Let’s Fly Away New York Mixed Media, Contemporary Pop Artist Nelson De La Nuez, The King of Pop Art, National Arts Club New York, DTR Modern Gallery.

The month’s highlights include a look at the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, a performance by pianist Hao Liu, the premiere reading of a new play by Matthew Freeman, and a conversation with the author of a new biography of Anthony Bourdain

All events and exhibitions are free and open to the public

The National Arts Club (NAC) hosts more than a dozen free public arts and culture programs in November. 

Program highlights for the month include a look at the collection of  Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien with its director Dr. Sabine Haag, a performance by sought after pianist Hao Liu, the premiere reading of Kesselring Prize-winning playwright Matthew Freeman’s Silver Springs, and a conversation with Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography author Laurie Woolever.

In the NAC galleries are two new exhibitions, showcasing contemporary artists Nelson de la Nuez and Clarence James, as well as an exhibition of works on paper by Will Barnet, marking the 10th anniversary of his death.

November concludes Think Global, the NAC’s three month festival focused on international programming. Think Global was generously supported by Amazon and a private foundation. 

All programs and exhibitions are free and available to the public with registration. In-person programs and exhibitions are hosted at the NAC’s historic landmark clubhouse, the former Samuel Tilden Mansion, located at 15 Gramercy Park South, New York, NY. Information on registration and the most up-to-date details can be found at nationalartsclub.org. 

Past virtual programs can be enjoyed anytime on the NAC’s YouTube channel. 

NOVEMBER EVENTS

Programs take place in person, unless otherwise noted.

Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien Roundtable

Wednesday, November 2, 7:00 PM

Friends of the Kunsthistorisches Museum and Dr. Sabine Haag, Director General of the KHM-Museumsverband, visit the National Arts Club to present a lecture on the Kunsthistorisches Museum’s collection. The museum’s primary collections are those of the Habsburgs, particularly Ferdinand II of Tyrol, the Archduke of Austria and Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria. The collection houses masterpieces by Van Eyck, Dürer, Titan, Tintoretto, Velázquez, Caravaggio, Rubens, Rembrandt, Vermeer as well as Brueghel the Elder and Raphael.

Stitching a New Identity: Fashion in Israel’s Nation Building

Thursday, November 3, 7:00 PM

Fashion historian and curator Keren Ben-Horin investigates the relationship between fashion, national identity, and diplomacy, using the state of Israel from its inception in the 1940s through the present day as a case study. With vibrant illustrations, photographs, and never-before-seen archival materials, we will explore key moments, designers, and political figures who shaped Israel’s foreign relations and—even more importantly—defined what it means to be Israeli.

From Cradle to Grave: Ages and Stages of 1800s Women’s Clothing (VIRTUAL)

Friday, November 4, 3:00 PM

Illinois State Museum Curator of History Erika Holst looks at historic clothing through the lens of a 19th-century woman’s lifespan. As women passed through various life stages and roles, what types of clothing did custom dictate that they wear at each stage? What do these types of garments reveal about how society viewed a woman at different stages of her life? How did these roles and expectations evolve over the course of her life?  This lecture is illustrated with examples of historic clothing from the Illinois State Museum’s historic garment collection.

A Global Journey Beyond Vision: Pianist Hao Liu

Friday, November 4, 7:00 PM

Despite permanently losing his vision soon after birth due to retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), young Chinese pianist Hao Liu is building a bright musical future. Since sharing the stage with world-renowned pianist Lang Lang in 2018, Hao now performs widely and shares his courage and love through music. For this concert, he has selected piano works of Li YingHai, Wang Jianzhong, Schubert, and Debussy. 

Notes From Harlem with Sekou Luke 

Tuesday, November 8, 7:00 PM  

Take part in an intimate and interactive evening with award-winning photographer and director Sekou Luke, as he shares his “Notes From Harlem” curated works series. Captured throughout the spring and summer of 2020, the project explores Harlem as a culturally diverse and rich community experiencing a global pandemic and racial justice awakening with the Black Lives Matter movement following the murder of George Floyd. Through Sekou’s lens, viewers are transported back to these transformative moments which now stand as a testament to New York City’s profound resilience and enduring spirit.

