Nationally sponsored by AXA Art Insurance Corporation

Photographs covering the art world of the 20th century will be featured in the exhibition Portrait of the Art World: A Century of ARTnews Photographs, which has been organized by the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. The exhibition, which is sponsored nationally by AXA Art Insurance Corp., launches its national tour on Sept. 27 at the New-York Historical Society in New York City and remains there until Jan. 5, 2003.

The exhibition consists of 100 photographs reproduced in the magazine since it began publication as Hyde's Weekly Art News in 1902, as well as images previously unpublished. ARTnews, the country's oldest art magazine, marks its 100th birthday in 2002. The exhibition will include portraits of artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Alexander Calder, Chuck Close, Salvador Dali, Helen Frankenthaler, Jackson Pollock, John Singer Sargent, and the Starn twins.

The portraits were photographed by a broad cross section of photographers, ranging from Zaida Ben-Yusuf and Alice Boughton—early members of Alfred Steiglitz's circle—to Jessie Tarbox Beals, the first woman photojournalist; Hans Namuth, known for his portraits of Jackson Pollock and other artists at work; Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, the contemporary photographer recognized for his large format portraiture; French filmmaker Agnes Varda; and contemporary artists Robert Mapplethorpe and Arnold Newman.

A virtual "who's who of the art world" of the past century, the prints will be borrowed from a variety of sources, including the National Portrait Gallery, the ARTnews archives, and private and institutional collections in the United States and abroad.

"Visitors will have the unique opportunity to see a variety of photographers from the last 100 years," said Marc Pachter, director of the National Portrait Gallery. "Not only will the best photographs from the magazine be displayed but some of the finest images from collections from around the world will be as well."

During its 100 years of publication, despite changes in name, format and frequency, ARTnews has remained true to its original objective, "to supply plain statements of fact" concerning "artists, art exhibitions and the sale of art objects." Photographic portraits of artists, critics and museum personalities, among others, have remained a mainstay in the magazine since its earliest history.

"ARTnews has played a major role in the arts community during the past 100 years by allowing people to see artists as individuals," said William Stapp, curator of the exhibition. "This exhibition contains photographs that represent the diversity of subjects—men and women of all backgrounds—that ARTnews has displayed within its pages."

Founded in 1902, ARTnews is the oldest and most widely circulated fine art magazine in the world. Its readership of 240,000 in 120 countries includes collectors, dealers, historians, investors, and artists. A probing and provocative news magazine that focuses on the people that make the art world spin, it has won 27 major awards for excellence in reporting, analysis, criticism, and design in the last two decades.

"The photographs document the changes in the art world during the last 10 decades and the changing perception of art, which the magazine has both mirrored and helped mold," said Milton Esterow, editor and publisher of ARTnews. "Seen together, they offer great insights into the foremost creators of the 20th century."

Portrait of the Art World: A Century of ARTnews Photographs will be accompanied by an illustrated catalogue featuring the 100 photographs in the exhibition and essays by noted journalist Pete Hamill, as well as Esterow and Stapp. The catalogue will be published by Yale University Press in September 2002.

AXA Art Insurance Corp. was founded in the United States in 1987 by insurance and art professionals to address an urgent need: provide expert, affordable insurance coverage to the owners of fine art and collectibles. To this day, the company is the only insurance provider in the United States to focus exclusively on fine arts and collectibles, underwriting many of the country's most prestigious collections. In addition to providing flexible, tailor-made short or long-term coverage, the company assists its insured—individuals, corporations, museums, galleries, trusts and traveling exhibitions—with the overall protection and preservation of their collections.

Tour Itinerary

Sept. 27, 2002-Jan. 5, 2003
	New-York Historical Society New York City
Feb. 7-April 6, 2003
	Smithsonian's International Gallery Washington, D.C.
May 2-July 27, 2003
	Elmhurst Art Museum Elmhurst, Ill.
Sept. 12, 2003-Jan. 4, 2004
	Museum of Fine Arts Santa Fe, NM

Background
The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery is a landmark destination for people interested in learning the fascinating stories of great Americans who have shaped our country. It is the only museum of its kind in the United States to combine aspects of American history, biography, and art. The Portrait Gallery was established by an Act of Congress in 1962 and was opened to the public in 1968. The museum's collection includes 18,600 works ranging from paintings and sculpture to photographs and drawings. The Portrait Gallery is housed in the historic Patent Office Building, which is currently closed for extensive renovation.

For further information:
Anne Christiansen
National Portrait Gallery
202-275-1764

Mark Fortier
ARTnews
212-466-5103

Christiane Fischer
AXA Art Insurance
212-415-8427