Saturday, February 25, 2012

"Meet the Oscars" at Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal


Oscar® fans in New York City have the opportunity to see the actual Oscars that will be presented to the Best Actor and Best Actress winners at the 84th Academy Awards® on Oscar night, February 26. The statuettes are part of the ongoing Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' "Meet the Oscars, Grand Central" exhibition at Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal. The exhibition opened last Wednesday, February 22 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by 2010 Academy Award®-winning actress Melissa Leo ("The Fighter"). Public viewing hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, February 22, and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, February 23, through Sunday, February 26. Admission is free. The exhibition also gives movie fans the opportunity to have their photo taken holding an actual Oscar statuette. Visitors also will be able to view the Actor in a Leading Role Oscar won by Michael Douglas for "Wall Street" (1987) as well as a display of statuettes in various stages of completion, as manufactured each year by R.S. Owens & Company in Chicago.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Night at the Museum: Opening of John Chamberlain's Car Metal Sculpture Restrospective Exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum


Today a new exhibit called "John Chamberlain: Choices" opens at the Guggenheim Museum. The retrospective exhibition features the work of postwar sculptor, John Chamberlain, who utilized shiny car parts, aluminum foil, foam and even paper that looks like crunched metal to create three dimensional abstraction. Chamberlain, who died in December, saw “fit” and “choice” as the guiding principles of his work. The museum is displaying 97 works, which generally fall into Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism and Pop categories. “John Chamberlain: Choices” is arranged chronologically up the museum’s ramp, except for one work on the main floor of the rotunda and one outside the museum on Fifth Avenue. “SPHINXGRINTWO,” a 16-foot tall twisted aluminum double arc sits on the ground floor of the museum, making its public U.S. debut. Outdoors, the 20-foot tall “C’ESTZESTY” is made of chromium-plated steel and stainless steel. The exhibit runs through May 13, 2012.