The [R]Evolution of Hip Hop 

Thursday, November 10, 6:30 PM 

The Universal Hip Hop Museum’s mission is to teach, engage, and inspire audiences worldwide through the creativity of Hip Hop culture. The UHHM gives audiences unparalleled access to an immersive cultural arts, education and entertainment experience that tells a comprehensive story of Hip Hop culture’s past, present, and future. Hear from museum professionals and Hip Hop experts how—through digital collections, virtual exhibits, activations, live shows, and with an array of innovative educational programs—the museum offers a fresh perspective and a scholarship about the world’s most popular culture of our time.

Premiere Reading: Silver Spring by Matthew Freeman

Monday, November 14, 2:00 PM

The National Arts Club presents the premiere reading 2021 Kesselring Prize-winning playwright Matthew Freeman’s Silver Spring. In this autobiographical work, the Freeman sifts through his family’s fractured response to the unexpected death of his elder brother. Touching on subjects of adoption and disability, this heartbreakingly truthful and funny play considers how we reckon with the irreconcilable, and what makes a family come together—or fall apart. The reading feature guest artists Jordan Gelber (Broadway & TV: Mr. Saturday Night, Avenue Q, Elementary), Natalie Gold (Rava Roy in Netflix hit series Succession), Jon Norman Schneider (currently: Catch As Catch Can at Playwrights Horizons), Rebecca Nelson (Hulu series The Girl From Plainville), Dan Daily, Desi Waters, Ian Gould, and Michael Cullen.

Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography 

Monday, November 14, 6:00 PM 

Laurie Woolever, longtime assistant and confidante to the late Anthony Bourdain relates highlights from her newly released biography, Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography. Richly told in the form of nearly one-hundred personal recounts and anecdotes, you will discover more about Bourdain from his early work as Executive Chef at New York’s Les Halles restaurant to his later emergence as a writing and television personality, including behind-the-scenes stories of his game-changing memoir Kitchen Confidential and and from his time as host of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.

Bulgarian Dance with the Gorana Dance Collective     

Tuesday, November 15, 7:00 PM 

Gorana Dance has been based in New York City for the past 15 years. The collective’s style is characterized by lively energy and exciting interpretations of the traditional Bulgarian folk dance form. The company unites generations of Bulgarian and American dancers, including children, around the captivating power of traditional folklore dance. Elissaveta Iordanova, founder and artistic director of Gorana Dance, leads the evening.

Paris, Avant-Après Haussmann

Wednesday, November 16 at 6:30 PM

In just 17 years, from 1853 to 1870, Paris went from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. Baron Haussmann, appointed by Napoleon III, gave the French capital the face we know today. This conference shows the evolution of the old Paris, the works and their purpose through unique photos taken by Charles Marville whom Haussmann had commissioned to photograph what he was going to destroy. Presenter Patrice de Moncan is a French writer and historian of Paris and has been collecting original photos of Marville for 20 years. 

Finale: An Evening with D. T. Max

Thursday, November 17 at 8 PM 

D. T. Max, staff writer for The New Yorker, author, and biographer of David Foster Wallace (Every Love Story Is a Ghost Story: A Life of David Foster Wallace), mixes his own commentary with the raw and revealing transcripts from his conversations with Stephen Sondheim near the end of the composer’s life in his latest book Finale: Late Conversations with Stephen Sondheim. Interspersed throughout are Max’s insightful reflections on the delicacy required for interviews: “Profiles are fraught efforts,” Max writes, “profiles of famous people are famously fraught.”

Rencontre des Auteurs Francophones d’Amérique (Festival of Francophone Authors in America)

Tuesday, November 22, 3:00 to 7:00 PM 

For the second consecutive year, the National Arts Club hosts the Rencontre des Auteurs Francophones d’Amérique (Festival of Francophone Authors in America). 30 Francophone authors from Europe, Quebec, the Caribbean, and from several cities in the U.S. share their writings. This year also welcomes authors from Syria, Armenia, Togo, Senegal, and Morocco.

Leaving Guanabara: A Memoir by Denise B. Dailey 

Monday, November 28, 6:30 PM 

Of Brazilian-Chilean-French descent, fluent in four languages and a traveler to the seven continents, Dailey adapts easily to international subjects. Her ability to listen to people in multiple languages and her passion to share their stories informs her writing. Leaving Guanabara is a journey through the lush Brazilian landscape of memory, encompassing World War II and Brazil’s participation, the abrupt loss of mother, motherland and mother tongue, and discoveries that entangle family secrets. Dailey treats the reader as if these revelations were their own.

