ArtsQuarterlyNEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART JANUARY � FEBRUARY � MARC H 2012 , VOL . 34 N o .1
A Membe r s ’ P ub l i c a t i on
January brings a sense of renewal—a time we
reflect on the accomplishments of the past year
and an opportunity to outline our ambitions for
the next. As we develop our resolutions for the
museum, we consider what you, the community,
look for from the city’s art museum, the New Orleans
Museum of Art.
In 2011, many of you watched NOMA undergo
essential changes in our programming, technologies
and community outreach initiatives. If you haven’t
already noticed the new website, NOMA.org, I
encourage you to explore the museum’s new digital
presence to learn more about our exciting events,
upcoming exhibitions and to browse our permanent
collection. As we address the changing dynamics of
museum-goers, and specifically the New Orleans
community, the NOMA staff with the help of the
Canary Collective have built an invaluable resource
for both prospective visitors and old friends. The
new NOMA.org is the best way to keep up with
exhibition and programming information and is a
fresh way to interact with the thousands of objects in
our collection. As we build upon this resource we
will continue to live-stream artist talks and lectures
while exploring additional interactive components,
including ways to use this technology in the
galleries.
In a world run by smart phones and social
media, adopting technological advancements
becomes increasingly important for a museum with a
history spanning one hundred years. In order for it
to flourish, it must not only provide visitors with
satisfying art experiences but also adapt with the
changing demographics of the community in which
it serves. During our centennial year, NOMA
developed a number of initiatives that will guide our
future offerings. We will continue to feature lively,
comprehensive programming that will include
partnerships with peer institutions and a focus on
creating an accessible and inviting museum
experience. Combining new technology with
traditional methods, we will continue to explore
ways in which we can use the collection as a teaching
instrument and opportunity; our developing
educator programs are designed to give local
teachers the tools necessary to create lesson plans
using works in the collection. The museum is an
invaluable resource—we invite all to use it!
Although the centennial has passed, there is
much to look forward to at NOMA in 2012—Hard
Truths: The Art of Thornton Dial promises to be a
highlight of our exhibition calendar. Dial’s evocative,
powerful large-scale assemblages address
contemporary issues as well as open up a dialogue
on what the terms “contemporary” and “folk” mean
in reference to art today. Our goal for NOMA is to
foster an environment that engages discourse and
criticism among the arts community on this and
other debates concerning culture and the arts.
As always, it is our devoted community that
keeps us afloat and with your continued support we
are able to maintain our role as stewards of art and
art education. I thank you for an exciting 2011 filled
with growth and progress and welcome you to the
museum in 2012, with hopes that you discover
something new about NOMA, its collection and its
programming as it continues to evolve and grow.
Susan M. TaylorThe Montine McDaniel Freeman Director
DIRECTOR’S LETTER
Susan M TaTaT ylor
From the Permanent Collection:Armand Guillaumin (French, 1841-1927)The Towers of St. Sulpice, Paris, (detail)1895Oil on canvasBequest of Eleanor B. Kohlmeyer, 2008.6
CONTENTS2 Feature
Finding Our Way Through the Darkness: An In ter v iew wi th Joanne Cubbs on Thorn ton Dial
6 Exhibi t ionsDario Roble to: The Pre l ives of the B lues
MASS PRODUCED: Technology in Nineteenth -cen tu r y Engl i sh Des ign
Making a Mark: The Doro thy and Herber t Vogel Col lec t ion
10 Museum NewsRecent Acquis i t ions
Leaving a Legacy
14 Exper iencing NOMANew Websi te Gives Vi r tual Vis i tors Al l Access
Forever at NOMA
16 NOMA and the CommunityNOMA and Young Audiences Teach the Work of Thorn ton Dial
NOMA is Ar t fu l ly Aware
L i fe B looms in the Sculp ture Garden
NOMA Welcomes Spr ing wi th Two Popular Events
20 Suppor t ing NOMANOMA Announces the Isaac Delgado Socie ty
NOMA Goes to Havana
Grant f rom Keep Louis iana Beaut i fu l Helps NOMA Go Green
Fal l Events Help Close Out Centennia l Celebrat ions
In Memoriam: Eugenie Jones Huger (1932 – 2011)
27 Prof i les in GivingA Tr ibu te to Mrs. Dorothy “Becky” Beckemeyer Skau
28 NOMA FamilyJames Bernard Byrnes, 1917 – 2011
Arts���������2 January � February � March 2012
FEATURE
Thornton Dial was born in 1928 in a remote
rural community in Alabama. As a teenager,
he moved to Bessemer, a small town outside
of Birmingham, where he worked for forty years in
various industrial jobs. During this time, he also
created assemblages from a myriad of found objects
like wire, carpet, rags, dolls, wood and metal scraps.
His massive creations are often vibrantly painted and
rich with symbolism that reflects the social, race, and
class politics that have been a part of our country
since its inception. Dial’s work serves as a historical
account of living as a working-class black man in the
Deep South and represents a voice rarely heard
within the canons of modern culture. Inspired by a
number of unheralded creative traditions from the
black South, it also represents an important missing
chapter in American art history.
This February, NOMA will present the exhibition
Hard Truths: The Art of Thornton Dial, which will
include sculptures, paintings, and drawings on paper
from the past twenty years of Dial’s life.
Joanne Cubbs, the exhibition’s curator, is the
Adjunct Curator of American Art at the Indianapolis
Museum of Art. Arts Quarterly recently had the
opportunity to speak to Cubbs, and she guided us
through an exploration of Dial ‘s life and work, and
what it means to be characterized as an “outsider”
artist.
Arts Quarterly: Dial was not “discovered” by the art
world until he was 60, but had been creating for
years. Is it true that he buried or destroyed many
early pieces?
Joanne Cubbs: It is true that, until the mid 1980s,
Dial maintained a certain amount of secrecy about
his work. Fearing reprisals from whites and even
fellow blacks who might resent or misunderstand his
social commentary, he reportedly hid, recycled, or
buried many of his earlier creations. It is important to
keep in mind that Dial spent much of his life
struggling to survive one of the most repressive and
perilous periods of race relations in the American
South. And in the not-so-distant past, the discovery
of a working-class black man publicly voicing such
social criticism might have put that artist and his
family in great jeopardy, or may even have proven to
be fatal. Not coincidentally, the found-object
assemblages of African American yard art, a
Finding Our Way Through the Darkness: An Interview with Joanne Cubbs on Thornton Dial
Thornton Dial, 2002. Photograph by David Raccuglia.
Arts��������� 3January � February � March 2012
widespread creative tradition in which Dial’s work is
rooted, have always employed an encoded
vocabulary of ordinary materials or “junk” in order
to avoid detection by a dominant white culture with
a long history of suppressing black cultural
expression.
AQ: Dial is often called a “folk” or “outsider” artist.
What do you think about this kind of labeling? Has it
been detrimental to him? In your opinion, is there
finally a mainstream acceptance for self-taught
artists?
JC: That’s a complicated question. Like many who
grew up in the impoverished farming communities
of the black rural South, Dial had little opportunity to
attend school. With limited formal education and no
art training of any kind, Dial drew inspiration from
the aesthetic traditions that immediately surrounded
him, including the African American yard show and
a number of expressive practices unique to the black
vernacular South. Like a wide assortment of other
artists who work outside the familiar conventions of
the established art world, Dial found himself
characterized as a “folk” or “outsider” artist.
Accepted and understood through the lens of these
categories, Dial’s work gained important recognition.
But at the same time, he has fallen prey to the
problematic notions that frequently accompany these
terms, to their fetishizing of difference and to their
often false characterizations of his art as naïve,
innocent, or insular.
Because Dial’s complex and large-scale paintings and
sculpture so closely resemble forms of mainstream
contemporary art, there has been even further
confusion, and he has experienced some extreme
highs and lows in the art world’s critical reception
and understanding of his work over the years.
AQ: Dial’s art is very heavy and dense. It is saturated
with struggle and chaos. However, in your essay in
the exhibition catalogue, you say, “In his art, tragedy
is never without a sense of hope.” Can you expand
upon this?
JC: In his art, Dial often focuses on the world’s
troubles and cruelties. He has the ability to see
deeply into the nature of our flawed humanity. But
he is also generous and optimistic in his point of
Construction of the Victory, 1997, Artificial flowersand plants, crutches, fabric, clothing, rope carpet,wood, window screen, found metal,wire, oil, enamel, spray paint, and Splash Zonecompound on canvas on wood, Collection of theSouls Grown Deep Foundation. Photo by StephenPitkin, Pitkin Studio.
FEATU
RE
view. Although his work can be dark, it also
expresses the hope that we will somehow find our
way through that darkness. Every image of social
injustice is actually a call for our betterment. Within
each evocation of struggle and ruin, there is always
the underlying possibility of human transcendence,
moral striving, and spiritual regeneration. A unique
merging of aesthetics, history, social conscience, and
metaphysics, Dial’s work moves the discourse of
contemporary art into remarkable new territory.
AQ: Also in your essay, you explore one of the many
symbols in Dial’s work: the tiger. What other symbols
or motifs can viewers expect to encounter in this
exhibition?
JC: Dial’s art is filled with a vocabulary of repeating
symbols that provides clues to the work’s richly
layered meanings. He uses the tiger as an avatar of
African American struggle and the ability to land on
one’s feet despite the imbalances of injustice in a
racist world. A predominant theme throughout Dial’s
work is the quest to overcome such social oppression,
and much of his imagery serves that central
expressive purpose. For example, many of his tigers
and other protagonists are formed out of carpet
scraps to signify their downtrodden position within
the social hierarchy, the dilemma of being repeatedly
and ruthlessly “stepped on.” Magical bird figures
often appear as signifiers of freedom and prosperity,
but in one series of pieces, these transcendent
creatures hang limp and lifeless like old rags on a
clothesline in order to conjure the historical memory
of black lynchings. Within Dial’s renderings on the
plight of the oppressed, slaves become rats trapped
in a ship’s hold, manual laborers morph into mules,
and rural black folk turn into dead birds rotting in
the scorching southern sun. On the brighter side,
imaginative species of plants and flowers often
bloom amidst the artist’s scenes of devastation and
destruction, signs of life’s ability to triumph over all
odds. Even Dial’s ubiquitous use of castoff materials
carries this theme of redemption. In his work, the
reinvestment of creative energy in old and outworn
things serves as an overarching metaphor for healing
the world’s inhumanities and for embracing the
dispossessed among us.
