2col 34.Cottingham

Robert Cottingham, “Women — Girls,” 2002, etching and aquatint, 31¼ by 30¾ inches, courtesy of Harlan & Weaver, New York City.

CONTEMPORARY ART ANNUAL ON VIEW AT NATIONAL ACADEMY MUSEUM MAY 16, 1 CUT

 AVV 4-23 #697148

NEW YORK CITY — The National Academy Museum will hold its 182nd annual exhibition of contemporary American art on view May 16–June 24. An opening reception will be Tuesday, May 15, from 6 to 8 pm, with an awards ceremony at 6:30 pm.

The National Academy has been a contemporary fine arts organization for nearly 200 years. When the academy instituted its annual in 1826, it inaugurated an exhibition designed specifically to provide living American artists with a place to exhibit their works during a time when there were no museums in New York City.

Modeled after London’s Royal Academy of Arts, the National Academy’s key objective was to establish a forum to exhibit works by living artists to the public. Since then, visual culture and its methods of expression have expanded enormously and the National Academy continues to serve as a conduit for promoting contemporary art.

The academy alternates yearly between members and nonmember shows. This year’s annual is for artist members only and 195 of the approximately 350 National Academicians are participating. Works range from complete abstraction to figuration, using a variety of media in the categories of painting, sculpture, prints, and architectural renderings and models.

This exhibition is organized without a curatorial presence, therefore it encompasses a broad range of art.

An aspect of the exhibition is the $150,000 in prizes that will be awarded, including the prestigious Alex Ettl Award of $15,000 for an outstanding sculpture, an award given only once every three years. A full-color catalog by the director of the artists membership, Nancy Malloy, accompanies the exhibition with an introduction by the director of the National Academy, Annette Blaugrund, and a note from the academy’s president, Susan Shatter, PNA.

The museum is at 1083 Fifth Avenue at 89th Street. For information, 212-369-4880 or www.nationalacademy.org.