MAY 2008

Art This Month: Exhibitions & A Sale

Museo ItaloAmericano, Building C; Herbst Pavilion; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Artists Gallery, Building A

A natural catastrophe in the late seventeenth century is responsible for the current exhibit at the Museo ItaloAmericano. In January 1693, a huge earthquake destroyed 60 towns in the portion of eastern Sicily known as Val di Noto and Val Demone. More than 7,000 buildings — including churches, convents, and cathedrals — were destroyed. When the residents recovered from the shock and horror of the devastation and loss of life (60,000 people perished), they began a massive rebuilding campaign. The towns reinvented themselves in the baroque mode of the day, resulting in an architectural style so unique to the region that the area has been deemed a World Heritage site by UNESCO.

This is the world of Immaginario Barocco, the striking exhibit of photographs by Giuseppe Leone on display at the Museo. In more than 60 black and white images, Leone dramatically captures a world frozen in time. His images artfully contrast the overly ornate architecture of the baroque period with the current inhabitants — children playing in decorative squares, black-clad old women walking up ancient streets. In one photograph, a man with a donkey is juxtaposed against an ornamented doorway through which the viewer could imagine a dandy in periwig and silk stockings looking perfectly at ease.

For more information see the Ongoing Programs section and www.museoitaloamericano.org.

In complete contrast to this journey across the world and into the past is the exhibit in the Herbst Pavilion from May 17 to 24: the Master Of Fine Arts Graduate Exhibition from the San Francisco Art Institute. The works represent the culmination of this premier art institution’s challenging graduate program of study and creation. The exhibit affords students the opportunity to present their work to the larger world, and likewise allows the art-loving public the opportunity to become acquainted with the next generation of artists.

See May 17 in the calendar for more details and visit www.sfai.edu for information on the San Francisco Art Institute.

Also happening this month is the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) Artists Gallery’s annual Artists’ Warehouse Sale. For fifteen years, the sale has been one of the Bay Area’s most anticipated art events. The five-day sale features paintings, photographs, sculpture, prints, and works on paper at 50 percent off regular retail price. Proceeds benefit the programs of the SFMOMA Artists Gallery, which supports the Museum as well as regional artists.

For more information see May 7 in the calendar and the SFMOMA Artists Gallery website.

— Jovanne Reilly