AQ: Dial is now in his early 80s, and he has had
Strange Fruit: Channel 42, 2003, Spray can tops, clothes,wood, artificial flowers, found metal, wire, tools, oil, enamel,spray paint, and Splash Zone compound on canvas on wood,Collection of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation, Photo byStephen Pitkin, Pitkin Studio.
Stars of Everything, 2004, Paint cans, plastic cans, spray paint cans,clothing, wood, steel, carpet, plastic straws, rope, oil, enamel, spraypaint, and Splash Zone compound on canvas on wood, Collection of theSouls Grown Deep Foundation. Photo by Stephen Pitkin, Pitkin Studio.
FEA
TURE
Arts��������� 5January � February � March 2012
some health difficulties in recent years. Is he
still making art?
JC:Actually, Dial’s health has greatly improved
over the last year or so, and he has been able to
fully enjoy the Hard Truths exhibition and the
celebration of his lifelong accomplishments as
an artist. In fact, since the opening of the show
at the Indianapolis Museum of Art last
February, he has been inspired to begin a new
group of highly ambitious works. The warm
public accolades that Dial has received, as well
as the unprecedented national coverage
praising the exhibition in such major media
venues as Time Magazine, NPR, The Wall Street
Journal and The New York Times, have
encouraged him to approach his art making
with new gusto and commitment. In his 80s, he
continues, quite miraculously, to create some of
his most exciting work.
Hard Truths: The Art of Thornton Dial will
be on view in the Ella West Freeman Galleries from
February 24, 2012—May 20, 2012. Check the web
for updates on upcoming programming related to
this exhibition.
Setting the Table, 2003Shoes, gloves, bedding, beaded car-seat cover, cloth, carpet,artificial flowers, crushed paint cans, found metal, frying pan,cooking utensils, chain, wood, Splash Zone compound, oil, andenamel on canvas on wood, Collection of Culture and Beyond LLC/Collection of Barbara and James SellmanPhoto by Stephen Pitkin, Pitkin Studio.
EDITED BY JOANNE CUBBS AND EUGENEMETCALF, this beautifully designed hardcover bookcontains over 150 color reproductions, with essayswritten by David C. Driskell, Greg Tate, andJoanne Cubbs, and a foreward by IMA DirectorMaxwell L. Anderson. This catalogue is publishedin conjunction with the exhibition Hard Truths: TheArt of Thornton Dial, organized by the IndianapolisMuseum of Art.
Available in the Museum ShopHardbound, 216 pages; $45.00
FEATU
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Arts���������6 January � February � March 2012
EXHIBIT IONS
This spring NOMA presents a solo exhibition
of work by conceptual artist Dario Robleto,
featuring sculpture and works on paper from
the past ten years. The Prelives of the Blues centers on
the historical and emotional resonance of music,
focusing on how music is absorbed and transferred
across generations transcending barriers of race,
time, and death.
Over the course of his career Dario Robleto (born
in 1972 in San Antonio, Texas) became internationally
known for creating thoughtful sculptures comprised
of unusual materials imbued with conceptual
significance. His choices of artistic materials reflect
an ongoing interest in the specifics of history and
music and, at the same time, universal human
longings common to all time periods. His past works
Dario Robleto: The Prelives of the BluesMiranda Lash, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art
The Minor Chords are Ours, 2010Vintage mason jars, vintage wooden spools, stretchedaudio tape, minor chords, linseed oil, willow. The minorchords from a family’s 60-year record collection wereisolated to audio tape, stretched into thread, and spooled.Courtesy of the artist and Inman Gallery.
Lion or Lamb, 2007 - 2008Colored paper, cardboard, ribbon, Foamcore, glue.Collection of Michael Zilkha.
have included dinosaur bones, wartime memorabilia
such as bullets, letters, and hair wreaths, and
carefully chosen melted vinyl records and
audiotapes.
The exhibition The Prelives of the Blues will
present an imaginative retracing of the transference
of blues, jazz, and rock n’ roll (genres with distinct
African American roots) across time. The show will
incorporate a selection of old and new works,
including a new piece specifically inspired by New
Orleans, geared to raise questions as to how musical
taste is formed, and what it means for traditions and
famous musical moments to be carried across
generations.
Several works in the exhibition draw from
Dario’s own biography. The Sin Was In Our Hips,
2000, for example, points to rock music playing a role
in the artist’s own conception. Meanwhile The Minor
Chords Are Ours, 2010, poignantly displays three
generations of music (his own, his mother’s and his
grandmother’s) represented by the audiotapes of the
minor or “melancholy” chords from their vinyl
collections. Despite these autobiographical notes,
however, the works aim for a humanist
understanding of what it means to love music,
particularly across lines of class and heritage.
The decision to invite Robleto to NOMA was
motivated by the strong affinity he has demonstrated
in his work for music and investigating American
history. Having visited New Orleans several times
over the past three years, Robleto was inspired by the
integration of music into public rituals, such as
second lines, Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs, club
music, and jazz funerals. Robleto was also struck by
how familial lineages and traditions are a strong part
of New Orleans’s cultural identity, as manifested in
the family plots and mausoleums in our city
cemeteries.
Dario Robleto: The Prelives of the Blues will be on
view in the Frederick R. Weisman galleries from March 23
through September 16, 2012. The artist Dario Robleto will
present a public walk-through of the exhibition on Friday,
June 1, 2012.
COMING SOON
Leah Chase: Paintings by Gustave Blache IIILouisiana GalleriesApril 23—September 9
To celebrate New Orleans restaurateur and legend LeahChase’s 90th birthday, NOMA will be presenting aseries of paintings that investigate the environmentbehind the cuisine at her famous Dooky ChaseRestaurant. Blache puts Leah at the center of this series,and captures the spirit of her cooking. Leah, known bothfor her expertise in the kitchen and her life-longadvocacy for the arts, is an honorary life trustee ofNOMA.
ON VIEW
NOMA 100: Gifts for the Second CenturyElla West Freeman GalleriesLast day, January 22
In honor of NOMA’s centennial, over seventy-fivegenerous donors gave the museum over one hundredworks of art. This exhibition features works of EuropeanArt from before and after 1900, American Art, Asian,pre-Columbian and Native American, and African andOceanic, and demonstrates artistic connections acrossmedium, style, time periods, and cultures.
Arts���������8 January � February � March 2012
MASS PRODUCED aims to examine the
impact of industrial techniques on mass-
produced objects for the home. The
nineteenth century saw an explosion in the quantity
and types of merchandise available for purchase,
largely due to manufacturing techniques that
allowed goods to be produced more cost-effectively.
The look of glass, ceramic, and silver wares for the
table and for decoration changed with the
application of new practices.
Mold-pressed glass became widespread early in
the century and glassworkers used the technique to
create jardinières and vases. Ceramic manufacturers
employed transfer printing to decorate dinner and
tea wares, affordable alternatives to hand-painted
ceramics. Silver tablewares gleamed with a thin
coating of silver applied by electroplating, the fusing
of the precious metal to a base metal after fabrication.
New processes, as well as modifications and
rediscoveries of old techniques, allowed an upsurge
of options and styles attainable for the average
person.
Pressed glass, transfer-printed ceramics and
silver produced by firms such as Sowerby
Glassworks, Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, Minton
Pottery and Porcelain Factory, and Elkington and
Company will be on view. MASS PRODUCED will
highlight rich examples of nineteenth-century British
decorative arts in NOMA’s collection and explore the
fascinating relationships between design, technology,
and mass production.
MASS PRODUCED: Technology in Nineteenth-
century English Design will be on view in the Cameo
Galleries from January 13—June 24, 2012.
MASS PRODUCED: Technology in Nineteenth-century English DesignAlice Dickinson, Lois F. McNeil Fellow, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture
Objects left to right:
Old Hall Earthenware Company,Staffordshire, England; Designed byChristopher Dresser; Retailed by T.R.
Grimes, London, England; Breakfast Plate,c. 1886; Earthenware: transfer printed,glazed, polychrome overglazed; Gift of
E. John Bullard in memory of EleanorJensen Meade (1923-2002), 2003.41.
Sowerby Ellison Glassworks, Gateshead,England; Jardinière, 1877; Vitro-porcelain
(glass): mold-pressed; Museum Purchase,George S. Frierson Jr. Fund, 2000.61.
Josiah Wedgwood and Sons,Staffordshire, England; Dinner Plate, c.
1875-1880; Earthenware: transferprinted, glazed, polychrome overglazed;
Gift of Irving I. Gerson, 93.481.Photograph by Judy Cooper.
EXH
IBIT
ION
S
Arts��������� 9January � February � March 2012
Making a Mark: The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel CollectionRussell Lord, Freeman Family Curator of Photographs and Prints and Drawings
Lynda Benglis, Untitled, n.d., Photo collage on wax and gold leaf, Gift of Dorothyand Herbert Vogel through the National Gallery of Art, 2008.74.5
Charles Clough, Untitled, 2001, Watercolor on paper, Gift of Dorothy andHerbert Vogel through the National Gallery of Art, 2008.74.9
Now on View
Over fifty years ago, an unassuming New
York couple—she a librarian, he a postal
worker—began collecting art. They
acquired things that they liked and could afford on
their modest salaries, making prescient choices
together about drawings, paintings, prints,
sculptures, and photographs by artists that were, at
the time, relatively unknown. Since then, Dorothy
and Herbert Vogel’s collection has grown into an
important collection of over 4,000 works by major
artists from the 1960s to the present. Working with
the National Gallery of Art, the Vogels decided to
share their collection with the nation, choosing one
institution in every state as the recipient of a gift of
fifty works each. The New Orleans Museum of Art is
proud to be the Vogels’ choice for the state of
Louisiana and has presented works from their gift in
the Templeman galleries.
