Plan a Visit Filled With Imagination

The Greenville County Museum of Art is filled to the brim with American art of high quality and great variety as the holiday season begins again. Three new exhibitions have been added to the Museum’s key continuing exhibitions, and the result is a schedule that truly offers something for every taste. During December, visitors can see work by Jasper Johns, Andrew Wyeth, and William H. Johnson, gain insights from the creations of children’s book illustrator Paul O. Zelinsky, and explore a selection of compelling self-portraits by Brooklyn artist Jenny Dubnau. And there’s more.

The Museum has just introduced Stone Cold Classics, a yearlong series of exhibitions that brings together many “stars” of the Greenville collection, from paintings that trace the history of American art to examples that illustrate the history of America. The exhibition, opened on November 14, includes landscapes and portraits from the eighteenth through the twentieth centuries, as well as narrative and political works; superb examples of impressionism, modernism, and contemporary art complete the presentation.

Stone Cold Classics includes such iconic images as Helen Turner’s 1904 impressionist Girl with Lantern (above), Andrew Wyeth’s 1957 tempera Hay Ledge, and works by such well-known artists as Josef Albers, Andy Warhol, and Alfred Maurer; but it also features the recently acquired Heat of Sky: Trembling Prairie, 1959, a masterful example of abstract expressionism by the late New Orleans painter Fritz Bultman, and Frederick Bridgman’s Bringing in the Corn, 1872, among the most recent additions to the Museum collection.

Focusing on the best and the brightest in the collection, Stone Cold Classics will challenge viewers by creating new relationships among works of art. The exhibitions, which will continue through 2008, will be accompanied by public programs and by courses that extend the lessons of this stellar collection, including an eight-session lecture series, American Art History, which will be led by Curator Martha R. Severens beginning March 12. Contact the Museum’s education office at 864/271-7570, ext. 12 for more information.

See Zelinsky until January 6

Illustrator Paul O. Zelinsky offers images from classic fairy tales such as Rapunzel and Rumpelstiltskin in richly-painted scenes brought to life with intricate detail. These Renaissance-style illustrations, however, are just part of the work that comes together in the exhibition Paul O. Zelinsky: Angels to Ogres, which is on view through January 6, 2008. Organized by the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, the Zelinsky exhibition also features the artist’s adaptations of two popular children’s songs, “Knick-Knack, Paddywhack” and “The Wheels on the Bus,” both produced as pop-up books.

Museum volunteers provide daily tours of the exhibition for school groups, and free activities assist families to share the art with children on an informal basis.

Related events include the Museum’s annual Holiday Party for Children, which takes place Saturday, December 8, from 2:00 until 4:00. The party offers youngsters an entertaining visit that includes art activities, music, puppet shows, and a visit from a certain Jolly Old Elf. The event is designed for children aged 4 through 10. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Holiday Hours

The Greenville County Museum of Art will be closed on Christmas Day and on New Year’s Day. The Museum is always closed on Mondays, opening Tuesday through Saturday at 11:00 am and on Sunday at 1:00. Galleries remain open until 5:00 except on Thursdays, when visitors can enjoy the Museum until 8:00 pm.
Admission is always free.