In anticipation of Lawrence University's sesquicentennial anniversary, the Wriston Art Center Galleries has devoted its 1996-97 exhibition schedule to work connected with the university. The first exhibition of the series opens on September 27th and will feature a variety of work from the permanent collection of Lawrence University displayed in a range of installation styles. Art work from the 19th and early 20th century, including pieces by Manet, Degas, Bonnard, Millet, Corot, and Bouguereau, will be displayed in the Leech Gallery in the salon style. Furniture, oriental carpets, mirrors, and other objets d'art, will provide a historical setting for the art on display.

The Hoffmaster Gallery will be devoted to American and European art from the 1930s which addresses issues of nationalism, fascism, the effects of war and the Depression, etc. The gallery decoration will invoke the growing modernism of presentation during this period with neutral wall coloring; simple, metal frames; and a starkness and linearity, now familiar, but at one time quite radical.

The Kohler Gallery, the largest in the Wriston Art Center, will re-visit the LaVera Pohl Collection of German Expressionist Art, last displayed in 1989. Several artists in this collection had work displayed in the "Entartete Kunst", one of the most infamous exhibitions of the 20th century. This show, organized by the Nazis in 1937, designated works by specific artists as "degenerate" and "harmful to the people". By displaying work by these same artists this exhibition will draw parallels between past and present censorship issues in the arts. In addition, issues of racism, sexism, homophobia, and "primitivism" will be explored. In each case, the style of display and the effect of the presentation upon the viewer's perception of the art will be paramount.

Nadine Wasserman, Curator of the Wriston Art Center Galleries, will provide an introduction to the exhibition with a tour and gallery talk at 6 p.m. on Friday, September 27, 1996. A reception will follow from 7 to 9 p.m. The exhibition, which is free and open to the public will continue through November 3, 1996. For more information about the exhibition and adjunct events please telephone 414-832-6621.