Special Exhibitions at the Legion
San Francisco, December 2008—The Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco announce a diverse roster of exhibitions opening in 2009–2010 at the Legion of Honor. Dates are subject to change.

Major Exhibitions

Artistic Luxury: Fabergé, Tiffany, Lalique \ February 7–May 31, 2009
Artistic Luxury: Fabergé, Tiffany, Lalique, on view at the Legion of Honor from February 7 to May 31, 2009, is the first comparative study of the work of the three greatest jewelry and decorative arts designers at the turn of the 20th century: Peter Carl Fabergé, Louis Comfort Tiffany, and René Lalique. Their rivalry found its stage at the 1900 International Exposition in Paris—the only exposition where all three showed simultaneously and where the work of each was prominently displayed. Some of their most elaborate designs for the Paris International Exposition are reunited for the first time in a gallery recreating the ambiance of this opulent international exposition. Looking critically at the development, design, and marketing of each firm, this exhibition explores how these designers responded to the demand for luxury goods in the years leading up to World War I. A catalogue accompanies this exhibition.

John Baldessari: A Print Retrospective from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and his Family Foundation \ July 11–November 8, 2009
John Baldessari began making prints in the mid-1970s and has continued to produce editions through the years with publishers such as Brooke Alexander Editions, Cirrus Editions, Gemini G.E.L., and Crown Point Press. This retrospective of prints is organized by the Fine Arts Museums from the Portland, Oregon-based collection of Jordan D. Schnitzer, which has among its vast print holdings a complete archive of Baldessari’s printed work. This exhibition, on view July 11 to November 8, 2009, complements the spring 2009 publication of a catalogue raisonné of Baldessari’s prints.

The Art of Cartier: Masterworks from the Cartier Collection \ December 19, 2009–May 2, 2010
Cartier came to fame as the “King of Jewelers” during the Belle Époque for his beautifully made diamond and platinum jewelry created for the courts of Europe and Americans of the Gilded Age. During the Art Deco era, Cartier fashioned some spectacular pieces for celebrities of the day from the Duchess of Windsor to Jean Cocteau. The Art of Cartier, on view December 19, 2009, to May 2, 1010, celebrates the imagination and creativity of Cartier in the 20th century. The jewelry and works of art include pieces from the private collection of Cartier.

In the Galleries

Artists and Writers: Library Fellows Publications of the Whitney Museum of American Art, 1983–2000 \ February 7–June 7, 2009
The Library Fellows of the Whitney Museum of American Art was founded in 1982 to support book acquisitions for the museum’s library. In order to raise funds, May Castleberry, the museum’s librarian, produced a series of fine-press books with new work by artists and writers that explored the art of the book. These were published in limited editions and distributed to Library Fellows in return for their annual donations.

Between 1983 and 2000, Castleberry edited nineteen books for the Artists and Writers Series. These included collaborations between Vija Celmins and Czeslaw Milosz, and Joyce Carol Oates and Robert Gober. Barbara Kruger and Stephen King collaborated on one of the most commercially successful editions, My Pretty Pony (1988). Artists and Writers, on view February 7 to June 7, 2009, features fifteen books, most from the San Francisco collection of Sandra and Charles Hobson.

Waking Dreams: Max Klinger and the Symbolist Print \ February 28–July 4, 2009
Drawn from the collection of the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts, Waking Dreams highlights the dream-like etchings of Max Klinger (1857–1920), the German Symbolist artist best known for his enigmatic portfolio Paraphrases About the Finding of a Glove (1881). In addition to his activities as a painter and sculptor, Klinger was one of the most imaginative graphic artists of the late 19th century. He was a technical virtuoso who had the ability to literally transcribe his innermost visions, the daydreams, fantasies and nightmares of his highly creative and profoundly romantic soul. Waking Dreams presents Klinger’s graphic oeuvre alongside visionary etchings, lithographs and woodcuts by his precursors and contemporaries. Included are macabre and fantastic prints by French artists Charles Méryon, Rodolphe Bresdin, and Odilon Redon; the Belgians Félicien Rops and James Ensor; and the Norwegian Edvard Munch. Waking Dreams is on view February 28 to July 4, 2009.