Luminous Modernism: Scandinavian Art Comes to America 1912
Currently on view at Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America is “Luminous Modernism: Scandinavian Art Comes to America 1912,” part of the centennial celebration of this foundation. The works on display showcase the aesthetic innovations that swept Europe during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as seen through the artistic sensibilities of the Scandinavian pioneers of modernism. The fascination with the qualities of Scandinavian light is one of the main themes conveyed by this selection of paintings. The sun-filled domestic scenes of Danish Modernist Vilhelm Hammershoi reference 17th-century Dutch painting and anticipate 20th-century explorations of abstraction. Through simplified forms and a daring palette of mauves and yellows, Finnish Expressionist Akseli Gallen-Kallela created an evocative depiction of his wife watching a sunset. Icelandic landscape painting is represented by Asgrimur Jonsson and Thorarinn Thorlaksson, who concentrate on the distinctive light and rugged topography of their homeland. This exhibition is on view through February 11, 2012.

Catalan Days Festival
This fall, The Institut Ramon Llull presents the second edition of the “Catalan Days” festival, the New York celebration of culture from Catalonia, in northeastern Spain. This festival covers a variety of art forms and includes The Bronx Museum of the Arts and The International Center of Photography, among its many partners. The final music program of the festival will feature internationally renowned dramatic baritone Juan Pons Álvarez. Titled “The Classic Villain: A Night with Juan Pons”, the program will include a selection of opera arias representative of the singer’s career. The piano accompaniment will be provided by the baritone’s daughter, Juana Pons. The concert will be presented in collaboration with the New York Opera Society, at Lincoln Center’s Bruno Walter Auditorium, on November 18.

Youth and Beauty: Art of the American Twenties
The Brooklyn Museum presents its first large-scale exhibition of American art from the period between the end of WWI and the Great Depression. “Youth and Beauty: Art of the American Twenties” showcases a wealth of paintings, sculptures and photographs by 67 artists. Created in response to the dramatic changes of American life in the 1920s, these works reflect the search for a perfect modern world. “Self-Portrait with Rita” painted by Thomas Hart Benton in 1922, is one example in the new trend of figurative works that celebrate this era of physical liberation. Portraits, such as “Paul Cadmus” realized by Luigi Lucioni in 1928, are realized in the newly popular “close-up” format, a style influenced by advertising and by newly discovered psychological theories. The rise of urban black culture leads to representations of the idealized black body. American landscapes are pictured as uninhabited, precisely refined environments. Even still-life compositions suggest the new tensions between the traditional and the modern in art and in life. The exhibition is on view through January 29th.

New York Live Arts 2011/2012 Season
New York Live Arts is an organization formed earlier this year by a merger of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and the Dance Theater Workshop. The first presenting season of New York Live Arts started in September and will continue through the spring of 2012. This season is curated by Artistic Director Carla Peterson and will bring the work of more than 40 artists from around the globe to New York audiences. Some of the highlights are works by Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company… John Kelly… and Richard Move. One of the more intriguing works of this season is “Martha@…The 1963 Interview”. It is a highly theatrical recreation of a famous interview conducted by dance critic Walter Terry with legendary Martha Graham at the 92nd Street Y. Based on a recently discovered audio recording, the interview reveals Graham’s iconic persona and gives intimate insights on her life and career. The work features Tony Award-nominated actress/playwright Lisa Kron as Terry, Richard Move as Graham, and two of Move’s longtime collaborators: Graham Company principal dancer Katherine Crockett and former Graham Company member Catherine Cabeen.