Ponayiota Anagnostakos
Staff Writer
Located in Roslyn Harbor is the Nassau County Museum of Art, or NCMA. Located about a mile from campus, off of Northern Boulevard (25 A), this museum offers a variety of sights to behold and incredible features. Recently, the museum presented a new exhibit titled Alex Katz: Selections from the Whitney Museum of American Art.
The museum first opened in 1989. Originally owned by William Cullen Bryant, a poet and preservationist, the property was purchased in 1919 by Henry Clay Frick, co-founder of U.S. Steel. The building was then designed by Sir Charles Carrick Allom. Years later, it became a private non-profit museum, subsequently purchased by Nassau County’s Office of Cultural Development. Funds for the museum came from a board of trustees, which included civic, social, and business leaders from Long Island. Today, the museum is funded through money received from parking, membership, admissions, special events, private and corporate donations, as well as state and federal grants.
“What particularly sets the museum apart from other fine arts museums,” according to Doris Meadows, Director of Media at the museum, “are the extraordinary Gold Coast grounds, 145 acres of beautiful gardens, rare specimen trees, walking trails, and sculptures.”
NCMA also presents different exhibitions, many of which are original and organized by the museum’s curators. Past exhibitions include European and American art movements, such as La Belle Epoque (June 2003), Picasso (Feb. 2005) , and Francisco Goya: Los Caprichos (Sept. 2011). Their current exhibition is Alex Katz, a landscape painter.The exhibition, Alex Katz: Selections from the Whitney Museum of American Art, opened on June 29 and runs through Oct. 13. It features vibrantly colored portraits of the artist’s friends and family. These portraits are a highlight of Katz’ career. This selection also includes paintings of early collages and landscapes.
Born in Brooklyn, Katz was raised in the St. Albans section of Queens. He developed an interest in art due to his parents’ passion for it. He studied at the Cooper Union School of Art, and there was trained in modern art theories and techniques. Years later, Katz grew to the same level as Fairfield Porter and Larry Rivers, other figurative painters. Eventually, he delved into realism and began painting portraits.
With a student ID, tickets are only $4. The Nassau County Museum of Art is right around the corner from LIU Post. For more information, visit www.nassaumuseum.org or call the museum directory at (516) 484- 9337.
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