St. Louis, MO – The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts announces its next exhibition, Ideal (Dis-) Placements: Old Masters at the Pulitzer, on view October 24, 2008 – June 20, 2009. It opens with a public reception Friday, October 24 from 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Two major museums have joined forces with the Pulitzer to present their Old Master paintings and drawings.  Curators Judith Mann (Saint Louis Art Museum) and Stephan Wolohojian (Harvard Art Museum) together with Matthias Waschek (the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts) have constituted an "ideal” collection of paintings to interact with the Pulitzer's architecture by Tadao Ando, while Marjorie B. Cohn (Harvard Art Museum, emeritus) and Francesca Herndon-Consagra (the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts) worked on the selection and presentation of drawings. 

The selection is composed of artworks by renowned artists from the 14th to the 18th centuries, including Michelangelo Buonarroti, Pontormo, Giambattista Tiepolo, Jacob van Ruisdael, and Jean-Baptiste Greuze. The display of these works transforms the gallery spaces into abstractions of historic environments, such as the Grande Galerie of an aristocratic art collector of the 17th century and the interiors of Medieval and Renaissance churches.  Since Ando sought the effects of ever-changing daylight at the Pulitzer, the visitor will be able to see the majority of the works without the assistance of electric lighting, which was introduced to museums at the end of the 19th century. This contributes to a better understanding of the viewing conditions of the past and to revitalizing our perceptions of these works in the future.

In collaboration with the two lending institutions, the Pulitzer plans a series of experimental programs, involving the general public as well as specialists. Innovative projects generated in cooperation with the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis and other partners will be announced shortly.

Through art exhibitions, programs, collaborations, and exchanges with other institutions, the Pulitzer aims to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of art and architecture and is a resource for artists, architects, scholars, students and the general public.

The Pulitzer will be closed October 5 through October 23 for re-installation. 

The Pulitzer is open and free to the public Wednesdays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  For more information about the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts visit www.pulitzerarts.org or call 314-754-1850.
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