VERO BEACH — The 2011 Distinguished Professor Lecture Series at the Vero Beach Museum of Art presents its first lecture of the series on Wednesday, January 26 at 2 pm. The series opener features a lecture from Amherst College titled A New Place for Queens in Art and Politics of 17th Century France, presented by Nicola M. Courtright, Ph.D., Associate Dean of Faculty and Professor, Department of Art and History of Art. Royal residences in seventeenth-century France were the setting for elaborate rituals and other artful expressions of kingly authority which created an image of the unifying, absolutist power of the king as head of state. This image culminated in the reign of Louis XIV, who publicly claimed to rule alone, yet from the time of his grandfather, queens were ever more visible presences in royal ritual and art. The imagery and acts of the queen regents Marie de Medici and daughter-in-law Anne of Austria promoted an ideal of shared sovereignty, contributing to a more modern picture of the state than ordinarily associated with the reign of the Sun King.
Marking its 20th anniversary this year, this program provides some of the most distinguished colleges and universities in the U.S. with a unique opportunity to connect with their local Florida alumni by sharing recent scholarship with Museum members and the public. The series is sponsored by The Frederick H. Leonhardt Foundation.
Alumni of featured schools enjoy the Museum membership price for this series. The cost for individual lecture tickets is $20 for the general public and $15 for Museum members and alumni.
The 2011 Distinguished Professor Series features these other lectures; each lecture takes place on a Wednesday at 2 pm.:
February 2 – Objects Common & Specific, Edward Vazquez, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of History of Art and Architecture, Middlebury College;
February 9 – Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective, Jock Reynolds, M.F.A., The Henry J. Heinz II Director, Yale University Art Gallery, Yale University;
February 16 – Perceiving Perception, Tony Lilly, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of English, Sweet Briar College;
February 23 – Georgia O’Keeffe: Abstraction, Elizabeth Hutton Turner, Ph.D., Professor and Vice Provost for the Arts, University of Virginia;
March 2 – Reflections on Museums, Learning, Education and Art, John S. Weber, Ph.D., Dayton Director, The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery, Skidmore College;
March 9 – Paint that Came from Tubes or Pots: A New Look at Color and Impressionism, Laura A. Kalba, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Art Department, Smith College.
Register and pay by phone at (772) 231-0707, ext. 136; in person at the Vero Beach Museum of Art; or online at www.verobeachmuseum.org.
For more detailed descriptions of these lectures and presenters, pick up a 2011 Public Programs Guide at the Museum or visit the Museum’s website at www.verobeachmuseum.org.