Current Exhibitions
IN FOCUS: National Geographic Greatest Portraits
July 29, 2010 - October 10, 2010
"In Focus: National Geographic Greatest Portraits," an exhibition consisting of 56 striking color and black-and-white photographs, showcases photographs from the book "In Focus: National Geographic Greatest Portraits," which was published in October 2004 as a sequel to the New York Times bestseller "Through the Lens: National Geographic Greatest Portraits."
The exhibition highlights the work of some of National Geographic's most celebrated photographers. National Geographic photographers have taken more pictures of people than of any other subject, indicating "a photographer's desire to connect with people--to capture something consequential about another person," wrote National Geographic magazine associate editor Chris Johns in his forward. "To capture the spirit and essence of other human beings is a challenge beyond measure, but when it happens and the photograph comes together, the creation brings joy."
The show will open July 29, 2010 and will run through October 10, 2010. The Citadelle is open Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m. Museum admission is $10 adults; $8 for seniors 65+; and 18 and under are free.
Read more about the Afghan girl from National Geographic
Upcoming Exhibitions
Colonial Couture: Celebrating the Work of Linda Leyendecker-Gutierrez
October 16, 2010 - November 28, 2010
The dazzling gowns seen on the stage the night of the annual Society of Martha Washington Colonial Pageant did not happen overnight. They each had their beginning first as a vision that become a sketch, then swathes of material draped on a mannequin and eventually after many hours of sewing and beading become the gorgeous gowns appreciated by audiences who each year expect to be dazzled. These gowns, created by Linda Leyendecker-Gutierrez, will be on display at the Citadelle from October 16, 2010 through November.
Linda Leyendecker Gutierrez lives and works a few blocks from the Rio Grande and traces her lineage in two branches - from one of this Spanish colonial city's oldest families and to Revolutionary War orator Patrick Henry.
The dresses designed by Gutierrez and others weigh up to 80 pounds, supported by a lattice of hoops, and may have flourishes of beading and lace from all over the world.
Previous Exhibitions
Mary Cassatt, an American in Paris: Images of Quietude and Reflection
June 5, 2010 - July 25, 2010
Opening this next weekend on June 5th, The Citadelle Art Foundation will host a rare collection of 33 works on paper by American painter and printmaker Mary Stevenson Cassatt which have never been viewed together. Titled "Mary Cassatt, An American in Paris: Images of Quietude and Reflection," the exhibition includes dry-point and aquatints from a private collector who chose The Gallery at The Citadelle for the collection's debut. Also on display is a rare collection of pastel counterproofs from Adelson Galleries in Manhattan. The works will be on view at The Citadelle from June 5th to July 26th.
Mary Cassatt (May 22, 1844-June 14, 1926) was born in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, but spent most of her adult life in France, where she became friends with Edgar Degas, who influenced her life considerably by introducing her to etching, of which he is considered a master. Cassatt was one of only a few women who exhibited among the Impressionists, who included, among others, Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Paul Cezanne.
The Cassatt counterproofs on view are from the personal collection of Ambroise Vollard, and are considered highly prized. The exhibition includes compositions that will be new to even the most enthusiastic Cassatt admirer, as a few of them were made from some of her unrecorded pastels.
Ambroise Vollard, best known as the first dealer to actively promote the works of Paul Cezanne (1839-1906) and Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), was Cassatt's major art dealer during her career and encouraged
Cassatt to experiment in print-making, including counterproofs. A counterproof is created by placing a damp sheet of blank paper over an artwork, such as a pastel or a wet etching, and applying pressure, usually by running the sheets through the printing press. The pressure causes a mirror impression of the original image to be transferred to the moist paper.
Thus, the damp sheet that was laid over and pressed against Cassatt's original pastel (Plate I) becomes imprinted with the counterproof image that is now illustrated as Plate II. Cassatt treasured this counterproof process as she was unable to duplicate their ethereal quality from her own hand. Until recently, relatively few counterproofs of Cassatt's pastels were known.
As popular as they may be, Cassatt's works on paper are rarely placed on public display. "The chance to see such an amazing collection of works at The Citadelle Art Foundation, including those of a little-known aspect of Cassatt's career, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said CAF Director Wendie Cook. She also noted that the Cassatt show is probably the most valuable exhibit the Foundation will ever produce.
An opening reception will be held on Saturday, June 5, from 5 to 7 p.m., which also coincides with the first birthday of The Citadelle Art Foundation. The cost is $20 per person, $15 per member. Reservations are requested. Call 806.323.8899. The Citadelle is open Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m. Museum admission is $10 adults; $8 for seniors 65+; and 18 and under are free. For more information log on to www.thecitadelle.org.