The Vogels’ gift to NOMA includes works in a
variety of media—sculptures by Michael Lucero and
Richard Nonas, paintings or prints by Charles
Clough and Will Barnet, and a mixed-media photo
collage by Lynda Benglis—but the Vogels were
especially interested in drawings of all kinds, from
preparatory sketches and designs for sculptures to
discrete finished works. As one of the most visceral
and direct forms of picture-making, drawings can
reveal the genesis of an artistic concept or bring us
closer to the artist’s hand; as Dorothy Vogel once put
it, “Drawing is a very personal art form…the ideas
are all there.” The act of drawing, of making a mark
on a surface, is also a way of leaving some stamp on
history’s timeline. It is, therefore, especially fitting
that the Vogels have focused on drawings in their
collection, for the generous distribution of their
collection has itself made a mark on the national
artistic landscape. Among the works that NOMA will
exhibit from the Vogels’ gift are drawings by Michael
Goldberg, John Latham, Lucio Pozzi, and Richard
Tuttle. To complement the display of the Vogel
collection, NOMA will screen Megumi Sasaki’s
documentary Herb & Dorothy (2008) in the galleries
for the duration of the exhibition.
Making a Mark: The Dorothy and Herb Vogel
Collection is on view in the Templeman galleries through
April 8, 2012, and is generously supported by New Video.
Arts���������10 January � February � March 2012
MUSEUM NEWS
Recent Acquisitions
In 2011, NOMA purchased two significant
paintings for the permanent collection. One is by
Gustave Doré, who was celebrated in nineteenth-
century Europe for the dark realism of his
lithographs and illustrations, and the other is by
Thomas Willeboirts-Bosschaert, a Flemish Baroque
artist of the seventeenth century who often painted
for Dutch royalty.
Gustave Doré
French, 1832-1883
The Matterhorn, 1873
Oil on canvas, 77 x 51 ¼ in.
Museum Purchase: Deaccession Art Fund, 2011.25
Currently on view in the Bea and Harold Forgotston
Gallery, 2nd Floor
Gustave Doré was one of the most exceptional
illustrators of the 19th century. He was also a
lithographer, engraver, and as this work shows, a
visionary painter. Born in Strasbourg, France on
January 6, 1832, Doré had no formal art training
growing up, but displayed an aptitude for drawing
early in his life. Some of his earliest dated works are
from the age of five, and by twelve years old he was
experimenting with lithography. In 1847, Doré
moved to Paris to attend secondary school, and it
was there that Charles Philipon, the French
caricaturist and journalist, discovered his work.
Philipon urged Doré to continue his drawings, and
while in school he quickly became a regular
contributor to Philipon’s Journal pour rire. Doré is
well known for his beloved illustrations of numerous
literary classics, including John Milton’s Paradise Lost,
Dante Aligheri’s Divine Comedy, and Miguel de
Cervantes’s Don Quixote de la Mancha. Over the years
those illustrations have gained iconic status; for
example, his depiction of Don Quixote is widely
recognized as the standard portrait of the character.
Doré was very successful outside of France,
especially in London, where he established the Doré
Gallery in 1868. Close to 2.5 million visitors walked
through the doors by the time the gallery closed in
1892. Doré was a prolific artist who worked furiously
and ambitiously, and when he died in Paris on
January 23, 1883, he left behind a body of work of
over 100,000 drawings, lithographs, engravings, and
paintings.
Arts��������� 11January � February � March 2012
The Matterhorn, located in the
Alps on the Swiss-Italian border, has
long been admired as one of the most
beautiful mountains in the world, a
symbol of danger and the
unattainable. In 1865, seven climbers
scaled the icy, steep slopes and
reached the summit. However, on
their descent a rope snapped, causing
four of the men to fall to their deaths.
One climber’s body was never
recovered. This tragedy, which made
international news, amplified the
mountain’s infamous reputation.
Doré, who had always displayed a
love for landscapes, mountains in particular, became
enthralled with this tale and the Matterhorn, and
painted many scenes of it (one known painting eerily
depicts four men tumbling down the precipice). In
NOMA’s painting, Doré captures the peril and
romanticism of the legendary mountain in a tranquil
scene. A setting sun casts a warm pink glow on the
peak, but the dark towering trees set a sinister tone.
Thomas Willeboirts-Bosschaert
Flemish, 1614-1654
Venus Mourning the Death of Adonis, n.d.
Oil on canvas, 61 ½ x 81 ½ in.
Museum Purchase: Deaccession Art Fund, 2011.26
Currently on view in the Elizabeth Danos and Paul P.
Selley Gallery, 1st floor
In 1614, Thomas Willeboirts-Bosschaert was born in
Bergen op Zoom, a city located in the south of the
Netherlands. By 1626, he moved to Antwerp where
he studied under Gerard Seghers and possibly
Anthony van Dyck, two Flemish artists who also
worked in the Baroque style.
Willeboirts soon became a citizen of Antwerp
and a master of the Guild of St. Luke, one of the
oldest known city guilds for artists. Collaboration
was common at the time, and Willeboirts worked
with many respected artists, including Jacob Jordaens
and Peter Paul Rubens. From 1642 to 1647,
Willeboirts painted for the Dutch stadtholder
Frederick Henry of Orange. Among these works
include seventeen scenes drawn from Greek
mythology for the Huis ten Bosch (one of the Dutch
Royal Family residences) in The Hague. After the
stadtholder’s death, his widow Amalia von Solms
became Willeboirts’s leading patron, and
commissioned the artist to create work in memoriam
of her late husband. Willeboirts was elected dean of
the Guild of St. Luke in 1651, and died a few years
later on January 22, 1654 in Antwerp.
Mythological and historical scenes were
considered noble subjects for seventeenth century
artists. This particular work, rich with drama and
sensuality, depicts The Death of Adonis from Ovid’s
Metamorphoses. In Greek mythology, Aphrodite
(Venus) became hopelessly enamored with the
beautiful Adonis after a chance graze with Cupid’s
arrow. One day while out hunting, Adonis was slain
by a wild boar. Venus came down to aid him after
hearing his dying groans, but was too late. In the
place where the earth was stained with Adonis’s
blood, anemones sprouted.
The two greyhounds at the right of the frame
were possibly derived from an oil sketch by Frans
Snyders, who often portrayed animals and still life.
Leaving a Legacy
The impact of E. John Bullard's thirty-seven-
year tenure as director of the New Orleans
Museum of Art can be seen in every gallery
of the museum. Over the course of his directorship,
thousands of works of art entered the collection, and
the building itself expanded by 55,000 square feet.
However, his greatest accomplishment may arguably
lie outside the museum's walls: the Sydney and
Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden.
The Besthoff Sculpture Garden officially opened
on November 23, 2003, but it was a project over ten
years in the making. The Besthoffs, NOMA, and City
Park participated in countless discussions to secure a
home for the Besthoffs’ outstanding sculpture
collection. From the Garden’s inception to its
completion, John was there, facilitating the process
every step of the way. Today, the Besthoff Sculpture
Garden spans five acres and boasts over sixty
sculptures by renowned modern and contemporary
artists from all over the world.
Over 290 individuals generously donated funds
in honor of John’s retirement, and in recognition of
all of his achievements as director. It is appropriate
that John requested that these funds be dedicated to
the installation of Corridor Pin, Blue, 1999 in the
Sculpture Garden. Pop artists Claes Oldenburg and
his late wife Coosje van Bruggen are known for their
monumental representations of ordinary objects, and
NOMA’s Corridor Pin is a remarkable example of
such. In the Garden’s Oak Grove, near Dame
Elisabeth Frink’s Riace Warriors and Jaume Plensa’s
Overflow, the twenty-two foot high opened safety pin
forms a quirky archway over one of the Garden’s
many pathways.
The philanthropy of the 290 donors listed here
has also provided additional support to the
museum’s endowment, a fund that serves to
maintain all aspects of the museum, including the
Sculpture Garden. This gift will allow for the
continued beautification of the Garden for years to
come—a fitting tribute to the legacy of one of its
greatest champions.
