It’s about to get crowded at The Norton Museum of Art. The exchange initiative that brought Monet’s Nymphéas to its walls last year is back with two French 19th-century masterpieces showing Thursday through April 17.
A reciprocal loan from the Cleveland Museum of Art, Vincent van Gogh’s The Poplars at Saint-Rémy (Les peupliers sur la Colline) was painted in 1889 while the Dutch-born artist stayed at an asylum near Saint-Rémy in southern France. This emotional piece contains everything van Gogh is known for: energetic brushstrokes, striking color, thick paint.
Those familiar with the story of the tormented artist who fought depression and inner demons and sold only one painting in his life should recognize the forces behind the twisting trees and vivid sky depicted in The Poplars at Saint-Rémy.
Sharing the spotlight is an oil piece painted on mattress ticking. Portrait of Mlle. Hortense Valpinçon (c. 1871) by Edgar Degas depicts the young daughter of his childhood friend, Paul, who he visited often at a country estate in Normandy. Here, the girl leans casually against a table while holding what is left of her apple. Her white apron stands in contrast with the dark tablecloth and the wall’s floral pattern.
Known for his ballet dancers and bathing nudes in soft pinks and pastels, this portrait offers a rare invitation to get to know yet another side to Degas. It was acquired by The Minneapolis Institute of Arts acquired in 1947 and, will now be spending a few months in Palm Beach County.
Trading places with the van Gogh and the Degas are the Norton’s Gardens of Villa Moreno, Bordighera by Claude Monet and Christ in the Garden of Olives by Paul Gauguin.
Palm Beach film festival seeking student filmmakers
The Palm Beach International Film Festival is currently accepting submissions for its Student Showcase of Films.
The contest is open to students enrolled in Florida high schools and colleges, and winning entries will be recognized in the following categories: feature/shorts, documentary, animation, commercial/PSA, environmental PSA, music video, screenwriting, poster design, mental health awareness and an audience award.
More than $11,500 in awards will be given, along with scholarships honoring actor Burt Reynolds and the late Central Florida assistant director Sara Fuller. The awards will be presented at a gala event March 11 at the Wold Performing Arts Center on the campus of Lynn University in Boca Raton.
Interested filmmakers have until Jan. 12 to apply by visiting www.pbfilm.com or www.facebook.com/StudentShowcaseOfFilms. Winning films will also be shown during the 21st Palm Beach International Film Festival, set for April 6-14.
Kravis Center gets $110,000 in arts grants for underserved children
The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach has received two grants totaling more than $110,000 to support arts education for Palm Beach County students.
The Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties awarded the Kravis Center $106,500 for three years of the “Broadway Reach” program, which gives 145 students from underserved children in five after-school programs a chance to see live Broadway touring productions.
“We support the Kravis Center’s arts education mission,” said Brad Hurlburt, president and CEO of the Community Foundation. “We agree that ‘Broadway Reach’ challenges students to change the limitations they may have for themselves, expand their view of the world and others and, ultimately, envision a course for their future success in life.
“By supporting this program for the next three years, we are supporting the difference arts in education can make to the lives of local children,” he said.
On tap for this year’s Broadway Reach are presentations from performances artists Blue Man Group and two musicals, Motown and Matilda.
Also, the Broadway League has awarded the Kravis $5,000 for its “Superpowers 101” project, which involves fourth- and fifth-grade immigrant students at West Palm Beach’s Palmetto Elementary in a creative writing and theater effort based on Matilda, the musical based on Roald Dahl’s novel.
“The grants allow the Kravis Center to provide disadvantaged youth with meaningful arts education and exposure to live performances, education-enriching experiences they might otherwise not receive,” said Judy Mitchell, the Kravis Center’s CEO.