Exhibition Provides Extensive Look into Tsar Nicholas II’s Life

Portrait of Nicholas II

When asked to describe the Georgia Museum of Art’s newest exhibition, “The Reluctant Autocrat: Tsar Nicholas II,” head preparator Todd Rivers said that it stands out to him in two distinct ways. First, the show consists of “artifacts from all walks of Nicholas II’s life: birth, childhood, coronation and legacy,” he said. Rivers also noted the show is comprehensive in that it “encompasses almost every form of art including ceramics, lithographs, photographs, icons, medals, uniforms, paintings, jewelry, coins and more.”

The exhibition, which focuses on Alexander III and the final Russian emperor, Nicholas II, opens this Saturday, December 22. It is arranged in a logical, easy-to-follow design across five galleries for all visitors to enjoy, regardless of their level of background knowledge. “I love this show because it tells such a clear story,” preparator Elizabeth Howe said, “You get to see the same people, the same clothing and the same imagery across all of the different works, and you can easily recognize the narrative.”

For visitors who wish to gain a deeper understand of the show, however, Howe strongly recommends attending one of Asen Kirin’s tours. The Parker Curator of Russian Art has a detailed familiarity with not only the works of art, but also the subjects and events surrounding them.

Visitors can come to Kirin’s “Tour at Two” on January 23 at 2 p.m. should they want to witness this extensive knowledge firsthand. Other programs related to this exhibition include Elegant Salute XVI, 90 Carlton: Winter, Toddler Tuesday: Treasure Hunt and Family Day: Russian Embroidery.

The holiday season is in full swing, and this free exhibition is the perfect experience for both friends and families who are in Athens for a few days and locals who are looking for fun destinations this winter. The museum will be closed on December 25 and January 1, but will otherwise hold normal hours. “The Reluctant Autocrat: Tsar Nicholas II” will be on view December 22, 2018, through March 17, 2019.

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Taylor Lear

Department of Communications

Georgia Museum of Art Prepares for Richard Hunt Exhibition with Related Programming

Richard Hunt

Richard Hunt’s career has spanned six decades, and although the artist is now in his 80s, he continues to create large-scale public commissions. The sculptor’s work will be on view at the Georgia Museum of Art from October 20 through February 3 in the exhibition “Richard Hunt: Synthesis.” The show, which was organized by Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Curator of African American and African Diasporic Art Shawnya Harris, draws from public and private collections all over the country. It will feature several sculptures and works on paper that trace the various phases of Hunt’s career, including welded and cast sculpture dating from the 1950s to the present and models he made after his transition to large-scale public commissions in the late 1960s.

Hunt’s earliest work is tied to his time at the Junior School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and later the Art Institute. The Museum of Modern Art in New York played a role too, when it presented a retrospective exhibition of his career in 1971 and purchased some of his early work. Of particular interest for Georgians are “Wisdom Bridge,” which Hunt created for the downtown branch of the Atlanta Public Library and a pair of sculptures (“Tower of Aspirations” and “And They Went Down Both into the Water”) for Augusta’s Springfield Park.

“Richard Hunt: Synthesis” will be accompanied by a number of related events throughout the fall at the Georgia Museum of Art. The exhibition will also serve as the focus of the museum’s 5th-grade tours as part of Experience UGA this year, allowing all 5th-grade students in the Clarke County School District to experience the works of a pioneering African American sculptor.

Other related programming for this exhibition includes:

·      a public conversation with Hunt on October 19 at 4:30 p.m. (in the museum’s M. Smith Griffith Auditorium)

·      90 Carlton: Autumn, the museum’s quarterly reception (free for museum members, $5 non-members) on October 19 at 5:30 p.m.

·      a public tour with Harris on October 31 at 2 p.m.

·      a Family Day as part of UGA’s 2019 Spotlight on the Arts festival on November 3 from 10 a.m. to noon

·      a Toddler Tuesday on November 13 at 10 a.m. (register via sagekincaid@uga.edu or 706.542.0448)

·      a screening of Charlie Ahearn’s documentary “Richard Hunt: Sculptor” on November 29 at 7 p.m.

·      an Artful Conversation on December 5 at 2 p.m.

·      and a Teen Studio on January 17 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. (email sagekincaid@uga.edu or call 706.542.8863 to reserve a spot).

All programs are free and open to the public unless otherwise indicated.

New Exhibition: “Before the March King: 19th-Century American Bands”

"Grandfather of the March King", Patrick Gilmore (1829 - 1892)

The Georgia Museum of Art opened a new exhibition to the public last week, “Before the March King: 19th-Century American Bands.” The exhibition focuses on American bands in the era before the “March King,” John Philip Sousa, and is open until the beginning of the year (Jan. 3, 2016).

The exhibition features many portraits of famous band directors, woodwind and brass instruments, non-military local bands and artifacts such as broadsides advertising performances by local bands and national events. Famous band directors featured in this exhibition range from cornet player Alonzo Ford to the “Grandfather of the March King,” Patrick S. Gilmore, who was an inspiration to Sousa.

Stereoscopic view of a concert hall conducted by Patrick Gilmore in Brooklyn, NY.

Instruments displayed in the exhibition include bugles, cornets, euphoniums and over-the-shoulder horns. The exhibition has a variety of photographic portraits that show the many types of bands that played in the early to late 19th century, such as military, newsboy and all-female bands. Artifacts include souvenirs from the National Peace Jubilee in 1869 and the World Peace Jubilee of 1872 (conducted by Gilmore) and sheet music covers.

An All-Female Band in the 19th-Century

All the objects in the exhibition come from the collection of UGA Performing Arts Center director George C. Foreman, who will give a gallery tour of it this Thursday (October 22). The public is invited to attend this free event, with champagne, coffee and cake at 5 p.m. and the tour at 6 p.m.