Shortly after the development of photography in France and England at the end of the 1830s, the medium was introduced with great fanfare and enthusiasm to the United States. Since those early days, photography has become an important creative medium in American cultural life through its application in the areas of fine art, science, and documentary projects. The de Young Museum has played an important role in the history of American photography, having hosted the historic F64 group exhibition in 1932.

In 1978, Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd gave the Fine Arts Museums more than one hundred works of American art. This selection from that gift, spanning a century, reveals the breadth of their collecting and their commitment to aesthetic quality. Many of the works reveal artists’ wonder at what they conceived of as the “New World.” Even as they excitedly shared their sense of the novelty of American culture, however, artists began to romanticize the nation’s past.

Crown Point Press’s accomplishments over 43 years as one of America’s foremost contemporary print publishers are celebrated in this exhibition of 35 prints by 16 artists, among them Chuck Close, Nathan Oliveira, Sol LeWitt, Shazia Sikander, Richard Tuttle, and Laura Owens. Crown Point specializes in etching techniques, most of which have existed for hundreds of years, and which the press has promoted as a vehicle for contemporary artistic approaches.

Bouquets to Art 2006 will be held at the new de Young in Golden Gate Park, March 21-25, 2006. Information and reservation phone lines open January 20, 2006: 415.750.3504. Brochures with complete event information will be mailed in early January 2006

More information: www.bouquetstoart.org