Renowned Art Critic, Pulitzer Prize-Winner to Speak at Lyme Academy

Pulitzer Prize-writer and art critic for The Boston Globe, Sebastian Smee will discuss some of modern art’s most fraught artistic relationships, and the links between them at a lecture on Thursday, December 1 from 6-8pm entitled "Breakthroughs and Betrayals: An Intimate Take on Key Breakthroughs in Modern Art." The event is part of the 2016 Fall Lecture Series and will take place on the Old Lyme campus, 84 Lyme Street.

Smee is the author of "The Art of Rivalry: Four Friendships, Betrayals, and Breakthroughs in Modern Art." The book examines key moments in the intimate, yet competitive relationships between Manet and Degas, Matisse and Picasso, Pollock and de Kooning, and Freud and Bacon. The relationships of these important figures in the modern art world created pivotal moments and sparks of great inspirational shifts. With wit and psychological insight, Smee’s writing and prose describes avenues of self-discovery and revelations of artistic authenticity. We are lead to discover that this requires degrees of departure from the expectations of who one is or who one is thought to be.

"We are excited to welcome Mr. Smee for his unique perspective on modern and contemporary art. He represents the highest caliber of art thinkers and critics that we at Lyme Academy College are bringing to our students and our community," said Todd Jokl, Campus Dean. Sebastian Smee is an award winning art critic for The Boston Globe. He joined the paper’s staff from Sydney, where he worked as national art critic for The Australian. He lived in the UK between 2001 and 2004, where he worked on staff at The Art Newspaper, before freelancing for The Spectator, The Guardian, The Independent, The Times, and The Financial Times. He became the second-string art critic at the Daily Telegraph, and wrote a regular column on art for Prospect Magazine. Smee was awarded the 2011 Pulitzer Prize in Criticism based on his vivid and exuberant writing about art, often bringing great works to life with love and appreciation. He was also a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2008 and previously wrote for a number of publications in London and Sydney. Smee is the author of five books on Lucian Freud, and one on Matisse and Picasso and most recently, "The Art of Rivalry."

The lecture series is sponsored by the Center for Arts Programming. "The Center serves as a creative and intellectual nexus for area residents wishing to explore creativity and deepen their understanding and appreciation of art," said Marguerite d’Aprile Quigley, Director of the Center for Arts Programming. "It is intended to present the highest quality programming that this community has come to expect."

Copies of "The Art of Rivalry: Four Friendships, Betrayals, and Breakthroughs in Modern Art " will be available for purchase and Mr. Smee will be available for a book signing during the reception. Tickets are $15 for the lecture and reception. There is limited seating so reservations are required. Please contact Kristen Brady at 860-434-3571 ext. 121 or kbrady@lymefs.newhaven.edu

About Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts

Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts is a college of the University of New Haven. Its mission is to educate aspiring artists through a rigorous studio curriculum rooted in figurative and representational art. The College offers a comprehensive liberal arts education essential for advanced critical and creative thought.

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About the University of New Haven

Founded on the campus of Yale University in 1920 as a division of Northeastern University, the University of New Haven is a private, top-tier comprehensive institution recognized as a national leader in experiential education. The university enrolls nearly 5,000 undergraduates and about 1,900 graduate students.