(STOCKBRIDGE, Mass.) – Renowned art critic Deborah Solomon will be feted at launch party for her new biography, American Mirror: The Life and Art of Norman Rockwell, at the Norman Rockwell Museum on Saturday, October 19, 2013, from 5 to 7 p.m.
A decade in the making, American Mirror: The Life and Art of Norman Rockwell is Solomon’s third artist biography. In the book, Solomon trains her perceptive eye not only on Rockwell and his art but on the development of visual journalism as it evolved from illustration in the 1920s to photography in the 1930s to television in the 1950s.
Author remarks will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by a book signing. Copies of the book can be pre-ordered in Norman Rockwell Museum’s store, and will be available on the night of the reception (before its public release in November). Limited seating is available for the event; RSVP to attend at 413.931.2268 or bookparty@nrm.org.
As featured in the October 2013 issue of Smithsonian Magazine, American Mirror draws on a wealth of unpublished letters and documents from Norman Rockwell Museum’s archives to explore the relationship between the artist’s despairing personality and his genius for reflecting America’s brightest hopes.
“We are thrilled to be the official launch site for this important look at the life and work of Norman Rockwell,” says museum director/CEO Laurie Norton Moffatt. “Deborah has produced a well-researched and written biography that presents many unique theories and interpretations about the artist. We are pleased to be able to serve as a center for independent scholarship and, of course, freedom of speech.”
“The Norman Rockwell Archive is the go-to source for art historians and cultural historians researching the artist’s life and work,” notes Solomon. “It is also a valuable resource for anyone doing research on American life and culture in the twentieth century.”
Deborah Solomon is the author of two previous biographies of American artists: Jackson Pollock: A Biography and Utopia Parkway: The Life and Work of Joseph Cornell. She has written about art and culture for many publications, including the Wall Street Journal and WNYC Radio. Her weekly interview column, “Questions For,” appeared in the New York Times Magazine from 2003 to 2011.
Norman Rockwell Museum holds the largest and most significant collection of art and archival materials relating to the life and work of Norman Rockwell. The Museum also preserves, interprets, and exhibits a growing collection of original illustration art by noted American illustrators, from historical to contemporary. The Norman Rockwell Museum Art Collection and Norman Rockwell Archive inspire a vibrant year-round exhibition program, national traveling exhibitions, and arts and humanities programs that engage diverse audiences. The Museum’s collections, which are made accessible worldwide, are a comprehensive resource relating to Norman Rockwell and the art of illustration, the role of published imagery in society, and the American twentieth century.
Since its inception, the Norman Rockwell Museum has explored the impact of illustrated images and their role in shaping and reflecting our world through changing exhibitions, publications, and programs. Dedication to a deepened understanding of the art of illustration has led to the formation of the Rockwell Center for American Visual Studies. The first of its kind in the nation, this research institute supports sustained scholarship and establishes the Norman Rockwell Museum’s leadership in the vanguard of preservation and interpretation relating to this important aspect of American visual culture.
Norman Rockwell Museum is located on 36 park-like acres in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, Rockwell’s hometown for the last 25 years of his life. The Museum is open year-round; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. From May through October, hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; from November through April, hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends and holidays. Rockwell’s studio is open May through October, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Museum admission is $16, $14.50 for seniors, $10 for students, $5 for kids, and teens 6 to 18, and free for Museum member, active military personnel, and children 5 and under.