Corridor Pin, Blue. Photograph by Judy Cooper
Arts���������12 January � February � March 2012
The J. and H. Weldon Foundation, Inc.The Aaron or Peggy Selber
Foundation, Inc.Wendell and Anne Gauthier
Family FoundationJohn W. Deming and Bertie Murphy
Deming FoundationMintz-Easthope FoundationThe Historic New Orleans CollectionSybil M. & D. Blair Favrot Family FundEason-Weinmann FoundationMr. and Mrs. Glenn B. AdamsMrs. Adele L. AdattoMr. and Mrs. Wayne F. AmedeeMr. and Mrs. W. J. Amoss Jr.Mrs. Jack R. AndersonMrs. Katsuko ArimuraMr. and Mrs. Hunter E. BabinMrs. Howard T. BarnettMr. Garic K. BarrangerMr. John S. BatsonMr. and Mrs. John D. BeckerMr. and Mrs. Edward B. Benjamin Jr.Mrs. Edward B. BenjaminMs. Ann V. BennettMr. and Mrs. Burton BenrudMrs. Marian Mayer BerkettMr. and Mrs. Joseph BernsteinMr. and Mrs. John D. BertuzziMr. and Mrs. Sydney J. Besthoff IIIMrs. Linda Reese BjorkMr. and Mrs. Joseph S. BoltonMrs. Patricia BoothbyMrs. Jane Bories and
Mr. Sam CorenswetMrs. June W. BrandtFay & Phelan BrightMr. and Mrs. Edgar A. G. Bright IIIMr. John E. Brockhoeft and
Ms. Cynthia SamuelMs. Lisa Brooking and
Mr. Bennett DavisMr. and Mrs. William D. Brown IIIKelly BrownMrs. A. Harris BrownMr. Anthony F. Bultman IVMs. Pamela R. BurckMr. Harold BurnsMrs. Susan M. BuzickDr. David L. CampbellMr. and Mrs. Carlo Capomazza
di CampolattaroMr. and Mrs. Charles E. CarmichaelMrs. Lucianne B. CarmichaelDr. and Mrs. Edgar L. Chase IIIMr. J. Scott Chotin Jr.Mrs. Neil ChristopherMs. Linda T. ChustzMr. and Mrs. John ClemmerDr. and Mrs. Isidore Cohn Jr.Mrs. Blanche M. ComiskeyMr. and Mrs. Daniel Conwill IVDr. Patricia S. CookMr. and Mrs. Orlin CoreyMrs. John S. CoulterMr. and Mrs. Silas CunninghamMrs. William J. DalyMr. Leonard A. DavisMs. Katherine L. de MontluzinMr. and Mrs. Con G. DemmasMrs. Marilyn V. DittmannMrs. Marlene L. DonovanDr. Martin DrellMrs. Sally T. DuplantierMr. John W. DupuyMrs. Lloyd E. EaganMrs. Mickey Easterling
Dr. and Mrs. John Ollie Edmunds Jr.Mr. Robert D. EdmundsonMr. and Mrs. David F. EdwardsMs. Lin EmeryMr. and Mrs. Joseph H. Epstein Jr.Honorable and Mrs. Randy L. EwingMr. and Mrs. S. Stewart FarnetMr. and Mrs. H. M. Favrot Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Edward FeinmanDr. and Mrs. Ludovico FeoliMs. Natalie FieldingMr. Timmy L. FieldsMr. Tom A. Flanagan Jr.Dale R. FleishmannMs. Lee FoleyDr. Ben L. ForbesMrs. Julie Forsythe and
Mr. Forrest ForsytheMrs. Betty W. FowlerMr. René J. L. FransenMrs. Allison Freeman and
Mr. George FreemanMrs. Sandra D. FreemanMrs. Norma L. FreibergMrs. Stanley H. FriedMr. and Mrs. Louis L. FriersonMr. and Mrs. James J. FrischhertzDr. and Mrs. Harold A. Fuselier Jr.Mr. Franklin L. GagnardMrs. Lawrence D. GarveyMrs. Pat GaudinHenry W. Gautreau Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Edward N. GeorgeMr. and Mrs. Rolland GoldenMr. and Mrs. Mason GrangerMrs. JoAnn Flom GreenbergMr. Donald H. GriffinPhillip T. GriffinMr. and Mrs. Hervin GuidryMr. and Mrs. James O. GundlachMr. Daniel Gunther and
Mr. James GersheyDr. Robert D. GuytonMs. Emma F. HaasMr. and Mrs. Terence HallMr. and Mrs. John W. HallMr. Lee HamptonMr. and Mrs. Lambert HanemannMr. and Mrs. Stephen A. HanselMr. and Mrs. Quintin T. Hardtner IIIMrs. John L. HaspelMrs. H. Lloyd Hawkins Jr.Ms. Adrea D. Heebe and
Mr. Dominick A. Russo Jr.Mr. Jerry HeymannMrs. Anna O'Malley HingleMrs. S. Herbert HirschMrs. William H. HodgesMrs. Gail HoodMr. Will S. Hornsby IIIMr. and Mrs. Marvin L. JacobsMr. and Mrs. Bernard B. JeskinMr. and Mrs. Erik F. JohnsenMrs. Gloria S. KabacoffMrs. Margaret S. KesselsMs. Pat KimmelMrs. Morris KlingerMrs. E. James Kock Jr.Mrs. Jane N. KohlmannMs. Rosemary KorndorfferPeter and Bonnie KramerMr. and Mrs. Subhash KulkarniMrs. J. Monroe LabordeMr. and Mrs. John P. LabordeJohn LairMr. Henry M. Lambert and
Mr. R. Carey Bond
Mr. and Mrs. H. Merritt Lane IIIMr. and Mrs. Charles W. Lane IIIMr. and Mrs. J. M. Lapeyre Jr.Mr. Paul J. Leaman Jr.Ms. Gladys G. LeBretonDr. Edward D. Levy Jr.Mr. and Mrs. J. Thomas LewisDr. and Mrs. Robert LewisMr. John W. LolleyDr. and Mrs. E. Ralph LupinMs. Deborah P. LyonsMr. F. J. Madary Jr.Mrs. Paula L. MaherMr. and Mrs. Robert L. Manard IIIMr. and Mrs. Stephen D. ManshelMs. Jane Johnson and
Mr. David A. MarcelloMrs. Walter F. Marcus Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Charles D. MarksMs. Kathy MarminoMr. and Mrs. Michael J. MarsigliaMrs. Shirley Rabé MasinterMr. and Mrs. Paul J. MasinterMr. Edward C. MathesMr. and Mrs. Charles B. MayerMr. and Mrs. Bernard C. MayerMs. Kay McArdleMr. and Mrs. Henry G. McCallMr. and Mrs. Robert McHargMrs. Virginia McLeanMs. Joan K. McRaney and Mr. Richard
FelderMs. Ann M. MeehanDr. and Mrs. Alvin S. MerlinMr. and Mrs. R. King MillingMrs. Ellis MintzMrs. Louise MoffettMr. and Mrs. Michael D. MoffittMr. and Mrs. Peter R. Monrose Jr.Ms. Jo Leigh MonteverdeMrs. George R. MontgomeryMr. Brian Weatherford and
Mr. Steven MontgomeryMrs. Frank C. Moran Jr.Ms. Sibyl V. MorganDr. and Mrs. Lee Roy Morgan Jr.Mrs. Marjorie A. MorrisonMs. Mary Wheaton MorseMrs. Claire H. MosesMrs. Andrée K. MossMr. and Mrs. J. Frederick Muller Jr.Dr. and Mrs. Anthony MumphreyMs. Iona R. MyersDr. and Mrs. Bert MyersJudith NavoyMs. Carolyn NelsonMrs. Maxine E. NettlesMr. R. Daniel NewhouseMrs. Robert NimsMr. Roger H. OgdenMr. and Mrs. Richard E. O'KrepkiDr. and Mrs. Lawrence OmeallieDr. Howard and Dr. Joy D. OsofskyDr. Sanford L. PailetMrs. Harry M. PeliasMrs. Ben J. PhillipsDr. and Mrs. James F. PierceMr. and Mrs. Gregory PierceMrs. Mary Evelyn RackerDr. Thomas F. ReeseMrs. Charles S. Reily Jr.Mr. and Mrs. James J. Reiss Jr.Dr. and Mrs. Edward F. RenwickMrs. Françoise B. RichardsonMr. and Mrs. R. Randolph Richmond Jr.Mrs. William Carey RivenbarkMrs. Virginia N. Roddy
Mr. and Mrs. George RodrigueMrs. Carol H. RosenMr. and Mrs. Benjamin M. RosenMr. and Mrs. Paul S. Rosenblum Sr.Mr. Robert A. RothMr. James F. RoyMr. and Mrs. John O. Roy Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Hallam L. RuarkMr. and Mrs. John H. RyanMr. and Mrs. William RyanMrs. Jerome R. RyanMr. and Mrs. Lavalle B. SalomonMs. Lillian SamardzijaMr. Brian SandsMs. Courtney-Anne SarpyMr. Jack M. SawyerMr. and Mrs. Milton G. Scheuermann Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Claude A. SchlesingerMr. and Mrs. Brian A. SchneiderDr. David C. SchwabMrs. Etheldra S. ScogginMr. Joseph ShefskyMs. Debra B. ShriverMrs. Shepard H. ShushanMrs. Sylvia Stone ShushanDr. and Mrs. David Earl SimmonsMr. Edward M. SimmonsDr. and Mrs. Julian H. SimsMr. and Mrs. I. William SizelerMr. and Mrs. Lynes R. SlossMs. Toni SmithMrs. Joe D. Smith, Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Rodney R. SmithMrs. Charles A. SnyderMr. and Mrs. Bruce L. SoltisMr. and Mrs. Thomas S. SoniatMr. and Mrs. Stephen L. SontheimerMrs. Vann SpruiellMr. H. P. St. Martin IIIMrs. Molly M. St. PaulMs. E. Alexandra Stafford and
Mr. Raymond M. Rathle Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Harry C. StahelMrs. Jack SteinMrs. Warren L. SternMs. Micki Beth StillerMs. Jon B. StraussDr. and Mrs. Richard L. StrubMr. and Mrs. James A. StuckeyMrs. Robert SuggsMs. Jacqueline L. SullivanMs. Anne Reily SutherlinMs. Judith (Jude) SwensonMrs. Patrick F. TaylorMr. and Mrs. James L. TaylorMr. and Mrs. Herndon J. ThomasonDr. and Mrs. Armant C. TouchyMs. Catherine Burns TremaineMs. Kathie W. UzzelleMrs. Anthony J. ValentinoMr. and Mrs. George G. VillereDr. and Mrs. Robert G. WeilbaecherMrs. John N. WeinstockMrs. Ruth R. WeislerMrs. Margaret H. WestMrs. Karolyn Kuntz WesterveltMs. Jane K. WheelahanMr. Charles Lewis Whited Jr.Mrs. Nan S. WierMs. Margot WilkinsonMr. Glen WilsonMr. and Mrs. D. Brent WoodDr. and Mrs. John M. YarboroughMs. Alice Rae Yelen and
Dr. Kurt A. GitterMr. and Mrs. Robert E. YoungDr. and Mrs. Lawrence Zaslow
Donors Honoring E. JoHn BullarD
EXPERIENCING NOMA
NOMA unveiled a new digital presence on
November 4. Just twenty-five days after
launching, the new noma.org enjoyed over
20,000 visitors and over 70,000 page views.
