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----------------------------Original message---------------------------- ------------------ Dear colleagues: The following is an announcement of a new exhibition at the Menil Collection, Houston. As we often do not utilize an outside distributor for our exhibition catalogs (e.g. recent catalogs on Mark Rothko, Georges Rouault, Edward Kienholz, Paul Klee, and Greek icons), I am taking this opportunity to acquaint librarians with our latest publication. A full listing of available publications may be viewed at our website: www.menil.org/=7Emenil/publications.html Publications may be ordered at this site, or our Bookstore may be reached at (713) 521-9148. Phil Heagy Menil Collection Library 1511 Branard St. Houston, TX 77006 PH: (713) 525-9426 FAX: (713) 525-9444 e-mail: pheagy=40neosoft.com THE MENIL COLLECTION 1515 Sul Ross Houston Texas 77006 NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 20, 1997 MEDIA CONTACT: Bill Thompson (713-525-9404) THE MENIL COLLECTION PRESENTS THE FIRST EXHIBITION OF VISIONARY DRAWINGS BY FRENCH ARTIST TH=C9OPHILE BRA The Drawing Speaks: Th=E9ophile Bra, Works 1826-1855 December 12, 1997 - March 29, 1998 introductory talk by Jacques de Caso Thursday, December 11, 1997, 7:00 pm followed by a preview from 7:30 to 9:00 pm OVERVIEW Th=E9ophile Bra (1797-1863) was a renowned sculptor in nineteenth century France. Unknown to most, Bra also created thousands of visionary drawings that expressed his dreams and mystical experiences. Bra's drawings combined abstract imagery with words and radically broke with the traditions of Western art. Through their exploration of abstraction and the subconscious mind, these drawings anticipate the work of the Surrealists and Abstract Expressionists, who, while unaware of Bra's achievements, were engaged with similar ideas nearly a century later. Since 1851, Bra's drawings have been preserved in the Municipal Library of Douai, France, the city of his birthplace, but they were never revealed to the public, until now. For the first time, fifty of these remarkable works of art will be exhibited at The Menil Collection in The Drawing Speaks: Th=E9ophile Bra, Works 1826-1855, on view from December 12, 1997 through March 29, 1998. Following its presentation in Houston, the exhibition will travel to museums in Iowa City and Douai, France. This exhibition has been organized by The Menil Collection and is made possible through the generous support of Menil Foundation, Inc. and Louise Ferrari. THE EXHIBITION =22Bra's drawings are unprecedented in the nineteenth century--'abstract' compositions and unrelated to his sculpted oeuvre, they designate Bra as one of the most original minds of the Romantic era,=22 wrote exhibition curator Jacques de Caso, professor of art history in the Graduate School of the University of California, Berkeley. =22Bra returned drawing to a state of uncurbed expression, a state inherent to drawing when line seeks to evoke an idea rather than an illusionistic recreation of the world,=22 de Caso added. The Drawing Speaks: Th=E9ophile Bra, Works 1826-1855 features fifty drawings never before shown to the public. While doing research in 1975, de Caso discovered Bra's drawings in the Municipal Library of Douai. De Caso became intrigued with Bra's life and work, particularly the artist's concerns with mysticism and theory, and he encouraged Dominique de Menil and The Menil Collection to exhibit and publish a selection of these extraordinary drawings. Chosen from the thousands of Bra's drawings housed in the Municipal Library of Douai, the works of art in the exhibition were made between 1826 and 1855, decades before pioneering artists such as Picasso and Kandinsky began to explore abstraction in the early twentieth century. Sketched with pen and ink on sheets of paper, Bra's drawings possess a sense of immediacy, gesture, and experimentation uncharacteristic of most nineteenth-century art, particularly that produced by students of traditional art academies. Bra conceived of his drawings as prophetic works and many of them contain sacred inscriptions and notes concerning his philosophical and mystical beliefs. Often, the drawings appear unfinished--images sometimes merge into written texts, which forces the viewer to stop looking and begin reading, or vice versa. When compared to Bra's sculpture--mostly traditional public commissions--the artist's drawings stand out for their innovation and originality. Bra's drawings are much closer in spirit to the work of modern artists like Jackson Pollock and Max Ernst than to that of Bra's contemporaries. Among the highlights of the exhibition is Untitled =5BThe Virgin of the Rocks...=5D, a collage, embellished with ink, made from a lithographic reproduction affixed with wax to a page from a Bible. Bra's figurative drawings, such as Untitled =5Bunity synthesized iconography...=5D, = demonstrate how the artist chose not to represent nature and the human body with clinical accuracy, as was commonly practiced in the nineteenth century. Other drawings, such as Untitled =5Bthe mysterious cross...=5D and Untitled =5BThe planetary Dredger...