Programs to Feature Poet/Singer Patti Smith, Poets Stanley Kunitz, Galway Kinnell, and Nancy Willard, and NYU Professor Robert Rosenblum
In celebration of the exhibition William Blake, The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Concerts & Lectures series will present three programs in June featuring, respectively, the distinguished poets Stanley Kunitz, Galway Kinnell, and Nancy Willard; poet, songwriter, and rock singer Patti Smith accompanied by guitarist Oliver Ray; and New York University professor of fine arts Robert Rosenblum.
One of the singular individuals of his time, the poet and artist William Blake (1757-1827) is a key figure in the histories of both art and literature. William Blake, the first major exhibition in New York of works by the legendary British Romantic in all media – drawings, paintings, and prints – and the first ever to explore the artist's work within the context of the social, economic, and political upheavals of his times, is on view at the Metropolitan Museum through June 24, 2001. The exhibition is supported by The Isaacson-Draper Foundation. The exhibition was organized by Tate Britain.
Stanley Kunitz, Poet Laureate of the United States and editor of The Essential William Blake, will be joined by poets Galway Kinnell and Nancy Willard, author of A Visit to William Blake's Inn, in the first program in the series, "The Poems of William Blake," Friday, June 15, at 6 p.m. This event is made possible in part by the Poetry Society of America. Tickets are $20.
On Thursday, June 21, the Museum will present "Patti Smith and Oliver Ray," an evening of poetry, observations, and song. In addition to readings of her own work, the program will feature Ms. Smith's interpretations of works by Blake, including poems set to music with the acoustic accompaniment of Mr. Ray. The two artists most recently performed together at St. James's Cathedral in London, where Blake was baptized. Tickets for this event, which begins at 7 p.m., are $25.
In the final program, "Fearful Symmetry - William Blake and Modern Art," New York University professor of fine arts Robert Rosenblum will offer a broad view of Blake's innovations and their aftermath in 19th- and 20th-century art. These will be seen in terms of his contemporaries, such as the German Romantics; of Symbolism and abstraction; and of the contemporary British artists Gilbert and George. Tickets for this event, scheduled for Friday, June 22 at 6 p.m., are $20.
A combined subscription price for all three William Blake events is $50.
Individual tickets and subscriptions to Concerts & Lectures at the Metropolitan Museum can be purchased by mail, telephone, or fax. To place an order, or to request a 2001-2002 Season brochure, call (212) 570-3949, Monday-Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.; or send a fax to (212) 650-2253 at any time.
For current listings of Concerts & Lectures, visit Events and Programs at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Web site (www.metmuseum.org).
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May 22, 2001
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