MUST RUN 3-2

NANCY LAWTON SOLO EXHIBITION AT HIRSCHL & ADLER w/1 cut

wd/gs set 2-20 #689237

NEW YORK CITY — Seed pods, flower blossoms and family members may be the superficial subjects of Nancy Lawton’s jewel-like drawings in graphite and silverpoint, but her drawings are, in truth, all about line, shadow and tonal scale. In a Lawton drawing, shadows loom in the background; veins of leaves pulse with arterial life; glass vases and vessels of water refract and distort the perfection of flower blossoms; and strands of hair swirl and eddy in arabesques.

Lawton’s latest drawings are on view in “Nancy Lawton: Drawings in Graphite & Silver” at Hirschl & Adler Modern through March 17. A reception with artist will take place Saturday, March 3, from 4 to 6 pm.

The exhibition is Lawton’s third showing at Hirschl & Adler Modern, and her second solo show. Expanding on the narrow focus of her 2005 exhibition, “Nancy Lawton: Drawings in Sterling Silver,” the new show includes drawings in graphite, as well as mixed-media works that combine the subtle delicacy of the silverpoint line with the dramatic tonal range of graphite.

In several drawings, Lawton breaks loose from the restrictive gray-scale palette offered by silverpoint and graphite by introducing acrylic color as a local accent or background tone. In some botanical drawings, the artist even mixes plant pollen for texture.

Lawton continues to explore interesting microcosmic botanical subjects in her latest drawings. Seed pods take on anthropomorphic characteristics in such works as “Open Seed Pod,” graphite, 2006, and grow to gigantic proportions in “Chinese Lantern Floating on Water,” silverpoint, 2006. In “Seed Pods in a Glass Vase,” a gaggle of pods bump together in a heavy square glass vase of water, their veiny balloonlike forms variously refracted and reflected by the optic glass.

One of the most captivating drawings in the new exhibition is “Self-Portrait in Profile,” 2006, silverpoint and graphite. Lawton’s profile self-portrait recalls similar portraits by the early Italian Renaissance master Piero della Francesca, such as “Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta,” 1451, tempera, The Louvre, Paris, and the twin “Battista Sforza, Duchess of Urbinn” and “Federico da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbinn,” both about 1465–66, tempera, Uffizi, Florence.

It is also reminiscent of physionotrace portraits, all the rage in late Eighteenth Century France and early Nineteenth Century America with the birth of physiognomy, where the profile was thought to be a doorway into the human personality.

“Forrest Holding Oriental Lilies,” silverpoint with graphite and acrylic, 2005, a portrait of the artist’s son, includes touches of acrylic color on the open lily’s stamens, complemented by a matching cream-yellow toned background. The combination of gray-scale tones with brilliant color is striking.

“Nancy Lawton: Drawings in Graphite & Silver” includes more than 25 drawings executed by the artist over the last two years.

Hirschl & Adler Modern is at 21 East 70th Street. For information, 212-535-8810 or www.HirschlandAdler.com.

FOR 3-2

International Vintage Poster Fair Celebrates 16th Year w/2 cuts

wd/gs set 2-20 #689237

CHICAGO, ILL. — The suggestive “Art of Taboo” will be highlighted at the 16th Annual International Vintage Poster Fair the weekend of March 16–18 at the Chicago Cultural Center. The special exhibition at this year’s fair features taboos in advertising and will highlight images that push the limits of cultural acceptance. From cigarettes to prohibition, women’s rights and even posters that were considered “X-rated” in the 1960s, all of these posters will be on view for exploration and are also for sale throughout the weekend.

The Evening Associates of the Art Institute of Chicago will host a benefit preview party at the fair on Friday, March 16. In addition to providing a first glimpse at the posters available at this year’s event, the event will include a special lecture, wine and hors d’oeuvres and a raffle for an original vintage poster. Tickets for the preview are $30 for Evening Associate Members and $40 for the public prior to March 16, $35 for Evening Associate Members and $45 for the public at the door.

Original vintage posters are a unique form of cultural history and come from almost every corner of the world. The International Vintage Poster Fair features more than 25 dealers from across the United States and Western Europe.

More than 10,000 original vintage posters — some one-of-a-kind treasures — from the 1890s through the 1980s will be offered for sale. These European and American original vintage posters are among the finest examples of designers’ artistry and represent many eras, including Belle Époque, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Moderne and the Atomic Age.

In addition to the taboo images highlighted this year, original vintage posters of every genre, including entertainment, movie, military, sports, travel, food and product advertising, will be available. Artists represented include many other great masters of the late Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, including Cassandre, Christy, Rockwell, Cappiello, Steinlen, Hohlwein, Savignac and Penfield. Members of the International Vintage Poster Dealers Association vet all posters for authenticity.

The International Vintage Poster Fairs take place annually in Chicago, New York and San Francisco. The fairs are now under the new ownership of three international poster dealers: Gail Chisholm of Chisholm Gallery in New York City, David Pollack of David Pollack Vintage Posters in Connecticut and Mireille Romand of Galerie Documents in Paris.

“We’re thrilled to continue the tradition of the well-regarded International Vintage Poster Fair and please to bring new offerings to the fairs,” noted Chisholm

Fair hours in Chicago are Friday, 5 to 9 pm; Saturday, 10 am to 7 pm; and Sunday, 11 am to 6 pm. Admission is $15 for a weekend pass.

The Chicago Cultural Center is at 77 East Randolph Street. For information, 800-856-8069, www.posterfair.com or posterfair@earthlink.net.