=5D, are completely abstract and anticipate works made with the technique of =22automatism,=22 a term coined in the twentieth century and associated with the Surrealists that describes the creation of images using the subconscious mind. TH=C9OPHILE BRA--BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION Th=E9ophile Bra was born on June 23, 1797 in Douai, France, a part of Flanders now in northeastern France. As a young man he worked as an apprentice in the studios of his father and grandfather, both of whom were sculptors. In Paris, Bra studied art at the =C9cole des Beaux Arts and anatomy at Bic=EAtre and La Salp=E9tri=E8re hospitals. In 1818, Bra won the coveted Second Roman Prize in sculpture, and the following year he embarked upon a thirty-five year career as a sculptor, earning acclaim for his many portraits and civic and religious monuments. In 1825, Bra received the prestigious Legion of Honor award. An eccentric, spiritual, and introspective man, Bra experienced a severe psychological collapse and a series of personal tragedies beginning in 1826, the same year he began to make his drawings. During this time, Bra experienced repeated episodes of mental disorientation and his personal life crumbled around him. Bra's first two wives died within a short time of one another and the in-laws from his first marriage sought legal custody of his children. These crises would profoundly effect Bra for the rest of his life. Using his drawings, Bra documented and explored the significance of his mystical experiences and personal tragedies. Bra's drawings read like a private diary, filled with his feelings and observations about God, the relationship between body and soul, and other spiritual matters. While Bra was a member of the intellectual circles of Paris in the 1830s and 1840s, and he was acquainted with such writers as Cousin, Guizot, Broussais, and Balzac, virtually no one knew of the mysterious drawings he was producing. In Paris, Bra achieved respect and prominence for his work as a sculptor, but in 1850 he returned to Douai, where he would remain for the rest of his life. In September 1851, Bra donated his manuscripts and models of sculptures to Douai's Municipal Library, where they have been preserved for more than one hundred years, unknown to all but a handful of people. Bra died on May 2, 1863 in Douai, France. PUBLICATION In conjunction with the exhibition, The Menil Collection has published The Drawing Speaks: Th=E9ophile Bra, Works 1826-1855. This 120-page, bilingual catalogue is fully illustrated and features a statement by Jacques Vernier, Mayor of Douai=3B a preface by Dominique de Menil, The Menil Collection's founding patron=3B a forward by Hubert Damisch, Professor at the =C9cole des hautes =E9tudes en sciences sociales, Paris=3B and essays by Jacques de Caso and Andr=E9 Bigotte, librarian at Douai. The catalogue has been translated by Erika Naginski, Society of Fellows, Harvard University. The Drawing Speaks: Th=E9ophile Bra, Works 1826-1855 is available for purchase at The Menil Collection Bookstore (713-521 3814). SPECIAL EVENTS Jacques de Caso will present an introductory talk about Th=E9ophile Bra at The Menil Collection on Thursday, December 11, 1997 at 7:00 pm. The talk will be followed by a reception from 7:30 to 9:00 pm. Both events are free and open to the public. ORGANIZATION AND SPONSORSHIP This exhibition has been organized by The Menil Collection and is made possible through the generous support of Menil Foundation, Inc. and Louise Ferrari. EXHIBITION TOUR Following its presentation in Houston, The Drawing Speaks: Th=E9ophile Bra, Works 1826-1855 will travel to museums in the United States and Europe, including the University of Iowa Museum of Art, Iowa City and Mus=E9e de la Chartreuse, Douai, France, in 1999. THE MENIL COLLECTION The Menil Collection opened in 1987 to house, preserve, and exhibit the art collection of Houston residents John and Dominique de Menil. Considered one of the most important privately-assembled collections of the twentieth century, The Menil Collection includes approximately 15,000 paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, photographs, and rare books. Masterpieces from antiquity=3B the Byzantine and medieval worlds=3B the tribal cultures = of Africa, Oceania, and the American Pacific Northwest=3B and the twentieth century are particularly well-represented. Designed by Piano =26 Fitzgerald Architects, Houston, a joint venture of Renzo Piano/Building Workshop, Genoa, Italy and Richard Fitzgerald =26 Partners, Houston, the museum is = also renowned for its innovative architecture and the contemplative beauty of its naturally-illuminated galleries. In keeping with the de Menils' collecting practices, The Menil Collection continues to acquire in-depth holdings of works by selected artists and to create special environments for their display. In February 1995, The Menil Collection, in collaboration with the artist Cy Twombly and Dia Center for the Arts, New York, opened the Cy Twombly Gallery, an exhibition space designed by Renzo Piano that houses a permanent installation devoted to Twombly's work. The Menil Collection is currently preparing its exhibition annex Richmond Hall for the installation of the last major light sculpture by Dan Flavin. GENERAL INFORMATION The Menil Collection is located in Houston's Museum District at 1515 Sul Ross. The Cy Twombly Gallery is located across the street from the museum at 1501 Branard. Both are open to the public free-of-charge Wednesday through Sunday, 11:00 am to 7:00 pm. The Menil Collection Bookstore, located at 1520 Sul Ross, is open Wednesday through Friday, 11:00 am to 6:00 pm, and Saturday through Sunday, 11:00 am to 6:45 pm. For further information about The Menil Collection please call 713-525 9400 or visit the museum's website: www. menil.org. Within immediate walking distance of The Menil Collection are two independent institutions of interest to visitors--the Rothko Chapel and Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum. The Rothko Chapel is located at 3900 Yupon at Sul Ross and is open to the public free-of-charge every day from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. For further information or to schedule a group tour please call 713-524-9839. The Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum is located at 4011 Yupon and is open to the public free-of-charge Wednesday through Sunday, 11:00 am to 6:00 pm. For further information contact Elsian Cozens at 713-622-8724. MEDIA CONTACT: Bill Thompson Development =26 Public Affairs Associate, = The Menil Collection phone: 713-525-9404 fax: 713-525-9444 email: wrthomp=40neosoft.com