Popular sections of the new website include
exhibitions, events and the collection. Future and
past exhibitions, videos, events and collection pieces
are added weekly to the website. Users can also sign
up for a personal account, log in to the site and build
a virtual collection.
The website has proven to be user-friendly for
both visitors and staff. Visitors to the site can find
information with ease and fill out e-forms to
volunteer or inquire about facility rentals. Individual
departments are able to update and upload content
so information can be refreshed on a moment’s
notice.
The website and content management system
were designed by the Canary Collective, a local New
Orleans company. Blake Haney and Ben Hirsch of
the Canary Collective are continuing to work with
NOMA staff to improve and expand the site.
"Our intention all along has been to help NOMA
and their staff publish over time their collection and
up-to-date content,” says Haney. “We can then build
interactive elements for each site visitor. We will
introduce facts about works in the collection, user
tools for creating your own collection, and the
development of new media around the exhibitions
and permanent collection. In the end we hope the
new site helps to increase membership and turns site
visitors into museum visitors."
In the coming months, NOMA will unveil more
interactive components of the site including quizzes
and educational tools. The Canary Collective is also
working with NOMA on a new design for the e-
newsletter.
Just as guests of the museum find something
new every time they drop in, virtual visitors are sure
to spot fresh features on noma.org—so visit and visit
often!
New Website Gives Virtual Visitors All Access
NEXT UP AT BOOK CLUB
JANUARY: Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland January 19: Field Trip to the New OrleansGlassworks and Printmaking Studio, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
January 20: Discussion Group
FEBUARY: Rogues Gallery: theSecret History of the Mogul andthe Money That Made theMetropolitan Museum by MichaelGross and Making the MummiesDance Inside the MetropolitanMuseum of Art by ThomasHoving
February 15: Discussion Group
MARCH: The Miracles of Pratoby Laurie AlbaneseMarch 8: Discussion Group
We meet at 11:30 for lunch, but alldiscussions start promptly at noon.
To join or for more info, contact Sheila Cork at (504) 658-4117 or at [email protected].
Arts��������� 15January � February � March 2012
Forever at NOMAMiranda Lash, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art
On November 4, 2011, NOMA unveiled
Forever, a newly completed wall painting
by Odili Donald Odita. Commissioned in
honor of the museum’s centennial, Forever, now part
of the museum’s collection, will be on view for the
next three years. Extending 150 feet, the mural is
comprised of 87 different colors, each carefully
calibrated to respond to the physical space and
changing light of the McDermott Lobby. The mural
took approximately one month to complete with the
aid of a team of assistants and volunteers. The title,
Odita explains, conveys the impression of dynamism
and continuity he gathered from spending time in
this city: “New Orleans is an accumulation of
different histories and cultural groups, all of which
co-exist in a vibrant patchwork.”
The idea of “crossroads” or moments of decision,
play an important role in Forever. Improvisation was
part of the mural’s process, as its design evolved
over Odita’s successive visits to the space. The work
exists in three main zones: at the far left, bright tones
streak in like rays of morning light, conveying the
impression of beginning. On the center wall, two
planes of color converge at a centerfold, in a butterfly
or mask-like shape. On the third wall towards the
right, vertical vectors imitate the forms of a forest or
curtain veils. The white background of the wall
penetrates into the colorful designs, articulating
Forever as a wall piece, distinct from a work on
canvas.
Odita’s palette for Forever, which draws from
skin tones, political concerns, and memories of Mardi
Gras Indian costumes (among other things), should
not be regarded as directly representational. Rather, it
is a summary of the emotional states and impressions
experienced by the artist. “All painting is
decorative,” Odita explains. Referring to the
accumulative, systemic structures in painting, he
adds, “This becomes power when the decorative in
painting is organized and understood."
Artist Odili Donald Odita with Forever. Photograph by Roman Alokhin.
Arts���������16 January � February � March 2012
NOMA AND THE COMMUNITY
In anticipation of the exhibition Hard Truths:
The Art of Thornton Dial, NOMA is once again
partnering with Young Audiences of Louisiana
to provide specially designed curriculum and tours
to students in Orleans and Jefferson Parishes. This
program will introduce the work of self-taught artist
Thornton Dial to high school and middle school
students. Based on a successful summer partnership,
NOMA’s Department of Interpretation and Audience
Development and the staff of Young Audiences will
collaborate to create classroom materials featuring
pre-visit and post-visit activities. The middle-school
curriculum features lessons on civil rights, and is
punctuated by Thornton Dial’s artwork and
interviews with the artist. Participating schools will
have an option of bringing a teaching artist into the
classroom to lead an art activity to conclude the study
and museum visit.
NOMA and Young Audiences Teach the Work of Thornton Dial
The New Orleans Museum of Art has
launched a new program for university
professors and graduate students. Faculty
Forums offer an opportunity for educators to receive
information on upcoming exhibitions and events at
NOMA. Educators are invited to the museum for a
relaxed evening of gallery visits and discussions
with curators and museum educators. Faculty
Forums will be held once per semester and will
preview museum plans for the following six months.
It is NOMA’s hope that with this advanced notice,
educators will consider including museum
exhibitions and catalogues within the coursework of
appropriate university studies. Many Louisiana
colleges and universities are institutional members of
NOMA, and the museum encourages professors and
students to take advantage of NOMA’s offerings. The
next Faculty Forum will be held on Wednesday,
March 28 from 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. and will feature
information on Lifelike, an international group
exhibition that examines commonplace objects and
situations, and Dario Robleto: The Prelives of the Blues.
For more information or to make a reservation, email
[email protected] or call (504) 658-4113.
Faculty Forums
Photography by Judy Cooper
On Friday, February 3 from 5:00 p.m. – 10:00
p.m., Artfully AWARE (AfA) will take over
NOMA for a special event: “Becoming
Artfully AWARE: Linking Local and International
Communities through the Arts.” Artfully AWARE is
a global organization that uses art to engage
communities and promote social welfare and
healing.
For one night that will celebrate the rich
diversity of New Orleans, children and adults from
across the community and the world have
contributed artwork and creative writing that will be
displayed in the Great Hall and surrounding
galleries. The evening begins with a performance by
the Mardi Gras Indian tribe, the Guardians of the
Flame. Michael Watson, the musical director of Irvin
Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse, will also perform with a
four-piece band.
Visitors can interact with professional writers
and artists from A Studio in the Woods, catch a
literary reading organized by the Pirate’s Alley
Faulkner Society, view photography that reflects the
Sierra Club's local environmental efforts and watch
short films selected by FosterBear Films that explore
the vital role of the arts in society. One Million Bones,
a hands-on art initiative that raises genocide
awareness, will exhibit a scaled down version of
their planned installation for New Orleans, which
will contain 50,000 handmade bones.
The Odgen Museum of Southern Art will display
work from their Artists and Sense of Place residency,
which pairs nationally recognized artists with local
students to create artwork that reflects their sense of
their surroundings. The Contemporary Arts Center
will screen a short film about self-identity produced
by their youth group.
“Adults and children strengthen their minds and
abilities through creative stimulation,” says Hilary
Wallis, Executive Director of Artfully AWARE. “Our
goal is to welcome a cross section of community
members under one roof, so we can celebrate our
uniqueness as well as what makes us relate to the rest
of the world. We want to express why arts and culture
are so vitally important, and emphasize their positive
impact on society.”
All visitors will receive a booklet of poems, short
stories, and visual art created by AfA participants.
Food and drink will be available from Ralph
Brennan’s Café NOMA.
For this event, Artfully AWARE is collaborating with
the New Orleans Citizen Diplomacy Council (NOCDC),
the World Trade Center of New Orleans (WTC), Pirate’s
Alley Faulkner Society and the World Affairs Council of
New Orleans (WACNO). Special thanks also to the
Contemporary Arts Center (CACNO), The Ogden
Museum of Southern Art, A Studio in the Woods, One
Million Bones, FosterBear Films and The Sierra Club.
NOMA is Artfully Aware
Children from the International School in Uganda attending an arts workshop. Photograph by Hilary Wallis.
In addition to being a destination for art
enjoyment and contemplation, the five-acre
Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden is
also a thriving center of community engagement.
Volunteers from across the community regularly
come to the Garden to donate their gardening
services and learn new techniques.
Last year, NOMA partnered with the Master
Gardeners of Greater New Orleans to create the
Louisiana Super Plant/Enabling Garden in a 550
square-foot raised bed outside the back entrance of
the Besthoff Sculpture Garden, facing the entrance of
the Botanical Garden. The Louisiana Super Plants
program is a campaign initiated by the LSU
Agricultural Center to identify ornamental plants
that thrive in Louisiana landscapes.
On the third Tuesday of every month, the
MGGNOs give free demonstrations in the Garden on
how to plant and take care of a bed of these
extraordinary plants. Attendees are shown how to
properly plant, water, mulch, and take soil samples.
“I feel very passionately about keeping the
‘garden’ aspect of the Sculpture Garden alive,” says
Pamela Buckman, the Sculpture Garden Manager.
“The benefits of gardening are cognitive,
psychological, social, and physical.”
Everyone is welcome to volunteer in the Garden.
Current groups include the Magnolia School, high
school and university students, retired locals, the
Louisiana Master Gardeners, the Greater New
Orleans Iris Society, individuals needing to perform
community service, and families just looking for an
activity to do together.
Buckman notes, “Everyone performs the same
tasks, from weeding and grooming to trimming and
mulching—everything that helps keep the Garden
maintained and looking spectacular all year.”
The Besthoff Sculpture Garden is handicap-accessible,
free and open to the public daily from 10:00 a.m.-4:45
p.m., with extended hours until 9p.m. on Fridays. Closed
all legal holidays. For more information or to volunteer,
call (504) 658-4153.
