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| Vol. 17, No. 2 | Sept. 11, 1997 |
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| Vol. 17, No. 2 | Sept. 11, 1997 |
"In Our Time: Covers for a Small Library After the Life for the Most Part" and "A World Under Cover: Excerpts from R.B. Kitaj's 'In Our Time'" are now on view, with several interpretive programs for adults and two special children's activities planned.
A painter and graphic artist, Kitaj, who lives and works in England, is often referred to as one of the most prominent figures in the pop art movement, a title he has disputed.
In 1995, Robert Hughes of Time magazine described Kitaj as "a restless omnivore whose way of painting, part personal confession, part syncopated history and part allusive homage to the old and modernist masters, is quite unlike anybody else's today."
The silk-screen images in the University Gallery exhibition are images taken from covers in Kitaj's personal library. Blown up as large formatted works of art, they provide a glimpse into some of the most important social/political/artistic issues of the 20th century and issues important to the artist. Topics range from the Holocaust to baseball.
"Books were very important to Kitaj, a real source of inspiration," Belena Chapp, coordinator of museums, said. "Kitaj also was inspired by Marcel Duchamp's idea of the 'ready-made' in art so the pieces are a little conceptual in their orientation."
Interpretive programs related to the Kitaj exhibitions are planned at noon on selected Tuesdays this fall. Admission is free, and participants are encouraged to bring a brown bag lunch. Beverages will be served.
On Tuesday, Sept. 16, Martha Carothers, art, will present a lecture on the graphic impact of the covers of artists' books found in the Special Collections Department of the University of Delaware Library.
On Tuesday, Sept. 30, Randy Bolton, art, will discuss the silk-screen process used by Kitaj.
On Tuesday, Oct. 21, Chapp will lead a tour through the galleries and provide background on Kitaj.
Two special programs for children ages 5-9, accompanied by an adult, are scheduled from 2-3 p.m. on Saturdays, Sept. 27 and Oct. 25. Admission is free, but pre-registration is required. To register, call the gallery at 831-8242.
On Sept. 27, gallery staff will read the book, Rembrandt Takes A Walk, by Mark Strand, illustrated by artist Red Grooms, and will host a tour of the Kitaj exhibition with kids in mind. A scavenger hunt will encourage children to use their powers of observation and reading and will encourage them to think about the importance of books in their lives. Light refreshments will be served.
On Oct. 25, gallery staff will read Bob Knox's book, The Great Art Adventure, which takes two children on a tour of a "wacky gallery of world art." Children also will meet MIM (Museum in Motion), the gallery's own time-machine that has traveled to ancient Egypt, Greece, 18th-century Russia and 19th-century India to bring back objects that are now in the gallery's collections. Light refreshments will be served.
