Glenn D. Lowry, director of the Museum of Modern Art, will deliver the lecture "Rethinking the Modern" on Sunday, Jan. 22, at 3 p.m., as part of Open VISIONS Forum, a program of University College at Fairfield University. The Fairfield University Art History Program in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts is co-sponsoring Lowry's appearance.

Lowry is only the sixth director of MoMA, a 76-year-old New York City landmark that was experiencing some growing pains when he took the helm in 1995. In his first year at MoMA, in addition to leading a staff of 600 and directing a vital program of exhibitions, acquisitions and publications, Lowry directed the Museum's $850 million capital campaign to fund its Building Project and boost the endowment.

"With his forward-leaning leadership, inspired decision-making and cultivated judgments, Lowry is re-energizing MoMA to fulfill its mission as the world's premiere showcase for the new and the beautiful," said Philip Eliasoph, Ph.D., professor of Art History, who directs and moderates Open VISIONS Forum.

The new museum was unveiled to an appreciative public earlier this year, in time to celebrate its 75th anniversary. At 630,000 square feet, the new MoMA has nearly twice the capacity of the older facility. Designed by architect Yoshio Taniguchi, the site includes a 110-foot atrium and innovated glass curtain walls that provide views of the sculpture garden. New galleries devoted to media and contemporary arts and the overall glass, granite and aluminum structure elicited high praise from art and architecture critics.

The New Yorker dubbed the new museum a "lustrous building," while the Washington Times called it "a near perfect marriage of modernist art and minimalist architecture."

Long a champion of contemporary art, Lowry has lectured and written widely about the role of the artist and museums in society. In 1999, he and Alanna Heiss, director of P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, merged their two organizations. Founded in 1971, P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center is one of the largest and oldest arts organizations in the United States solely devoted to contemporary art. It combines a world-class exhibition program, a prestigious international artist studio program and a broad spectrum of education and public programs.

In addition to his work with MoMA, Lowry is the chairman of the Smithsonian Council and serves on the advisory council of the Department of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia University. From 1998 through 2000 he was a board member of the Association of Art Museum Directors.

A New York City native raised in Williamstown, Mass., Lowry received his B.A. from Williams College and his M.A. and Ph.D. in history of art from Harvard University. His honors include a doctorate of fine arts degree from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Studies Award, the Institute of Turkish Studies Travel Award and a Special Exhibitions Fund Award for "Timur and Princely Vision."

Lowry has been awarded the ranks Officier de L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, Chevalier de l'Ordre de Mérite and Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French government. He is a member of the board of The Holderness School and the New Art Trust.

Tickets are $28, $23.50 for senior citizens. For tickets, call the Quick Center box office at (203) 254-4010 or toll free at 1-877-ARTS-396. For more information, visit www.quickcenter.com.

Posted On: 12-20-2005 10:12 AM

Volume: 38 Number: 119