Lichtenstein Lectures in July on Zoom

Lichtenstein Lectures

Sundays at 5 p.m. on Zoom

Free. Registration required.

Made possible by a generous contribution from Dorothy Lichtenstein.

July 11

Gwen Chanzit, Curator Emerita, Denver Art Museum

"Women of Abstract Expressionism"

In conjunction with the exhibition, "Mary Abbott: The Living Possibility of Paint," Gwen will revisit her groundbreaking exhibition, "Women of Abstract Expressionism," which included Abbott's work. The exhibition opened at the Denver Art Museum in 2016 and traveled for a year. In 2019, it was named as one of the most important of the decade by both ARTnews and Hyperallergic.

In addition to her role as the Curator of Modern Art and the Herbert Bayer Collection and Archive at the Denver Art Museum, Gwen is a Professor Emerita of the Practice and Director of Museum Studies in Art History at the University of Denver. Among her many publication is the catalog for "Women of Abstract Expressionism," published by Yale University Press, now in its fifth printing.

July 18

Phyllis Braff, independent curator

"The Pioneering Era of Mary Abbott and Women Artists of Her Generation on Long Island"

Phyllis’ talk will focus on how Mary Abbott found and developed her abstract expressionist strengths during the 1950s, along with a view of other women artists who had studios on Eastern Long Island in the ‘50s. The discussion brings attention to their contributions as well their working ambience, with many insights based on personal observation.

An art critic and art historian, Phyllis is a former art columnist for The New York Times and The East Hampton Star. She was a New York State art curator and museum administrator/director from 1968 to 2001 and has focused on Long Island artists for many years. Her essay on Mary Abbott appears in the exhibition catalog.

July 25

Christian Levett, art collector

"The Renaissance of Female Abstraction"

Christian and his wife Florence are major collectors of art by female abstract artists. Many of the works are installed in their residence in Florence, Italy, which is open to select groups by appointment. Two of their Mary Abbott paintings are on loan to our current exhibition. Christian will give us an overview of the holdings and discuss his collecting imperatives.

Christian’s collections span antiquities through contemporary art, and he is the owner of the Mougins Museum of Classical art in France, which opened in 2011. He is on the board of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, UK, and on the visitors committee of the Arms and Armor department of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, as well as the Met’s International Collectors Council.

Read a review of "Mary Abbott: The Living Possibility of Paint" here

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