Now Available: 4k Restoration of Marion Cajori's Film "Joan Mitchell: Portrait of an Abstract Painter"
This elegantly edited film from 1992 weaves together interviews with Mitchell an...
Kicking off Joan Mitchell's Centennial in Paris and New York
Joan Mitchell's centennial celebration officially launched on her birthday, February 12, with events in Paris and New York. The festivities in Paris included a public performance of opera arias that were important to Joan Mitchell in the Forum at Centre Pompidou, followed by a reception that included programmatic announcements for the year ahead and a poetry reading.
In New York, the College Art Association honored Mitchell at the CAA 113th Annual Conference in New York via a conservator-led gallery tour of Mitchell’s works at MoMA and during the Annual Artist Interviews, which featured JMF grant recipient Wendy Red Star and Martha Rosler. In the opening convocation for the conference, CAA's Executive Director Meme Omogbai noted that Mitchell was the first recipient of the CAA Distinguished Artist Award for Lifetime Achievement, in 1988. The special events at CAA were complemented by sessions presented by Joan Mitchell Catalogue Raisonné researcher Abigael MacGibeney and the Foundation's Director of Artist Programs, Solana Chehtman.
Thank you to the Centre Pompidou and the College Art Association for partnering with us, and to all the museums and fans who commemorated the milestone as well. You can see pictures from the week below, and explore tributes and context shared by museums on Instagram in our Highlights.
The celebration in France began with a public performance in the Forum at Centre Pompidou by Emilie Rose Bry, a French-American soprano based in Paris. Bry sang a selection of arias that Mitchell loved to listen to while painting, including O mio babbino caro by Pucchini, Ah ! Non credea mirarti by Bellini, as well as Sempre Libera and Brindisi by Verdi.
A reception at Centre Pompidou brought together friends, partners, scholars, curators, and members of Joan Mitchell's artist community to celebrate Mitchell's centennial and learn more about programming for the year. The festivities included the screening of a French-language interview with Mitchell and a poetry reading by Isabelle Garron.
As part of the CAA 113 Annual Conference, the College Art Association hosted a special session, "A Close Look at Joan Mitchell" at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, organized in collaboration with the American Institute for Conservation. Conservator Jen Hickey and art historian Karli Wurzelbacher shared insights and history on Mitchell's process, techniques, and materials, referencing paintings on view at MoMA.
During College Art Association's 113th Annual Conference, the Annual Artist Interview sessions were supported in part by the Joan Mitchell Foundation in conjunction with the centennial celebration, and staff of the Joan Mitchell Catalogue Raisonné and Foundation presented sessions.
Museums around the world celebrated Joan Mitchell on February 12 via social media. See these and more highlights from the celebration on our Instagram story highlight.
