social and political issues, that engage artists in the 21st century. While many works are by well-known painters and sculptors who have participated in museum and gallery exhibitions and received reviews in arts periodicals, others are less well known in a selection characterized by the curiosity and tastes of the collector. "Creating the New Century" offers an opportunity to explore aspects of contemporary art practice firsthand and presents the accomplishments of a number of artists whose work has not previously been exhibited in Southwest Ohio. With a list of artists resembling a 'who's who' of the best in contemporary art, the exhibition features artists from around the world, including the US artists Richard Aldrich, John Alexander, Gregory Amenoff, Linda Besemer, Mel Bochner, Mark Bradford, Brian Calvin, Ed Cohen, Andy Collins, Will Cotton, John Currin, Tomory Dodge, Judith Eisler, Inka Essenhigh, Brian Fahlstrom, Eric Fischl, Louise Fishman, Lars Fisk, Cabio Fonseca, Marc Handelman, Mary Heilmann, Jacqueline Humphries, Bryan Hunt, Bill Jensen, Alex Katz, David Korty, Daniel Lefcourt, McDermott & McGough, Marilyn Minter, Todd Norsten, Thomas Nozkowski, Philip Pearlstein, Richard Prince, David Ratcliff, Lisa Sanditz, Anna Schachte, Dana Schutz, Sandra Scolnik, Amy Sillman, Mark Swanson, Alison Van Pelt, Tommy White, Sue Williams and Lisa Yuskavage. European art is represented by works from Cecily Brown, Gillian Carnegie, Francesco Clemente, William Daniels, Peter Doig, Stef Driesen, mark Francis, Bernard Frize, Gotthard Graubner, Per Kirkeby, Katy Moran, Muntean/Rosenblum, Richard Patterson, Sean Scully, Tony Swain, Juan Uslé and Clare Woods. Other artists featured include Shirazeh Houshiary (Iran), Jun Kaneko (Japan), Takashi Murakami (Japan), Yoshitomo Nara (Japan), Peter Rostovsky (Russia) and Tam Van Tran (Vietnam). 2011 marks the 92nd anniversary of The Dayton Art Institute, one of the nation’s finest mid-sized art museums. Founded in 1919 as the Dayton Museum of Arts, the museum also operated a traditional art school. Its founding patrons included prominent leaders such as Orville Wright and the Patterson brothers, founders of NCR. Originally occupying an impressive mansion in downtown Dayton, the museum was quickly embraced by the entire community. During its first decade, the museum outgrew the mansion. Mrs. Julia Shaw Carnell, a prominent community leader, pledged to construct a new museum if the community would then endow and pay for its operations. Mrs. Carnell’s generosity of nearly $2 million, a significant gift in the early days of the Great Depression, created a land-mark building. Completed in 1930, the building was modeled after the Villa d’Este near Rome and the Villa Farnese at Caprarola in Italy, both examples of sixteenth century Italian Renaissance architecture. The museum facility was designed by prominent museum architect Edward B. Green of Buffalo. More than 80 years later, the building still houses The Dayton Art Institute and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Sitting atop a hill on the edge of the Great Miami River over-looking downtown Dayton, the museum was renamed The Dayton Art Institute to reflect the growing importance of its school as well as its museum. The striking building of nearly 60,000 square feet soon became known as “Dayton’s Living Room.” People from all walks of life came to the Art Institute to visit the permanent collections and special exhibitions, to attend a variety of classes, or to stroll in the gardens on a Sunday afternoon. During the past decade, the museum has reaffirmed its tradition of providing outstanding educational programs and special exhibitions. Over the past several years, the museum’s collection has grown significantly through generous gifts of artwork by local donors, including important Oceanic art, Asian art, and American fine and decorative art collections. The collection, now comprised of more than 26,000 objects spanning 5,000 years of art history, is rated as “superb in quality” by the American Association of Museums. In September 1994, the museum announced its largest ever capital campaign, with a goal of $22 million to fund a major renovation and expansion of the museum’s infrastructure; increase and improve our educational and outreach programs; and fund an endowment for the new facility. In December 1996, the museum reached $23.5 million in capital contributions. With the completion of the nearly two-year capital project, an even greater emphasis was placed on outreach toward under-served audiences, including our community’s African-American and Appalachian populations. The Dayton Art Institute reopened in June 1997 with more than 35,000 square feet of additional exhibition space and completely renovated permanent collection galleries. The Dayton Art Institute will continue to develop ways of better serving museum visitors and attracting targeted, underserved audiences, such as the African-American community, families with young children, and young professionals. With innovative programming, increased technology and expanded services, The Dayton Art Institute will continue to thrive in the 21st century. Visit the museum's website at ... www.daytonartinstitute.com Friday, 22 April 2011 21:41