Seeing the light with Crystal Bridges’ newest Fall exhibitions

Two temporary exhibitions will open concurrently at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art on Saturday, October 13, both focusing on light as a source of inspiration for works of art and architecture.

See the Light: The Luminist Tradition in American Art traces the importance of light for American artists from the nineteenth century through today. From the luminous paintings of Martin Johnson Heade in the nineteenth century to Dan Flavin’s minimalist sculpture featuring fluorescent tubes in the twentieth, light has inspired American artists for more than 100 years. Featuring selected works from Crystal Bridges’ permanent collection combined with works on loan from other institutions, this exhibition explores the fascinating evolution of artists’ use of light through the work of key American masters. See the Light is sponsored by GE Lighting.

One of the highlights of See the Light will be the unveiling of a significant new acquisition to Crystal Bridges’ permanent collection. The painting, “No. 210/No. 211 (Orange)” by Abstract Expressionist Mark Rothko, has been in a private collection since the 1960s and has previously been exhibited publicly only twice. At the close of the exhibition, “No. 210/No. 211 (Orange)” will be relocated to one of the galleries housing Crystal Bridges’ permanent collection.

Moshe Safdie: The Path to Crystal Bridges showcases the masterful use of light in architectural design by Crystal Bridges architect Moshe Safdie. The exhibition charts the design development of four key projects—Habitat 67 in Montreal, The Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem, The National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, and the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles—which helped to inform the design for Crystal Bridges. Through models, architectural drawings, photographs and video, this exhibition illuminates Safdie’s path to Crystal Bridges by highlighting his aesthetic language of transcendent light, powerful geometric form, and metaphoric imagery. The exhibition is sponsored by Nabholz Construction Services and Linbeck.

Moshe Safdie: The Path to Crystal Bridges will show concurrently with See the Light: The Luminist Tradition in American Art. Members will be invited to a Members-only Preview prior to the public opening; the exhibitions will be on view at Crystal Bridges through January 28, 2013, with no admission fee or advance tickets required. Additional information about this and other upcoming exhibitions is available online at CrystalBridges.org/Exhibitions.