Silver Lining: Emotion in the Sky
The Citadelle Art Foundation announces the opening of Silver Lining: Emotion in the Sky. The exhibition will feature selections from Angus Macpherson and several other impressionist painters. On loan from Gallery KH in Chicago, the show opens April 3, 2010 and will run through May 16, 2010.
At right: Beacon and Before September both by Angus Macpherson
Range of Passion: Artists' Love Affair with the American West
The Citadelle Art Foundation announces the opening of Range of Passion: Artists' Love Affair with the American West. The exhibition will feature selections from Xiang Zhang. The show opens February 11, 2010 and will run through March.
Join us for the Opening Reception February 13, 2010 from 5-7pm for hors d'ouevres, wine, and a live harpist. Cost is $30 per couple, members are free. Reservations requested - 806.323.8899.
Mother and Child
From the Collection of Dr. and Mrs. Malouf Abraham
The Citadelle Art Foundation announces the opening of Mother and Child. The exhibition includes selections from the permanent collection of Dr. and Mrs. Malouf Abraham. The show continues through February 7, 2010.
SUPER REAL: Different Angles of Photorealism
On loan from the J. Cacciola Gallery, New York
The Citadelle Art Foundation announces the opening of SUPER REAL: Different Angles of Photorealism. The exhibition includes selections from renowned photorealists Scott Fraser, Gary Godbee, Ellen Wagener, and Dennis Wojtkiewicz. The exhibition is on loan from J Cacciola Gallery in New York, NY. The show continues through November 29, 2009
The formal opening will be October 17 with artist Ellen Wagener in attendance from 1 - 3 for a drawing demonstration and instruction for all ages. Other activities for kids will be painting on pumpkins, leaf rubbing and a gallery hunt. Following the daytime activities, Ms. Wagener will give an informal artist talk in the new gallery with complimentary wine and cheese at 6:30 - all for the price of admission!
On Saturday the 17th & Sunday the 18th, tours of the Abraham home Hill Crest will be available for an additional fee of $10. All proceeds from the tour directly benefit the Citadelle Art Foundation to support our mission. Our mission is to provide a sanctuary for all art forms celebrating life through art.
Admission is $10; 65 and older $5 and children 18 or younger are FREE. The Citadelle hours are Thursday - Saturday, 11 - 4 & Sunday 1 - 4.
J.C. Leyendecker: America's ''Other'' Illustrator Comes to Canadian
Organized by The Haggin Museum, Stockton, California
Before Norman Rockwell, there was J.C. Leyendecker - arguably the nation's most popular and successful commercial artist of the first four decades of the 20th century. The Haggin Museum's collection of more than 50 original works by Leyendecker represents the largest held by any museum and will go on display along with The Citadelle Art Foundation's three original Leyendeckers in this special exhibition. The show, arriving in Canadian, Texas on May 31, 2009, will also include more than two dozen sketches, magazine covers, advertisements and photos. Admission is only $10.00 for adults.
Joseph Christian Leyendecker (1874-1951) was born in Germany and came to Chicago as a child in 1882. He apprenticed at the Chicago engraving house of J. Manz & Company, where he advanced to a full-time position as staff artist, while attending the Chicago Art Institute. He studied in Paris for two years at Academie Julian, under the tutelage of Jean Paul Laurens and Benjamin Constant. The famous neo-classical artist Adolphe Bouguereau then directed the school, and Leyendecker was considered by all three masters to be the brightest student at the Academie. Leyendecker learned, while in Paris, that a good artist could have a rewarding and lucrative career as an illustrator and decided to devote himself to that pursuit; he seldom deviated from his chosen field throughout his long career.
Between 1898 and 1918 Leyendecker created forty-eight cover paintings for COLLIER'S magazine, and in 1899 the artist executed his first SATURDAY EVENING POST cover. It was the first of the 322 covers he would produce for the magazine, more than any other artist working for the SATURDAY EVENING POST, including Norman Rockwell. His popularity was due to his ability to convey the essence of both everyday life in America and international events through paintings that reflected his unique sense of drama, romanticism, and humor. In 1905 he received his most important commission when hired by Cluett, Peabody & Company, Inc., which manufactured Arrow Brand shirt collars. The ''Arrow Collar Man'', as well as the images he created for Kuppenheimer Suits and Inter-woven Socks, soon came to define the fashionable American male of the early 20th century. As part of an advertising campaign for Kellogg's Corn Flakes, Leyendecker created a series of children's images that are as winsome and winning today as when they were created more than 90 years ago.
The Gallery at The Citadelle
