NEW YORK, NEW YORK. - The National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts will begin on May 6th the "179th Annual: An Invitational Exhibition of Contemporary American Art", which will later end on June 20, 2004. This year’s exhibition, the 179th, is a non-member invitational and continues the National Academy’s 179-year-old tradition of presenting annual exhibitions of contemporary art. Many of the country’s finest contemporary artists working in the mediums of painting, sculpture, graphics and architecture were invited to participate by National Academicians. Included are Polly Apfelbaum, Ida Applebroog, Lesley Dill, Ming Fay, Barnaby Furnas, Sol Lewitt, Whitfield Lovell, Joel Shapiro, May Stevens, Jessica Stockholder, and architects Diller & Scofidio, among others. The selections reflect the many exciting and innovative ways in which these traditional categories can be re-visited to produce fresh artistic visions.
The 179th Annual highlights the diversity of styles in contemporary art today. Realism is explored in the pastels of Jane Lund, and in the sculpture of Judy Fox, while veteran Abstractionist Robert Natkin continues his exploration of color and form, as does newcomer sculptor Tara Donovan. Bracketed by artists under age 35, to those well established in the field, the show offers a contemporary overview of American art history - with current interpretations of Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism, Realism and Post-Modernism, and almost everything in between. A curatorial committee comprised of National Academicians selected the participating artists, and another committee has been elected to award the record $170,000 in prizes, including the prestigious $15,000 Alex Ettl Prize for sculpture awarded every three years.
Major support for The 179th Annual was provided by The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation.
The following artists will be participating in the 179th Annual: Stephen Antonakos,
Polly Apfelbaum, Ida Applebroog, Ben Aronson, Eve Aschheim, David Band, Steven Barbash, Sarah Bedford, Leigh Behnke, Fletcher Benton, Willard Boepple, Phyllis Bramson, D. Capobianco, Natalie Charkow, Emily Cheng, Arthur Cohen, Jean Cohen
Pier Consagra, John Crawford, Fred Dalkey, Susan Daykin, Lesley Dill, Diller & Scofidio, Tara Donovan, Josh Dorman, James Drake, Randall Exon, Ming Fay,
Laurie Fendrich, Connie Fox, Judy Fox, Nancy Friese, Barnaby Furnas, Bruce Gagnier
Brenda Garand, Thomas Germano, Charles Ginnever, Max Ginsburg, Robert Godfrey
Judith Godwin, Margaret Grimes, Roy Gussow, Elizabeth Harms, Laura Harrison, Julie Heffernan, David Henderson, Tom Holland, Diana Horowitz, Sharon Horvath, John Hrehov, Anne Huibregtse, John Hull, Frances Hynes, Lani Irwin, Tracey Jones, Reed Kay, Mel Kendrick, Catherine Kernan, Victor Kerpel, Tom Knechtel, Nina Levy, Sol LeWitt, Ying Li, Robert Lobe, Whitfield Lovell, Jane Lund, Tony Martin, Younghee, Choi Martin, Juanita McNeely, Josie Merck, Melissa Meyer, Richard K. Miller,
Tyrone Mitchell, John Morris, Robert Natkin, Barry Nemett, Janet Niewald, Gladys Nilsson, Jason Novetsky, Jennifer Nuss, Jim Osman, Gregory Paquette, Gillian Pederson-Krag, Tony Phillips, Richard Pionk, Tim Prentice, Judith Raphael, Scott Richter, Harry Roseman, Paul Rosenblatt, Ephraim Rubenstein, Paul Sattler, Robert Schroeder, Bill Scott, Abby Shahn, Joel Shapiro, Dean Snyder, May Stevens, Jessica Stockholder, Barbara Takenaga, Robert Taplin, Paula Tavins, Hugh Townley, William Tucker, Ursula Von Rydingsvard, Tomas Vu-Daniel, Sarah Walker, George Wingate, Philip Wofford, and Lynne Yamamoto.
