OAK CREEK, Wisconsin (May 21, 2013) - The 33rd Annual George Wittenborn Memorial Book Award was presented at the annual conference of the Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA) held in Pasadena, California April 25-29, 2013. The award was established in 1980 to honor the memory of the premier New York City art book dealer and publisher George Wittenborn. The award is given each year to a North American art publication which represents the highest standards of content, documentation, layout and format in art publishing. One outstanding book published in 2012 was selected to receive the 33rd Annual George Wittenborn Memorial Book Award.

2012 George Wittenborn Memorial Book Award Winner: Nineteenth-century European Paintings at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Sarah Lees, Richard Tand and Sandra L. Webber. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Fancine Clark Art Institute, 2012. 2 vols. Xxix, 989 pages isbn: 9781935998099

Eighteen contributors worked for a ten-year period to produce these two volumes

documenting the Clark’s collection of 374 nineteenth-century paintings. Every entry is illustrated and carries a scholarly apparatus including critical remarks on earlier writing about the pictures. Across all the essays and entries, there is a nice uniformity of style, color and clarity; as a physical object, the book glows with the alchemy of ink, paper, printing and layout.

Members of the 33rd Annual George Wittneborn Memorial Book Award Committee: Lamia Doumato, National Gallery of Art (chair), John Hagood, National Gallery of Art, Kathryn Phillips, Smithsonian Freer-Sackler Gallery of Art, Kristen Regina, Hillwood Estate and Gardens, Alex Hodges, American University.

About The Art Libraries Society of North America

Founded in 1972, the Art Libraries Society of North America is a dynamic, international organization of over 1,000 individuals devoted to fostering excellence in art and design librarianship and image management in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The membership includes architecture and art librarians, visual resources professionals, artists, curators, educators, publishers, students, and others interested in visual arts information. To serve this diverse constituency, the Society provides a wide range of programs and services within an organizational structure that encourages participation at all levels.

Contact:

Robert J. Kopchinski

r.kopchinski@arlisna.org

7044 South 13th Street,

Oak Creek, WI 53154-1429

Telephone: (414) 908-4954

Fax: (414) 768-8001

www.arlisna.org

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New York, NY, May 21, 2013—The Morgan Library & Museum announced today that it has added nearly 100 of its treasures to the Google Art Project.

The Google Art Project allows for these works—rare books, paintings, sculptures, and manuscripts—to be viewed in exceptional detail. In addition, the Morgan’s 1906 McKim building—an architectural gem comprising Pierpont Morgan’s Library and Study—can be appreciated in exciting new ways.

(New York, May 20, 2013)—Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, today announced two appointments in its Department of Medieval Art and The Cloisters. Peter Barnet, who is currently the Michel David-Weill Curator in Charge of the department, will move into the newly created position of Senior Curator, and C. Griffith Mann, currently Deputy Director and Chief Curator of the Cleveland Museum of Art, will become the Metropolitan Museum’s Michel David-Weill Curator in Charge of the Department of Medieval Art and The Cloisters. These changes will go into effect on September 1.

Thomas Campbell said, in making the announcement: “Over the past 15 years, Peter Barnet has been a strong leader of his superb staff. Together they have presented an important roster of scholarly exhibitions, made significant acquisitions, and carried out essential upgrades and reinstallations in the medieval art galleries, both in the Met’s main building and at The Cloisters. Having now led The Cloisters into its landmark 75th-anniversary year, Peter has decided to focus on his scholarship, taking on new projects in research, curating, and writing.”

New York—On Thursday, June 13, Swann Galleries will offer more than 150 unique works of art in an auction of American Art. Highlights include a run of works by Paul Cadmus, created in his early 90s and representing the culmination of his career as a master draftsman of the human form—specifically males. The Male Nude, NM series was of his longtime lover, Jon Anderson, 32 years his junior, whom he met in Nantucket in 1965—the “NM” notation stands for “Nantucket Man.” Cadmus and Anderson’s collaboration explored all aspects of the male nude, and the two remained lovers until Cadmus’s death just days before his 95th birthday. 

The variety among these drawings is evident in color crayon drawings such as Male Nude, NM 165, toned with raw umber and white acrylic, 1981; Male Nude, NM 199, 1986 ($20,000 to $30,000 each); and Male Nude, NM 276, toned with old rose acrylic, 1996 ($18,000 to $22,000). Other Cadmus drawings include female nudes and studies for his painting David and Goliath.

May 20, 2013—Harvard University Provost Alan M. Garber announced today that Sarah Thomas of the University of Oxford has been named vice president for the Harvard Library. In this role, Thomas will have overall responsibility for the Harvard Library, and will collaborate closely with the Library Board, the Faculty Advisory Council and the Library Leadership Team.  

Garber noted, “Sarah Thomas is a leader in her field with an exceptional record of success running major academic libraries. She is uniquely capable of building on the progress we have made thus far in responding to the evolving expectations of the 21st century scholar. Working closely with Library staff, faculty, students and school and university leadership, Sarah will help Harvard continue to set the standard for academic libraries worldwide.”

May 18 2013 — English PEN and Sotheby’s are delighted to release additional details on the sale of the definitive first edition of J.K. Rowling’s first book. The freely annotated first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone — with numerous comments by the author on the process of writing and and the editorial decisions involved will be offered for sale as part of the First Editions, Second Thoughts auction to be held on 21st May 2013 at Sotheby’s London.

Dr Philip W. Errington, Director of Printed Books & Manuscripts at Sotheby’s, said: “This can undoubtedly be regarded as the definitive copy of any Harry Potter book. Not only is it a fine copy of a first edition of the first book, but the author has significantly personalised it with numerous written comments and many impressive and evocative illustrations. The personality of the author leaps from these pages and we are treated to a remarkable insight into her creative genius.”

The Library of Congress today announced a summer essay contest in conjunction with public libraries in the Mid-Atlantic region encouraging rising 5th- and 6th-grade students to reflect on books that have made a personal impact on their lives.

The "A Book That Shaped Me" Summer Writing Contest is administered as part of summer reading programs at participating public libraries in Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Prizes will be awarded and top winners will be invited to present their essays during a special presentation at the Library of Congress National Book Festival Sept. 21 and 22 on the National Mall.

The late Stanley J. Seeger (1930-2011) was one of the 20th century’s greatest collectors—a perfectionist, who assembled world class collections of art, books, pottery and manuscripts. He also amassed, with a single-minded passion over the course of 50 years, the greatest private collection of first editions, inscribed works, manuscripts, letters and annotated proofs by the celebrated author Joseph Conrad. Sotheby’s London is honoured to offer these rare and important works from Stanley J. Seeger’s celebrated Library in two sales—the first of which will take place on July 10th 2013.

The centrepiece of the collection is the autograph working manuscript of Typhoon, one of Conrad’s greatest stories of the sea and the most important Conrad manuscript remaining in private hands, which is estimated to realise £300,000-500,000*.

DALLAS — Rembrandt Peale’s iconic portrait of U.S. President George Washington — created in the artist’s lifelong quest to paint the most recognizable image of the “Father of the United States” — realized a new world record for a porthole portrait by the artist when it sold for $662,500 to lead Heritage Auctions’ two-day, $4.5+ million American art events in Dallas.

The May 10-11 events spanned American Indian art, Texas, Western and California Art and masterpieces of Fine American art. The auction sold 88 percent by lot and 93 percent by value and pushed three artists’ records past $500,000.