The sixth International Distinguished Artists Exhibition and Symposium will begin Wednesday (Nov. 4) with three days of special programs, culminating on Friday, Nov. 6, with the opening of ENCHANTMENT at the Joseloff Gallery.

The exhibition will feature works 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 from 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 will be featured.

Many of those artists are expected to attend the opening reception on Friday, Nov. 6, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Joseloff Gallery. The opening reception is free and open to the public, and will include a cocktail reception with wine and hors d'oeuvres.

The exhibition was 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.

"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 three-day program leading up to the opening reception is as follows:

     – Lecture by internationally recognized artist Julie Heffernan on Wednesday, Nov. 4, from 1:30 to 3 p.m. in Wilde Auditorium.

     – Lecture by Peter Trippi, historian, writer, and editor of Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine, on Thursday, Nov. 5, from 1:30 to 3 p.m. in Wilde Auditorium.

     – The symposium, 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 evening.

This exhibition represents the power of art to delight, captivate, and transform. The exhibition will include painters and illustrators who are dedicated to the rigors of the academy to create their work along with others who use tradition as a point of departure to explore contemporary culture – artists who:

– combine the subject from one masterpiece with the style from another;

– mine the past to create paintings that reinterpret old themes in today's visual language;

– use allegorical references to depict contemporary events;

– explore the transition between the authentic work of art and its reproduction through photography;

– exaggerate the idealization of form and subject using humor and irony; and

– depict recognizable contemporary figures as heroic icons from the past.

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.