The Church in Sag Harbor: A Repurposed 1836 Sanctuary, Now an Arts Center Monday, November 28, 7:30 PM 

Award-winning architect Lee Skolnick discusses his recent work on The Church, an artist residency, exhibition space, and creativity center in Sag Harbor, NY. The Church is an adaptive reuse and restoration project, undertaken by SKOLNICK Architecture + Design Partnership.  It returns a once-shuttered religious structure back to its community as a vibrant center for creativity. The original 1836 sanctuary housed the Sag Harbor Methodist Church until 2008, when the congregation relocated. The re-imagined facility features an artists-in-residence program with on-site accommodations, flexible spaces, exhibition galleries, a resource library, and public garden. Books will be available for purchase. 

When Akhenaten and Nefertiti Were Gods on Earth

Tuesday, November 29 at 6:30 PM 

18th-dynasty Pharaoh Akhenaten, along with his wife the beauteous Nefertiti, have been viewed in contradictory ways with key hieroglyphic texts from his reign misunderstood. New archaeological research reveals that this Golden Couple attempted to live as if every day were a festival. Professors John and Colleen Darnell discuss the fascinating manner in which from their chariot commute in Amarna to the ubiquitous presence of their princess daughters, the king and queen ruled as the first offspring of the creator god Aten. This program is presented in partnership with the American Research Center in Egypt/New York Chapter.

NOVEMBER EXHIBITIONS

Gallery is open daily from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Nelson de la Nuez: Made in the USA

On view November 1 through November 22

Nelson de la Nuez is one of the most sought-after contemporary Pop artists working today. Born in Cuba, his childhood was spent in California where he was introduced to many of the iconic images and cultural touchpoints that he uses in his art to this day. His fresh perspective, sustained from his childhood experiences, lends his work an air of accessibility that has led to his significant popularity. This exhibition is presented in partnership with DTR Gallery.

Francine Tint: Life in Action

On view November 8 through December 2

Francine Tint: Life in Action includes 13 paintings that challenge conventions of abstract expressionism, color-field painting, and mark-making practices. The artist makes use of the raw canvas in her paintings as both color and ground for saturated brushstrokes. Her work plays with shapes that defy gravity and unexpected combinations of colors that evoke moods similar to the manner in which the seasons and weather act upon us. For over 50 years, Tint has been working to develop her own method of energetic, color-based painting. From the early ‘70s and onward, she has fiercely paved the way for herself as well as other women in their ability to advance their artistic endeavors in the male-dominated field of abstract art.

In the Project Space

Will Barnet: A Tribute – Works on Paper, The 1950s and ‘60s

On view through January 6

On the 10th anniversary of his death, the National Arts Club celebrates the life and creativity of Will Barnet (1911-2012), a longtime member and resident. This intimate exhibition focuses on rarely seen works on paper from the 1950s and ‘60s. The selection on view demonstrates the artist’s transition from representation to abstraction, creating a synthesis in which the two attain a precise balance. Barnet continued to challenge himself throughout his long career, never abandoning his process of simplification which culminated in an inevitable return to abstraction in his last decade.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CLUB

Founded in 1898, The National Arts Club is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a mission to stimulate, foster, and promote public interest in the arts and to educate the American people in the fine arts. Annually, the Club offers more than 150 free programs—both in-person and virtually—to the public, including exhibitions, theatrical and musical performances, lectures and readings, attracting an audience of over 30,000 in-person visitors and thousands more online. Feature programs focus on all disciplines of the arts.

Since 2019, the Club has been undergoing a renaissance. New initiatives—such as an artist fellowship, an outdoor concert series, and online programming—have attracted new audiences. At the NAC’s landmark clubhouse, the former Samuel Tilden Mansion, efforts have been made to reimagine, renovate, and preserve the building’s galleries and historic spaces.

The NAC is also a proud community partner, providing therapeutic art instruction to children in the care of the Administration of Children’s Services, regularly convening New York City art leaders to share ideas and collaborate, presenting a popular series of concerts in collaboration with the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, and more.

For a full list of events or to learn more, please visit nationalartsclub.org.