Civil War scenes at Nassau County Museum of Art

The arts scene on Long Island steps into a new season with offerings that showcase the breadth and vision of artists and collectors. From Nassau County Museum of Art’s examination of the works of the historical artist Mort Künstler to Hofstra University Museum’s celebration of its 75th anniversary as seen through its decades of art collections, there’s much to see at our local museums. Here are some highlights.

Civil War Show at Nassau County Museum of Art
In commemoration of the approaching 150th anniversary of the Civil War, Nassau County Museum of Art (NCMA) presents Civil War paintings by Mort Künstler. “For Us the Living” - The Civil War in Paintings by Mort Künstler” portrays the sights, feelings and drama of the Civil War, as created by the Oyster Bay-based artist.

The exhibit consists of approximately 50 paintings accompanied by a selection of documentary objects. Many of the paintings are from Künstler’s own collection, others are from various private and public collections. For the first time, visitors will gain an inside look into the artist’s creative process through a display of his sketches, drawings, preliminary studies, photographs, and props. This major exhibition, which opened Sept. 25, fills the museum’s first and second floor galleries. It remains on view through Jan. 9, 2011.
“We decided that this was an opportune time to address Americana in a different way, since it’s the 150th anniversary of the war,” said Constance Schwartz, the museum’s director emeritus and curator for this exhibit.
Künstler has achieved fame as the leading contemporary painter of Civil War scenes. His work is esteemed for its dramatic intensity and for an extraordinary level of authenticity that results from intensive research. Dr. James I. Robertson Jr., the noted Civil War historian and author of the biography, “Stonewall Jackson,” said, “Mort Künstler is the foremost Civil War artist of our time – if not of all time.” Harold Holzer, a senior official at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and one of the nation’s leading authorities on Abraham Lincoln and the political culture of the Civil War era, said of Künstler: “His art is terrific, and he’s attracted thousands of people to Civil War art.”
In addition to viewing many Künstler’s works that have never been seen in a museum exhibition before, visitors can examine his entire creative process. “What makes this the exhibition particularly exciting,” Schwartz said, “is that we have selected drawings that relate the paintings. By seeing how the painting evolved from a drawing that looks like a scribble to the finished piece is a fabulous opportunity to see the creative process at work.”
This exhibit marks the third time that Künstler’s works will be shown at the museum, and the first time in NCMA’s history that it has held three shows for a single artist. NCMA's 1998 exhibition, “The Civil War: The Paintings of Mort Künstler,” broke attendance records and stands as one of the museum's top-drawing shows. It was followed by a second show in 2006, “The American Spirit,” that featured a range Künstler’s historical works.
Künstler, who studied art at Brooklyn College, UCLA and Pratt Institute, began his career as an illustrator, working on assignments for Newsweek, Saturday Evening Post, Mad Magazine and Boy's Life. His interest in the Civil War evolved from a commission from CBS-TV to do the paintings for the mini-series, “The Blue and The Gray.” That was the beginning of the artist’s close association with the Civil War. “The High Water Mark,” a painting executed for that series, is considered a highly accurate and moving depiction of the battle at Gettysburg. It was unveiled at Gettysburg National Military Park Museum in 1988 in celebration of the 125th anniversary of the battle.
Accuracy became firmly imbued into Künstler’s art beginning with assignments of
historical topics from National Geographic; it was through their projects involving historical subject matter that he learned the value of working with historians to ensure the accuracy of his concept.
As always, in conjunction with the exhibit, the museum offers several public programs to enhance the viewing experience. Among them are a family tour of the exhibit along with “General A.P. Hill,” a Civil War soldier portrayed by actor Patrick Falci, on Saturday, Oct. 16, at 1 p.m.; a talk by the artist, on Sunday, Oct. 17, at 4:30 p.m.; a reenactment of a Civil War skirmish on Saturday, Oct. 23, at 10 a.m.; and a book signing with the artist and private guided tea and tour of the exhibition, both in November.
Nassau County Museum of Art is located at 1 Museum Dr., (just off Northern Blvd., Route 25A), in Roslyn Harbor. Due to space limitations, reservations are needed for events. Call (516) 484-9337 or visit www.nassaumuseum.org.