Look for more upcoming details on the annual
Louisiana Rainbow Iris Festival, which will be held on
Saturday, April 14, 2012 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. in
conjunction with the Botanical Garden’s Spring Garden
Show.
Life Blooms in the Sculpture Garden
STICK TO THOSE NEW
YEAR RESOLUTIONS!Yoga and pilates classes are offered by the East Jefferson Wellness Center in theSculpture Garden on Saturday mornings from 8-9 a.m., free for members and$5 a class for non-members. Check the pull-out calendar for exact dates.
The Master Gardeners of Greater New Orleans hosted a free gardening demonstration on November 15, 2011.
NOMA will be celebrating the arrival
of spring in colorful fashion from
March 14 – March 18, 2012 as the
museum and the Garden Study Club of New
Orleans present the twenty-fourth annual Art in
Bloom, “New Orleans: Life in Color.” Co-chairs
Gwathmey Gomila and Jennifer Charpentier are
hard at work planning the event and invite you
to join them for the spectacular five-day
celebration featuring art, floral displays,
educational programs and social events.
On March 24, 2012, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.,
hundreds of excited children and their families
will descend on the Besthoff Sculpture Garden
for the annual Fabergé Egg Hunt. The fun-filled
event will feature egg hunts, a petting zoo, arts
and crafts activities, spacewalks, face painting,
balloon making, and a visit from the Elmer’s
Easter Bunny. Sarah Abbott, Petra Guste, and
Angel Junius are returning for an encore
performance as the 2012 co-chairs.—Carol Short,
NVC Publications Co-chair
For tickets and information, see www.noma.org
or call (504) 658-4121.
NOMA Welcomes Spring with Two Popular Events
NOMA WELCOMES 2012 NVC CHAIR EL IZABETH HAECKER RYAN
THE NOMA VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE(NVC) proudly announces Elizabeth Haecker Ryanas the 2012 NVC Chair. Ryan’s focus will be onNVC’s core responsibility: fundraising. She says,“NOMA has taken some wonderful steps, and theNVC needs to be there to let the museum keep onexploring and expanding.”
The price points for tickets to NVC events willbe expanded to allow broader participation.Secondly, Ryan will foster active volunteerism. A2012 Placement Chair will match NVC members’interests with NVC volunteer needs.
Ryan, a San Antonio native who received herdegrees at Newcomb College and Tulane LawSchool, is current chair-elect of one of the city’soldest social services agencies, Family Services ofGreater New Orleans. Ryan successfully jugglesmany commitments: marriage to husband JohnHenry Ryan; practicing law; involvement inprofessional, school, and civic organizations; andbeing a mother to three grown children.
NOMA thanks Ryan for offering her leadershiptalents and time to the NVC in 2012!—LauraJunge Carman, NVC Publications Co-chair
Art In Bloom photographs by the NVC. Egg Hunt photographs by Roman Alokhin.
Arts���������20 January � February � March 2012
SUPPORTING NOMA
PresideNt’s CirCle
Mr. and Mrs. John D. Bertuzzi
Mr. and Mrs. Sydney J. Besthoff III
Mr. and Mrs. Ralph O. Brennan
Collins C. Diboll Private Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. David F. Edwards
Dr. and Mrs. Ludovico Feoli
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen A. Hansel
Ms. Adrea D. Heebe and Mr. Dominick
A. Russo Jr.
Helis Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. David A. Kerstein
Mr. Paul J. Leaman Jr.
Mrs. Paula L. Maher
Mr. and Mrs. Charles B. Mayer
Mrs. Robert Nims
Mrs. Charles S. Reily Jr.
Mrs. Françoise B. Richardson
Jolie and Robert Shelton
Mrs. Patrick F. Taylor
Zemurray Foundation
direCtOr’s CirCle
Mrs. Jack R. Aron
The Booth-Bricker Fund
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas B. Coleman
Mrs. Lawrence D. Garvey
Mrs. JoAnn Flom Greenberg
Mr. Jerry Heymann
Mr. and Mrs. Erik F. Johnsen
Mr. and Mrs. Peter R. Monrose Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Patrick
Mr. and Mrs. Edwin R. Rodriguez Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin M. Rosen
Ms. Debra B. Shriver
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce L. Soltis
Margaret B. and Joel J. Soniat
Dr. and Mrs. Richard L. Strub
PAtrON’s CirCle
Mrs. Adele L. Adatto
Dr. Ronald G. Amedee and Dr.
Elisabeth H. Rareshide
Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Boh
Mr. E. John Bullard III
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Carey
Dr. and Mrs. Isidore Cohn, Jr.
Mrs. John J. Colomb Jr.
Mr. Leonard A. Davis
Mr. and Mrs. Prescott N. Dunbar
Mr. and Mrs. H. M. Favrot Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Francis
Mr. and Mrs. James J. Frischhertz
Mr. and Mrs. Edward N. George
Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Heebe
Mrs. Gloria S. Kabacoff
Ms. Allison Kendrick
Mr. Henry M. Lambert and Mr. R.
Carey Bond
Mr. and Mrs. H. Merritt Lane III
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas B. Lemann
Dr. Edward D. Levy Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. J. Thomas Lewis
Dr. and Mrs. E. Ralph Lupin
Mr. and Mrs. Paul J. Masinter
Mr. Edward C. Mathes
Ms. Kay McArdle
Mr. and Mrs. R. King Milling
Mrs. Ellis Mintz
Mr. and Mrs. Michael D. Moffitt
Robert and Myrtis Nims Foundation
Dr. Andrew Orestano
Dr. Howard and Dr. Joy D. Osofsky
Dr. and Mrs. James F. Pierce
Mr. and Mrs. James J. Reiss Jr.
Dr. and Mrs. Edward F. Renwick
Mr. and Mrs. R. Randolph Richmond Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. George Rodrigue
Mr. and Mrs. Brian A. Schneider
Mr. and Mrs. Edward Shearer
Mr. and Mrs. Lynes R. Sloss
Ms. E. Alexandra Stafford and Mr.
Raymond M. Rathle Jr.
Mrs. Frederick M. Stafford
Mrs. Harold H. Stream Jr.
Mr. Stephen F. Stumpf Jr.
Mr. Hollis C. Taggert
Mr. and Mrs. James L. Taylor
Mr. and Mrs. David S. Thomas Jr.
Mrs. Hendrik Willem van Voorthuysen
Mrs. John N. Weinstock
Mrs. Dorothy Weisler
Mrs. Henry H. Weldon
We appreciate the generous and continuing support of our Circle members.
Circles of the New Orleans Museum of Art
The NOMA Board of Trustees cordially invites you to join the Circles, the museum’s most prestigious membership group.
President’s Circle: $20,000
Director’s Circle: $10,000
Patron’s Circle: $5,000
UP G R A D E YO U R SU P P O RT O F NOMA
For more information, please call (504) 658-4107.
Arts��������� 21January � February � March 2012
$525,000
Patrick F. Taylor
Foundation
—Endowment Fun d
—Education Programming
$500,000
Zemurray Foundation
—Endowment Fun d
$300,000
Save America’s Treasures
—Permanent Collection
Conservation
$100,000
Collins C. Diboll
Foundation
—Endowment Fund
$50,000
The Selley Foundation
—Re-design and Re-launch
Website
$49,999 - $20,000
Louisiana Division of
the Arts
—General Operating
Support
Luce Foundation
—Kuntz Galleries
Renovation
The Lupin Foundation
—Odyssey Ball, 2011
Office of the Lieutenant
Governor State of
Louisiana
—Where Y’Art!?
Programming
The RosaMary Foundation
—General Operating Support
American Express
Foundation
—Urn Restoration
Andy Warhol Foundation
—Curatorial Research
National Endowment for
the Arts
—Permanent Collection
Catalogue
$19,999 - $10,000
Goldring Family
Foundation
—Odyssey Ball, 2011
Ruby K. Worner
Charitable Trust
—Where Y’Art!?
Programming
Eugenie and Joseph Jones
Family Foundation
—Art In Bloom, 2011
GPOA Foundation
—Language and Art
Eductional Programming
Libby Dufour Foundation
—Urn Restoration
$49,999 - $20,000
Whitney National Bank
—Art in Bloom 2011
IBERIABANK
—Odyssey Ball 2011
International Well Testers
Inc.
Robert and Jolie Shelton
—Odyssey Ball 2011
Peoples Health
—Odyssey Ball 2011
$19,999 - $10,000
Chevron
—Odyssey Ball 2011
DocuMart
—Odyssey Ball 2011
Garden Study Club
—Sculpture Garden
Beautification Project
Dathel and Tommy
Coleman
—Art in Bloom
Entergy
—Art In Bloom 2011
June and Bill McArdle
—Odyssey Ball 2011
$74,999 - $50,000
Sheraton New Orleans
Hotel
$49,000 - $20,000
The Ralph Brennan
Restaurant Group
Landis Construction
$9,999 – 5,000
Soniat House Hotel
$4,999 - $1,000
Kentwood Spring Water
Christie’s Fine Art
Auctioneers
Dooky Chase’s Restaurant
NOMA’s exhibitions and special programs are made possible through the generosity of our
sponsors. If you would like additional information on sponsorship, please contact the
museum’s Development Department at (504) 658-4107.
Foundation and Government Support
Corporate and Individual Support
In-Kind Corporate Donations
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Arts���������22 January � February � March 2012
At an Afternoon Tea and surrounded by
NOMA’s most steadfast volunteers,
Director Susan M. Taylor announced the
creation of the Isaac Delgado Society. This society
was established to celebrate those generous donors
who remember NOMA in their estate plans through
a planned gift. With permission, society members
will be recognized in special publications and receive
invitations to exclusive museum events including an
annual luncheon. Most important, members of the
society will know that they are ensuring NOMA’s
excellence for future generations.
