Long-Awaited Jefferson's America & Napoleon's France to Open at New Orleans Museum of Art.Entertainment Editors/Lifestyle Editors/Travel Writers NEW ORLEANS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 11, 2003 Exhibition marks 200th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase Louisiana Purchase, 1803, American acquisition from France of the formerly Spanish region of Louisiana. Reasons for the Purchase The revelation in 1801 of the secret agreement of 1800, whereby Spain retroceded Louisiana to France, aroused , the event that doubled the size of the United States The long-awaited tribute to the 200th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase - Jefferson's America & Napoleon's France - opens to the public Saturday, April 12, at the New Orleans Museum of Art The New Orleans Museum of Art (often referred to as NOMA) in New Orleans, Louisiana, was established in 1911 as the Delgado Museum of Art with a bequest from Isaac Delgado. (NOMA noma /no·ma/ (no´mah) gangrenous processes of the mouth or genitalia. In the mouth (cancrum oris, gangrenous stomatitis), ). It opens on the 200th anniversary of the day that Jefferson's special envoy James Monroe arrived in Paris to work with U.S. Minister to France Robert Livingston in negotiating for New Orleans For New Orleans: A Benefit For The Musicians' Village Habitat For Humanity is an American benefit double-disc CD, with tracks from Minnesota artists, and national artists. and just days before the signing of the treaty. The first Louisiana Purchase Treaty was dated April 30, 1803, and signed May 2, 1803. The largest exhibition ever organized by NOMA, it will be on public view from April 12 through Aug. 31. It evokes the world of 1803 with masterpieces in painting and sculpture, priceless historical documents that created the Louisiana Purchase, rare decorative arts, Native American artifacts artifacts see specimen artifacts. predating the Lewis and Clark expedition Lewis and Clark expedition, 1803–6, U.S. expedition that explored the territory of the Louisiana Purchase and the country beyond as far as the Pacific Ocean. , military accoutrements ac·cou·ter·ment or ac·cou·tre·ment n. 1. An accessory item of equipment or dress. Often used in the plural. 2. Military equipment other than uniforms and weapons. Often used in the plural. 3. and personal belongings of Jefferson, Napoleon and Josephine Bonaparte. The exhibition showcases more than 260 objects from more than 100 collections worldwide. Scores of items have arrived from France and other European countries. "World events have not impacted the loan of objects and paintings from other countries," said E. John Bullard, the Montine McDaniel Freeman director of NOMA. "We have had no items withdrawn because of the war in Iraq or concerns about terrorism. Everything arrived on schedule from our lenders in Europe. "This exhibition marks one of the most important events in American history and celebrates the American spirit," Bullard continued. "At the same time, it illustrates our long history with France and shows the impact that our countries have had on one another." Already, more than 160,000 advance tickets have been sold, more than any exhibition in NOMA's history. Jefferson's America & Napoleon's France clearly illustrates the importance of New Orleans in this world-changing event. In fact, Jefferson had authorized his envoys to negotiate for New Orleans (and the Floridas which he erroneously thought France controlled) because of critical need for American shippers to have access to this Mississippi River port. The remaining more than 800,000 square miles of the Louisiana Territory was lagniappe la·gniappe n. Chiefly Southern Louisiana & Mississippi 1. A small gift presented by a storeowner to a customer with the customer's purchase. 2. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. , something extra. With the stroke of his pen on the Louisiana Purchase treaty, Napoleon relinquished his dream for a colonial empire in the New World, just as Jefferson laid the foundation for American expansion. Mrs. Laura Bush, First Lady of the United States First Lady of the United States is the unofficial title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the President of the United States, the title is sometimes taken to apply only to the wife of a sitting President. , is the honorary chair and has contributed a welcoming statement to the audio tour. Highlights of the exhibition include paintings by American masters as Rembrandt Peale, John Singleton Copley, John Trumbull, Joshua Johnson (an American freedman) and Gilbert Stuart and French artists including Jacques-Louis David, Baron Antoine-Jean Gros, Pierre-Paul Prud'hon and Antonio Canova. Furniture and decorative arts include Jefferson's red-leather chair used in the U.S. Senate, Napoleon's throne, the dumbwaiter developed by Jefferson and crafted in the Monticello joinery joinery, craft of assembling exposed woodwork in the interiors of buildings. Where carpentry refers to the rougher, simpler, and primarily structural elements of wood assembling, joinery has to do with difficult surfaces and curvatures, such as those of spiral , Madame Recamier's swan bedroom suite which has never before been exhibited in the United States, a gilded gild 1 tr.v. gild·ed or gilt , gild·ing, gilds 1. To cover with or as if with a thin layer of gold. 2. To give an often deceptively attractive or improved appearance to. 3. table resting on military trophies with faces by Claude Galle, and exquisite porcelain from Monticello and Malmaison, the Bonapartes' home outside of Paris. Weaponry includes the Mameluk sword carried by Napoleon at the Battle of the Pyramids The Battle of the Pyramids was a battle fought on July 21, 1798 between the French army in Egypt under Napoleon Bonaparte and local Mamluk forces. It was the battle where Bonaparte put into use one of his significant contributions to tactics, the massive divisional square. and the saber and scabbard of General Lafayette. There is a "virtual environment" Monticello, created by computer scientists at the University of Virginia and Duke University, which brings Jefferson's study to the museum in life-size 3D. This experiment is supported by a National Science Foundation grant. Personal objects include Jefferson's ivory notebook and a silver goblet of his own design, Josephine's diadem diadem, in ancient times, the fillet of silk, wool, or linen tied about the head of a king, queen, or priest as a distinguishing mark. Later, it was a band of gold, which gave rise to the crown. In heraldry, the diadem is one of the arched bars that support the crown. and jewelry, Napoleon's 21-piece "necessaire" from Austerliz. Native American artifacts include several items that have never before been exhibited publicly in the United States, including rare painted animal-skin robes collected by French explorers in the 1750s. Tickets are available for specific dates and times, and advance purchase is recommended. Individual tickets can be purchased through TicketMaster at 800-488-5252. Individual prices are: adults, $12; students with ID and seniors 65 or older, $11; and children ages 3 to 17, $6. Group tickets can be purchased by calling NOMA at 888-820-1803. Group ticket prices are: adults and seniors, $10; children ages 3 to 17, $5. For general information about the exhibition, visit www.noma.org or call 504-488-2631. Museum hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. through 5 p.m., with the last entry at 3:30 p.m. |
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