1. Belle da Costa Greene: A Librarian's Legacy
NEW
To mark the 2024 centenary of its life as a public institution, the Morgan Library & Museum presents a major exhibition devoted to the life and career of its inaugural director, Belle da Costa Greene (1879–1950). Widely recognized as an authority on illuminated manuscripts and deeply respected as a cultural heritage executive, Greene was one of the most prominent librarians in American history.
She was the daughter of Genevieve Ida Fleet Greener (1849–1941) and Richard T. Greener (1844–1922), the first Black graduate of Harvard College, and was at birth known by a different name: Belle Marion Greener. After her parents separated in the 1890s, her mother changed the family surname to Greene, Belle and her brother adopted variations of the middle name da Costa, and the family began to pass as White in a racist and segregated America.
The exhibition traces Greene’s storied life, from her roots in a predominantly Black community in Washington, D.C., to her distinguished career at the helm of one of the world’s great research libraries. Through extraordinary objects―from medieval manuscripts and rare printed books to archival records and portraits―the exhibition demonstrates the confidence and savvy Greene brought to her roles as librarian, scholar, curator, and cultural executive, and honor her enduring legacy.
2. Evan Paul English: Scrap Book
The Alice Austen House is pleased to present “Scrap Book,” an exhibition featuring new paintings and a permanent wallpaper installation by multidisciplinary artist Evan Paul English. Alice Austen was a passionate scrapbook enthusiast, a practice that showcased her significant artistic abilities and paved the way for her distinguished career in photography. During her lifetime, she filled many pages with ephemera featuring botanical imagery, symbolic flowers, and creatures from the natural world that reveal her keen aesthetic sense and her family’s passion for collecting all things beautiful. English, known for his expertise in reinterpreting and painting vintage floral patterns, worked alongside research staff to study these paper archives, transforming his findings into a contemporary body of work.
The exhibition includes nine meticulously crafted paintings that reinterpret the artistic mediums of Austen’s time through a modern lens. In addition to the gallery exhibition, English has also created a permanent wallpaper installation for the dining room of Alice Austen’s historic home. This installation, honoring the cherished history of her and her partner’s beloved home, reflects both the artistic and personal narratives tied to Austen and her legacy.
In the Parlor Room and Dining Room, visitors can explore vitrines that showcase archival material, including two of her original scrapbooks from Historic Richmond Town. Alongside these archival items, process pieces from Evan Paul English—such as his collages and studies—are displayed, offering a glimpse into the artistic process of this landmark exhibition.
LAST CHANCE
3. A Noble Art: A New Look at the Portraits of William Sidney Mount
Closes December 15
The Long Island Museum presents and exhibition featuring a total of 26 paintings, lithographs, drawings, and several artifacts, including several works by William Sidney Mount (1807-1868). “Portrait painting is a noble art,” Mount once wrote, and this exhibition benefits from some of the new research compiled on the identities of sitters of the artist’s paintings, particularly Black and indigenous residents of the Stony Brook area.
William Sidney Mount’s fame as an artist came largely from his genre paintings, or, as the artist often referred to them, “pictures.” Richly appealing countryside scenes of daily life embedded with meaning —paintings such as the Dance of the Haymakers (1845)— brought him national acclaim in the pre-Civil War years. However, today, his portraits endure in memory. In his lifetime, they were the largest part of Mount’s income and production. From well-known locals with surnames: Mills, Jones, Onderdonk, and Smith, to the regular working people, Mount’s portraits captured the lives of the people who shaped the Three Villages.
4. Bunraku Backstage
Alongside the live bunraku performances held at Japan Society this fall, “Bunraku Backstage” offers a rare glimpse behind the scenes of the theater. Bunraku, a dramatic art integrating performances of skilled puppetry, shamisen music, and narration, has evolved since the early 17th century in Japan and is recognized by UNESCO as a “masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity.” Showcasing actual working puppets, costumes, props, and instruments on loan from the National Bunraku Theatre, Osaka, in celebration of their 40th anniversary, this exhibition unveils the collaboration that goes into staging a bunraku production. Unexpected multimedia installations by contemporary artists, all of which re-interpret and revive the artistic language of bunraku, explore the theater’s ongoing inspiration and influence. a minute to write an introduction that is short, sweet, and to the point.