Director Emeritus John Bullard, who is leading
this important initiative, spoke of continuing the
tradition of philanthropy which was first established
by Isaac Delgado in 1911. In providing for NOMA’s
second century, we recognize the significance of
planned giving to the future of the museum in terms
of building the endowment, enhancing the collection
and supporting growth and long-term stability. He
invited those in attendance to join the Isaac Delgado
Society through one of the following ways:
• Name the museum in your will
• Designate life insurance policy proceeds
to the museum or donate an insurance
policy
• Make NOMA a beneficiary of a retirement
plan, IRA, 401(k), or 403(b)
• Transfer real estate to NOMA
• Promise a gift of a work of art that the
museum has agreed to accept
Ms. Taylor encouraged guests to contact the
Development Office to learn more about the
opportunities to fund the following essential
programs and services:
• Endowed curatorial positions
• Exhibitions
• Educational programming for children
and adults
• Sculpture Garden maintenance
• Lecture Series
• Publications
• Member events
• Musical programs
• Building improvements
• Capital additions
• Art purchases
We look forward to meeting with you and discussing
NOMA’s future.
For more information or to receive a brochure, please
call 504-658-4107 or email: [email protected].
NOMA Announces the Isaac Delgado SocietyMarilyn Dittmann, Director of Development
Director Emeritus E. John Bullard. Photography by Judy Cooper.
Arts��������� 23January � February � March 2012
NOMA Goes to Havana
NOMA is planning a trip to Havana, Cuba
from May 9 to 17, 2012. This trip, which
will coincide with the 11th Havana
Biennial, will have a strong focus on contemporary
art. Therefore, the museum is extending a special
invitation to members of the Contemporaries,
NOMA’s new affinity group for those interested in
contemporary art.
The visit to Havana will include guided tours
through the biennial’s multiple sites, artist’s studio
visits, and splendid accommodations at the Hotel
Parque Central, located in the heart of Old Havana.
This Cuba trip will be just one of many events
for the Contemporaries. Future activities will include
studio visits and intimate artist talks with artists and
art historians. For $1,000 per year, you can be a part
of this important group.
If you would like to be included on a mailing list
for forthcoming information on trips to Cuba, please
contact Miranda Lash (504) 658-4138 or email
For more information on the Contemporaries
please call (504) 658-4107 or email
Please note that this will be a high-energy trip that
will require a great deal of walking and is not
recommended for guests with mobility challenges.
Grant from Keep LouisianaBeautiful Helps NOMA Go Green
As NOMA enters its second century, it
remains committed to the environment and
to implementing sustainable practices.
Keep Louisiana Beautiful, a non-profit organization
that promotes personal and community
responsibility for a clean and beautiful Louisiana,
recently awarded NOMA a grant that provided
funding for more ecological management of waste at
the museum and the Besthoff Sculpture Garden,
helping NOMA in its transition in becoming a green
facility.
On November 15, 2011, NOMA participated in
America Recycles Day, a nationally recognized day
dedicated to the promotion of recycling in the United
States. The office-wide clean up was a perfect
opportunity for NOMA staff and volunteers to
organize and de-clutter working spaces, while
creating as little waste as possible. Extra office and
workshop supplies, catalogues, brochures, and
furniture were recycled or donated to local thrift
stores. In the Sculpture Garden, leaves and pine
needles from staff members’ yards
were used as a ground cover.
NOMA’s green initiative
began a year ago with the
formation of a Green Committee.
Recent environmentally conscious
changes to the museum include museum-wide
recycling, replacing Styrofoam at the coffee machine
with washable coffee mugs, as well as hand driers in
the bathroom instead of paper towels. At the
museum’s largest fundraiser, the Odyssey Ball,
NOMA partnered with eco-friendly vendors and
caterers who use reusable linens, glassware, and
silverware in order to reduce the amount of solid
waste created.
With support from Keep Louisiana Beautiful,
NOMA is able to take steps toward a more Earth-
friendly existence. Save the date for the museum’s
Earth Day celebration on April 20, 2012, as part of
our Friday night Where Y’Art!? programming.
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Fall Events Help Close Out Centennial Celebrations
On September 23, 2011, NOMA’s annual
LOVE in the Garden celebration was held
in the lush Sydney and Walda Besthoff
Sculpture Garden. Amidst a casual evening of dining
and dancing, 2011 LOVE co-chairs Annie Flettrich
and Jennifer Shelnutt joined with 1,000 NOMA
devotees to honor five of our city’s outstanding
artists for their work and for the vital roles they have
played in our community.
The 2011 honorees—Andy Brott, Mari De Pedro,
Kathleen Loe, Ayo Scott, and Julie Silvers—were
recognized by Director Susan M. Taylor at a
ceremony during the Garden Party while a visual
tribute to their work was projected on the Garden
walls for all to enjoy.
The evening celebration also gave partygoers a
chance to admire two new additions to the Besthoff
Sculpture Garden: Diana, The Huntress by Augustus-
Saint Gaudens and Untitled by Anish Kapoor.
On October 8, 2011, thousands of visitors came to
NOMA to experience a day filled with music, food,
art, and activities celebrating the rich and diverse
culture of Japan. Highlights included an address by
the mayor of Matsue, our sister city in Japan; an
anime fashion contest; and performances by
drumming group Kaminari Taiko of Houston and
Global Culture Nasu, a Japanese performing arts
group whose appearance in New Orleans was
generously sponsored by the Consulate General of
Japan, Nashville.
On November 12, 2011, NOMA held the forty-
sixth annual Odyssey Ball. The Great Hall,
transformed for the occasion, housed a striking
sculpture by Viorel Hodre. Sleepwalkers (Night
Blooming Cereus), a video installation by Courtney
Egan, mesmerized guests from the Grand Staircase.
NOMA Director Susan M. Taylor greeted patrons
along with Brenda and Michael Moffitt, the chairs of
the event. Juan Barona’s stunning contemporary
décor set the tone for the premiere viewing of NOMA
100: Gifts for the Second Century, and for two Odyssey
Ball firsts: the VIP Lounge and an overture to the
Young Fellows.
Deacon John and the Ivories headlined while the
Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group provided gourmet
delights. Cigar Factory New Orleans and Rèmy
Martin cognac added to the atmosphere. Special
thanks to The Lupin Foundation and Peoples Health
for generously underwriting the gala, to
IBERIABANK for sponsoring the VIP Lounge, and to
Jolie and Robert Shelton for the sponsorship of the
Great Hall.
SUPP
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Japan Fest: 1. Mayor of Matsue; 2. and 3. Global Culture Nasu, sponsored by the Consul-Generals Office; 4. Kaminari Taiko of Houston; 5. Japanese Weekend School of New Orleans. Photography by Roman Alokhin.
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January � February � March 2012 25Arts���������
Odyssey Ball: 1. NOMA Director Susan M. Taylor and Paolo Meozzi, with Pam and Dr. Ralph Lupin; 2. Brenda and Michael Moffitt with Cathyand Greg Ruppert; 3.Odyssey Committee members; 4. Odyssey Auction Chairmen Charlene Baudier, Lander Dunbar, Nancy Matulich and LyndaWarshauer; 5. Jolie and Robert Shelton; 6. Dr. Isidore Cohn, Director Emeritus E. John Bullard and Marianne Cohn; 7. Bill Hines, NOMA Board ofTrustees President Cammie Mayer and Tommy Westervelt; 8. Decor sponsor Jude Swenson with Wendi and Michael Grosch; 9. Bill and June McArdle,Kay McArdle and Joe Handlin. Photography by Judy Cooper and Grace Wilson.
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Arts���������26 January � February � March 2012
Love in the Garden: 1. Meredith Maxwell, Annie Flettrich (Love in the Garden Co-Chair), Mike Mann, Katie Hardin, Jennifer Shelnutt (Love in the GardenCo-Chair); 2. Jermaine and Tameka Reynolds; 3. Walda & Sydney Besthoff with Kimberly Zibilich (NOMA Volunteer Chair); 4. Julie Silvers and StevenForster. 5. Love in the Garden honored artists Julie Silvers, Mari De Pedro, Andy Brott, NOMA director Susan M. Taylor, Ayo Scott, and Kathleen Loe; 6. Kay McArdle, Dagney Jochem, Stephanie Rogers, Bernice Daigle and Glendy Forster; 7. Paul Leaman, Sydney Besthoff and E. John Bullard; 8. Paolo Meozzi, Cammie Mayer and Susan M. Taylor; Photography by Judy Cooper and Grace Wilson.
3 5
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In Memoriam: Eugenie Jones Huger (1932 – 2011)
Eugenie Jones
Huger, an
honorary life
trustee of NOMA,
passed away after a
long illness on May 7,
2011. Mrs. Huger was a
longtime supporter of
NOMA and the New
Orleans art community.
Mrs. Huger held a Bachelor of Arts from
Newcomb College and a Master of Liberal Arts from
Tulane University. In addition to her service at
NOMA, Mrs. Huger also volunteered at the
Contemporary Art Center, the Ogden Museum of
Southern Art, and the New Orleans Botanical
Garden.
Friends remember her cheerful, amiable
disposition and her unwavering loyalty when the
museum needed help the most. When there was no
one left to answer the phones after Hurricane
Katrina, Mrs. Huger volunteered to do the job, and
served as NOMA’s receptionist.
Mrs. Huger, who displayed a passion for African
and contemporary art, was also a donor to our recent
exhibition, NOMA 100: Gifts for the Second Century.
Her gift, Ekpo Society Gong, created by the Eket
Peoples of Nigeria, is a remarkable addition to the
museum’s African holdings, and serves as a daily
reminder of her devotion to this institution.
Arts���������
PROFILES IN GIVING
The New Orleans Museum of Art has been a
recipient of Dorothy “Becky” Skau’s
generosity for decades. Mrs. Skau, an
established supporter of the arts, contributed to
numerous local organizations, including NOMA, the
New Orleans Opera Guild, The Louisiana Historical
Society, Friends of Longue Vue Gardens, the Historic
New Orleans Collection, Tulane Women’s
Association, Friends of Newcomb College, the
Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Friends of the
Cabildo, and the Guild of La Petit Theatre de Vieux
Carre.
