The upcoming ENCHANTMENT exhibition at the Joseloff Gallery will be the subject of a story on WFSB-TV Channel 3's "Better Connecticut" show on Friday, Nov. 6, between 10 and 11 a.m.

The segment features WFSB's Scott Haney interviewing Zina Davis, curator of the exhibit and director of Joseloff Gallery. Davis also gives Haney and viewers a sneak preview of the exhibition, which will open to the public with a reception on Friday from 5 to 7 p.m.

If you miss the story on Friday’s “Better Connecticut,” you can watch it online at www.wfsb.com/betterct.


Lectures and Panel Discussion

The ENCHANTMENT exhibition is part of the sixth International Distinguished Artists Exhibition and Symposium, which began Wednesday with a lecture by internationally recognized artist Julie Heffernan.

– The program will continue TODAY (Thursday, Nov. 5), with a lecture by Peter Trippi, historian, writer, and editor of Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. Trippi’s talk will take place from 1:30 to 3 p.m. in Wilde Auditorium.

– A discussion titled ENCHANTMENT THEN AND NOW: DRAWING CONNECTIONS, moderated by Peter Trippi with a panel of several artists who are participating in the exhibition, will take place on Friday, Nov. 6, from 1:30 to 3 p.m. in Wilde Auditorium.

– The three-day lecture and panel discussion series will culminate with the opening reception at the Joseloff Gallery on Friday, Nov. 6, from 5 to 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, and will include a cocktail reception with wine and hors d'oeuvres.


An Enchanting Exhibition

ENCHANTMENT features stunning paintings by late 19th-century masters including Antoine-Louis Barye, Adolphe-William Bouguereau, Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, Gustave Doré, Howard Pyle, and N.C. Wyeth.

Works by contemporary artists including James Gurney (illustrator of the Dinotopia book series), Bo Bartlett, Walton Ford, Julie Heffernan, Graydon Parrish, Patricia Watwood, and Kehinde Wiley also are featured. Many of those artists are expected to attend the opening reception on Friday.

The exhibition was conceived and organized by Joseloff Gallery Director Zina Davis. Many works were borrowed from major public and private collections, including the Dahesh Museum of Art, the Kelly Collection, and the Cartin Collection.

Davis grouped the paintings together around loosely structured themes, such as animals and nature, literature, women, allegory, and portraiture. Works with similar themes by 19th-century and contemporary artists are displayed side-by-side, allowing viewers to see the connections between them.

"We're particularly excited about this exhibition because it is such a different approach from past Distinguished Artists Exhibition and Symposium programs," says Davis. "While viewers will be enthralled by the sensuality and beauty of the 19th century paintings on display, this exhibit redirects our attention, examining ways in which artists today emulate, broaden, and interpret the legacy of academic art on contemporary terms."

The exhibition will run through Jan. 17, 2010. Joseloff Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

For more information, call the Joseloff Gallery at 860.768.4090 or visit www.joseloffgallery.org.