Thomas Krens, director of the Guggenheim Museums Worldwide, will present an illustrated slide lecture at Fairfield University's Open VISIONS Forum on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2002, at 3 p.m., in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. Krens will discuss "The Art Museum in the 21st Century." This talk will launch the "Insiders' Insight to the Art World" Spring semester series sponsored by the School of Continuing Education.

As Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Krens oversees five Guggenheim museums worldwide: two in New York City, the others in Venice, Berlin and Bilbao. He has dramatically increased the visibility of the Guggenheim and upped attendance from 450,000 visitors in 1990 to almost three million worldwide last year.

A museum as a brand name? An art show devoted to motorcycles? These are just some of the groundbreaking ideas of Thomas Krens, the man who Forbes magazine says is "rewriting the rules of how museums are run." Krens has invented unique ways of funding and supporting his projects, from joint ventures with corporations and national governments, to conceiving accessible shows and merchandising products associated with major exhibits.

The acclaimed "Art of the Motorcycle" show at New York's Guggenheim was the most popular exhibit in its 61-year history and equally sensational when presented at the Guggenheim Bilbao with such icons as Dennis Hopper taking part in the opening. His "China: 500 Years" exhibition was unprecedented for its display of antiquities of such quality and elegance that it may have been the greatest display of Chinese art ever assembled. It has been said that his lectures, too, are works of art.

From his restoration of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Guggenheim Museum of New York and his celebrated exhibitions of classical 20th-century artists such as Picasso, Beckmann and Rauschenberg, to his precedent-setting innovations in cultural management, Krens has generated controversy for himself and dollars for the institution. As Newsweek magazine has written, his "aggressive, global approach may be what high culture needs to survive in our world."

For those interested in an expanded series of art world leading seminars hosted by leading experts, contact the school of Continuing Education at (203) 254-4220.

Tickets to the Krens' lecture are $15, with discounts available for seniors, students and groups. This lecture is sponsored by the university's School of Continuing Education and presented by the Art History program of the Department of Visual and Performing Artsthough the generous support of the Mary Louise Larabee Fund.

For tickets or more information call the box office at (203) 254-4010 or toll free at 1-877-ARTS-396.

Posted On: 12-15-2001 09:12 AM

Volume: 34 Number: 111