A lifelong resident of New Orleans, Mrs. Skau
graduated from Newcomb College, Phi Beta Kappa,
and obtained a master’s degree in Library Science
from Louisiana State University. She pursued post-
graduate studies at Tulane University. Until she
retired, she was a librarian at the Southern Regional
Research Center Library of the United States
Department of Agriculture, a library she helped
establish. She was past president of the Louisiana
Chapter of the Special Libraries Association (SLA)
and served on the board of directors of the national
SLA. Mrs. Skau was also a member of the American
Library Association, past president of the Louisiana
Library Association, assistant editor of the LLA
Bulletin, and was past president of the Greater New
Orleans Library Club. Despite being very active in
library studies, Mrs. Skau remained a devoted
sponsor of the arts, and always found ways to
contribute to NOMA and other members of the New
Orleans arts community.
Mrs. Skau has been an active NOMA fellow since
1985 and has generously bequeathed funds to
NOMA for the purchase of a sculpture. Her gift will
be used to purchase Karma, 2011 (pictured), a work
by the Korean artist Do Ho Suh. This sculpture will
be placed in the Sydney and Walda Besthoff
Sculpture Garden in the spring of 2012 and will bear
Mrs. Skau’s name on the dedication plaque. At a
height of 23 feet and created out of brushed stainless
steel, Karma—NOMA’s first example of
contemporary Korean art—will have a striking
impact on the Garden’s landscape, and will enhance
the museum’s sculpture collection. We are grateful
for Mrs. Skau’s support, which has now spanned
over 25 years. NOMA is pleased to accept this
transformative gift on the eve of NOMA’s second
century, where it can be enjoyed in the Sydney and
Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden for generations to
come.
Editor’s note: In the last issue of AQ, we attributed
the gift of Do Ho Suh’s Karma to Sydney and Walda
Besthoff. Mrs. Skau’s bequest came after that publication,
and since then, the Besthoffs have agreed to designate their
gift towards NOMA’s endowment campaign instead.
A Tribute to Mrs. Dorothy “Becky” Beckemeyer Skau
Phot
ogra
ph b
y Ju
dy C
oope
r
CHARITABLE GIFTS to NOMA
Make a lasting contribution to the museum with a gift of cash, stock, real estate, or other assets. Such gifts may allow for significant tax savings. For more information, please call (504) 658-4107.
Arts���������28 January � February � March 2012
NOMA FAMILY
NOMA is deeply
saddened to learn of
the passing of Jim
Byrnes, the third director of
this institution. He left an
indelible mark during his
eleven-year tenure (1961 –
1972), including the name
change in 1971 from the Isaac
Delgado Museum of Art to the
New Orleans Museum of Art.
In 1989 he was conferred the
honorary title of Director
Emeritus in appreciation of his
distinguished services to the museum.
Byrnes was born in New York City on February
19, 1917. His studied art at the National Academy of
Design, the Art Students League and American
Artists School in New York and at the University of
Perugia and Istituto Meschini in Rome, Italy. Prior to
coming to New Orleans, Byrnes was director of both
the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center and the North
Carolina Museum of Art. After NOMA he served as
director of the Newport Harbor Art Museum.
His numerous accomplishments while at NOMA
helped define the institution it is today. The size of
the museum’s facility expanded threefold with the
addition in 1971 of the Edward Wisner Wing, the
Stern Auditorium and the City Wing, including the
Ella West Freeman Galleries and the second floor
permanent collection galleries. The formation of the
Women’s Volunteer Committee (now the NOMA
Volunteer Committee) in 1965 was the result of his
trailblazing public art auction. To inaugurate his 1966
exhibition of the private collection of Mr. and Mrs.
Frederick M. Stafford, Odyssey of an Art Collector,
the first Odyssey Ball was initiated. Other major
exhibitions he organized for NOMA with published
catalogues are New Orleans Collects (1972), The Arts of
Ancient and Modern Latin America (1968), Early
Masters of Modern Art (1968), Edgar Degas: His Family
and Friends in New Orleans (1965) and Fetes de la
Palette: Delights of the Bountiful Table (1963).
Through his efforts there was a substantial
increase in the size and quality of the permanent
collection, including the creation of the Arts of the
Americas collection as a focus and the
unprecedented purchase of the Edgar Degas portrait
of New Orleanian Estelle Musson Degas. This
milestone purchase inspired the Ella West Freeman
Fund to propose in 1968 a matching fund for art
acquisitions for the permanent collection. Purchases
made using those funds during Byrnes’s tenure
include Marinus van Reymerswaele’s The Lawyer’s
Table, Baron Antoine-Jean Gros’s Pest House at Jaffe,
Gustave Courbet’s Rocky Landscape, Richard Clague’s
Spring Hill and Robert Henri’s Blue Kimono, as well as
major works from the Olmec, Maya and Zapotec pre-
Columbian cultures and the African Yoruba
masterpiece, Mounted Warrior Veranda Post.
Notable gifts to the collection during his tenure
are the comprehensive Melvin P. Billups Glass
Collection, The Paul Gauguin painted glass doors,
August Rodin’s Age of Bronze, Francesco Guardi’s
Esther at the Throne of Ahasuerus, Kees van Dongen’s
Woman in a Green Hat, Henri Matisse’s Jazz portfolio
and Jean Hyacinthe Laclotte’s The Battle of New
Orleans.
As a result of the museum’s expansion and other
organizational changes during Byrnes’s tenure, it
was one of the first in the nation to be accredited by
the American Association of Museums.
James Bernard Byrnes, 1917 – 2011
Board of TRUSTEES
National TRUSTEES
Ms. Allison KendrickMayor Mitch LandrieuMrs. Merritt LaneE. Ralph Lupin, MDPaul J. MasinterMrs. Charles B. MayerMs. Kay McArdleMrs. R. King MillingMichael D. MoffittMrs. Michael D. MoffittHoward J. Osofsky, MD,
PhDMrs. James J. Reiss Jr.Mrs. George RodrigueDonna P. RosenBrian Schneider Mrs. Jolie L. SheltonKitty Duncan SherrillMike SiegelMrs. Lynes SlossE. Alexandra Stafford Mrs. Richard L. StrubRobert TaylorSuzanne ThomasBrent WoodMrs. Kimberly Zibilich
William D. Aaron Jr.Justin T. Augustine IIIMrs. John BertuzziSydney Besthoff IIIDr. Siddharth K. BhansaliSusan BrennanKia Silverman BrownRobin Burgess BlanchardDaryl ByrdMrs. Mark CareyEdgar L. Chase IIITommy ColemanCollette CreppellLeonard Davis David F. EdwardsH. M. “Tim” Favrot Jr.Mrs. Ludovico FeoliJohn FraicheTimothy FrancisJulie Livaudais GeorgeSusan G. Guidry, Council-
member District “A”Terence HallLee Hampton Stephen A. HanselAdrea D. Heebe
H. Russell Albright, MD Mrs. Jack R. Aron Mrs. Edgar L. Chase Jr. Isidore Cohn Jr., MDPrescott N. Dunbar S. Stewart FarnetSandra Draughn FreemanKurt A. Gitter, MDMrs. H. Lloyd HawkinsMrs. Erik JohnsenRichard W. Levy, MDJ. Thomas Lewis Mrs. Paula L. Maher
Mrs. J. Frederick MullerMrs. Robert NimsMrs. Charles S. Reily Jr.Mrs. Françoise Billion
RichardsonR. Randolph Richmond Jr.Mrs. Frederick M. StaffordHarry C. StahelMrs. Moise S. Steeg Jr.Mrs. Harold H. Stream Mrs. James L. TaylorMrs. John N. Weinstock
Joseph BaillioMrs. Carmel CohenMrs. Mason GrangerJerry HeymannHerbert Kaufman, MD
Mrs. James PierceDebra B. Shriver Mrs. Henry H. Weldon Mrs. Billie Milam Weisman
ED ITOR: Taylor MurrowART D IRECTOR: Aisha ChampagnePR INT ING: DocuMart
Arts Quarterly (ISSN 0740-9214) is published by the New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA 70124.
© 2012, New Orleans Museum of Art. All rightsreserved. No part of this magazine may bereproduced or reprinted without permission of thepublisher.
SUPPORT ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The programs of the New Orleans Museum of Art aresupported by grants from the Louisiana State ArtsCouncil through the Louisiana Division of the Arts,the Arts Council of New Orleans, the New OrleansJazz and Heritage Festival and Foundation, theNational Endowment for the Arts, and the AmericanRecovery and Reinvestment Act.
MUSEUM HOURS
The museum is open Tuesday through
Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.,
and Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Closed Monday and all legal holidays.
The Besthoff Sculpture Garden is open every day,
10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., except Fridays, when it is open
until 8:45 p.m. For information on upcoming
exhibitions and events at NOMA, please call
(504) 658-4100 or visit our website at www.noma.org.
Honorar y L i fe TRUSTEES
Cover Image:Gustave DoréFrench, 1832-1883The Matterhorn, 1873 (detail)Oil on canvasMuseum Purchase: Deaccession Art Fund, 2011.25
P. O. Box 19123New Orleans, LA 70179-0123
NON-PROFIT ORG.US POSTAGEPAID
NEWORLEANSPERMIT #108
Arts���������
NOW AVAILABLE IN THE MUSEUM SHOP
NOMA announces its newest publication, The Sydney and Walda Besthoff SculptureGarden at the New Orleans Museum ofArt, published by SCALA Publishers as partof their internationally distributed Artspacesseries. Authored by Miranda Lash, curator ofmodern and contemporary art, this “mini-guide” explores the history of this award-winning sculpture garden and highlightsworks from its superb collection. 64 color pages, $7.95
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