Revolution of the Eye: Modern Art and the Birth of American Television Opens at the Addison April 9

Revolution of the Eye: Modern Art and the Birth of American Television

April 9 - July 31, 2016

OPENING RECEPTION: Friday, April 8, 6:00-8:00 pm; free and open to the public

Revolution of the Eye examines the way avant-garde art shaped the look and content of American television in its formative years from the 1940s through the mid-1970s, and in turn how television introduced the public to the latest trends in art and design. Featuring more than 260 art objects, artifacts, and clips, the exhibition explores how artists fascinated with this brash new medium and its technological possibilities contributed to network programs and design campaigns; appeared on television to promote modern art; and explored, critiqued, or absorbed the new medium in their work. This dialogue between high art and television is revealed through a selection of fine art and graphic designs by artists such Saul Bass, Alexander Calder, Georgia O’Keeffe, Marcel Duchamp, Allan Kaprow, Roy Lichtenstein, Man Ray, Eero Saarinen, Ben Shahn, and Andy Warhol, as well as ephemera, television memorabilia, and clips from important television programs including Batman, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Ernie Kovacs Show, Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, and The Twilight Zone.

Revolution of the Eye: Modern Art and the Birth of American Television is organized by the Jewish Museum, New York, and the Center for Art, Design, and Visual Culture, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). The exhibition is made possible by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, The Skirball Fund for American Jewish Life Exhibitions, the Stern Family Philanthropic Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and other generous donors.

Generous support for the Addison's presentation of this exhibition has been provided by the Sidney R. Knafel Fund.

The exhibition is curated by Dr. Maurice Berger, Research Professor and Chief Curator, Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture, UMBC, and curator, National Jewish Archive of Broadcasting, the Jewish Museum, New York.

National Tour (through 2017): The Jewish Museum, New York City; Nova Southeastern University Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale; The Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, MA; Center for Art, Design, and Visual Culture, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Smart Museum of Art, The University of Chicago.

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The museum is wheelchair accessible. The Addison is open to the public and free of charge.

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