A glimpse of 75 years at Hofstra University Museum
Hofstra University celebrates its 75th anniversary with a look at the unique and dynamic collection of artworks that the university museum has acquired over the years.
The Hofstra University Museum's history began in 1963 with the establishment of the Emily Lowe Gallery.  From a permanent collection that began with random donations to the university, today the museum's collection houses approximately 5,000 works of art that span six continents and date from the pre-Columbian era to the contemporary.
This original exhibition, “Acquired Riches: Highlights from the Hofstra University Museum Collection,” highlights the artists, genres, and cultures represented in the Hofstra University Museum collection while paying tribute to the significant contribution of the art donors who are composed of alumni, art collectors, artists, faculty, friends, trustees, and others. The exhibit can be seen through Dec. 17.
The many works on view include paintings by Karel Appel, Edwin Dickinson, Conrad Felixmüller, Paul Gauguin, George Grosz, Johan Barthold Jongkind and Joan Mitchell; works on paper by Jean Charlot, Arthur Bowen Davies, James Rosenquist and George Rouault; photographs by Harry Callahan, Donna Ferrato, Ralph Gibson, Danny Lyon, August Sander and Andy Warhol; and works from Africa, China, Japan, Mexico, and Oceania.
“The growth and richness of the Museum’s permanent collection reflects Hofstra University’s prestigious path over the last 75 years,” said Hofstra University Museum Executive Director Beth E. Levinthal. “The gifts of art and ethnographic objects that now define the museum’s collection have given us a wonderful opportunity to explore the world’s cultures and their relationships to our own history.”
The generosity of donors has always been essential to the growth and development of the Hofstra University Museum’s permanent collection, which consists of paintings, prints, drawings, photographs, and sculptures from the 18th to 21st century.  Indian and Chinese stone and ceramic works, Japanese prints and scrolls, African and Oceanic ethnographic pieces and Pre-Columbian artifacts are also a significant component of the collection. 
There are a number of public programs planned to coincide with the exhibit through October and November. These include an Insider’s Talk with Painting Conservator Jonathan Sherman on Saturday, Oct. 16, at 11 a.m. Next month, on Saturday, Nov. 6, at 10 a.m., Hofstra University Museum Education Director Nancy Richner will lead a workshop, Looking at Art 101, in which participants will discover and advance their ability to interpret and discuss works of art. That is followed by Gifts of Art: The Public Impact, on Thursday, Nov. 11, at 4:30 p.m,, which features a panel of the Museum’s donors who will discuss their motivations behind their personal gifts of art, and the impact of these gifts on the public and education. The exhibit and all programs take place in the Emily Lowe Gallery, Emily Lowe Hall, South Campus, in Hempstead.
Hofstra’s other fall exhibit, “75 Stories for 75 Years,” highlights specific stories from the university’s past. Curated by Assistant Dean of Special Collections and Hofstra University Archivist Geri Solomon, the exhibit, which runs through Feb. 4, 2011, focuses on the history of the university. It tells the stories of William and Kate Hofstra, the university presidents, and Hofstra students, faculty and staff through the use of photographs, original documents, memorabilia, and objects.
Some of the vignettes highlighted in the exhibit are of Olive Plunkett ’39, the first editor of Hofstra University’s yearbook, Nexus; Hofstra University Board MemberWilliam Shea, for whom Shea Stadium was named; singer-songwriter Eleanor Greenwich ’62; and past Hofstra University campus architect, Aymar Embury II.
“As a proud Hofstra alumna, it is particularly exciting to mount this exhibition which brings the rich and textured history of the University to life for others,” Levinthal said. “This exhibit is filled with memorable moments that take us on an historic journey through the evolution of the University paying tribute to those who have left their indelible mark.”
It can be seen at Hofstra University Museum’s David Filderman Gallery on the ninth floor of the Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, on Hofstra’s South Campus. For information on both exhibits and related public programs, call (516) 463-5672 or visit www.hofstra.edu/museum.