Displaying items by tag: norman rockwell museum

Despite the bitter cold temperatures heading into Valentine’s Day, a painting at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts is sure to warm some hearts.

“I guess having lived with this for 40 years I’d have to say it’s my favorite.”

The thing Bill Millis has been living with for 40 years is love…in fact, "Puppy Love." The instantly recognizable painting captures a young boy with his arm around a pigtailed girl’s waist sitting on a sagging wooden plank bench staring off into the moon.

In May of 1914, a young Norman Rockwell entered artwork in his first exhibition: a group show at the New Rochelle Public Library in New Rochelle, New York. He was 20 years old.

One hundred years later, a traveling exhibition of some of Rockwell’s most iconic original works is making its European debut. Organized by Norman Rockwell Museum, "American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell" will be on view at the Fondazione Roma-Arte-Musei in Rome, Italy through February 8, 2015. "American Chronicles" has been traveling across America for seven years, garnering record audiences wherever it has opened; Rome is its only trans-Atlantic venue.

“This year, Norman Rockwell Museum celebrates its 45th anniversary, and our outreach has never been greater as we strive to meet the public demand for Rockwell’s work,” says Museum Director/CEO Laurie Norton Moffatt, who spoke to members of the press this morning at the Fondazione’s media preview.

“American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell” is currently on view at the Newark Museum in Newark, New Jersey. The sweeping exhibition, which is organized by the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, focuses on the work of the widely popular 20th century painter and illustrator, Norman Rockwell. Rockwell is best known for his archetypical portrayals of American life as well as his cover illustrations for “The Saturday Evening Post” magazine.

“American Chronicles” is a traveling exhibition that presents 50 original Rockwell paintings as well as the 323 covers he created for “The Saturday Evening Post.” The show features some of Rockwell’s most recognized images including “Triple Self-Portrait,” “Girl at Mirror,” and “Going and Coming” as well as portraits of Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy. The exhibition includes a number of works from Rockwell’s archives such as preliminary sketches, color studies, photographs, letters, manuscripts, and detailed drawings.

“American Chronicles” offers visitors a glimpse into Rockwell’s artistic process and illustrates how he came to be the visual interpreter of day-to-day life in post-World War II America. The exhibition will remain on view at the Newark Museum through May 26, 2014. It will then travel to the Fondazione Roma-Arte Musei in Rome (November 10, 2014-February 8, 2014) and the Brigham Young University Museum of Art in Provo, Utah (November 19, 2015-February 13, 2016).

The Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts announced that it has nearly doubled its collection after acquiring the art and archives from the Famous Artists School in Westport, Connecticut. The major gift includes more than 5,000 un-catalogued works, several original works created by Norman Rockwell, and an archive of hundreds of thousands of items.

Speaking on behalf of the Museum’s board of trustees, Board Chairman Anne H. Morgan said, “We extend our heartfelt thanks to the generous artists and collectors who have become the patrons of our remarkable collection, built entirely through their donations of American illustration. We are proud to be sharing these works locally, through traveling exhibitions, and online with an international audience eager to absorb the work of Rockwell and many other illustrators who portrayed American culture."

The Rockwell Museum, which was established in 1969, holds the world’s largest collection of original Norman Rockwell art. Recently, the prices of Rockwell works at auction have skyrocketed, making it difficult for the museum to add to its collection by purchase.

‘The Gossips,’ one of Norman Rockwell’s most famous paintings will go on view at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA for a limited time. The work, which appeared on the cover of the ‘Saturday Evening Post,’ was on loan to the institution for over two decades before it was sold during a record-setting auction at Sotheby’s in December. ‘The Gossips’ is being loaned to the Rockwell Museum by the work’s new owner.

Laurie Norton Moffatt, the Norman Rockwell Museum’s Director and CEO, said, “We are so happy to welcome back ‘The Gossips.’ The Museum is extremely grateful to the painting’s new owner for allowing us to once again share this beloved work with the public. We look forward to displaying the painting over the next few months, along with other special loans and our permanent collection of Norman Rockwell artwork.”

The figures in ‘The Gossips’ were inspired by Rockwell’s neighbors in Arlington, Vermont.