It’s widely known that American art, pre the AbEx era, is rarely seen or appreciated overseas. But now Saudia Arabians are having a look and getting a quick education in both American art and American history.
I learned over the weekend that from Apr. 15 – 25, people in Jeddah will have an
opportunity to view reproductions of about 40 classic American art works — works like Whistler’s Harmony in Blue and Gold, Cassatt’s Boating Party (right), Stella’s Brooklyn Bridge, Homer’s Veteran in a New Field, and Eakins’s John Biglin in a Single Scull. They are all included in one of the National Endowment for the Humanities’ biggest successes of the last few years, an effort to teach American history through visual art called “Picturing America.” The “Picturing America” exhibition, according to Arab News, was organized by Jeddah’s Culture and Tourism Department and the American Consulate there.
What a splendid idea. I only wish they could see the real works.
“Picturing America” was a signature program of Bruce Cole, who stepped down as NEH chairman earlier this year, and I wrote about it, and Cole, for the Wall Street Journal in 2007, which you can read here or here.
So far, about 80,000 schools and libraries across the U.S. have requested and received the “Picturing America” reproductions and curriculum — plus some U.S. embassies, Cole tells me. The program was inspired. It would be wonderful if it paved the way for greater integration between art and school curricula in other subjects, too.
And it would be nice if American art won a greater following around the world.
Photo Credit: The National Gallery of Art