St. Louis, MO -- The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts is pleased to announce the upcoming installation Sculpture and Drawings by Richard Serra, on view at the Foundation March 1, 2003 – July 24, 2004. A public reception will be held on Saturday, March 1 from 11 a.m.- 1p.m. to celebrate the opening. This installation, which is being curated by the artist, is the first exhibition of Serra's sculpture in St. Louis in more than thirty years. Featured will be sculpture in a variety of media covering his entire career. Paintstick and charcoal drawings lent by the artist and St. Louis collectors will present important aspects of Serra's drawing achievements. These works will complement Joe, a 13 foot high, 2 inch thick torqued spiral sculpture which was commissioned for the Pulitzer Foundation and is permanently installed in the Foundation's courtyard. A curving, monumental sculpture made from five plates of weatherproof steel, Joe is an integral aspect of the Foundation and serves as the springboard for this installation.

Sculpture and Drawings by Richard Serra draws upon a strong tradition of Serra's work in St. Louis. In 1969, even before the artist had been given a one-man exhibition in New York, several of Serra's sculptures were included in Washington University's exhibition Here and Now. One year later the Joseph Helman Gallery presented an exhibition of Serra's sculpture. In 1982 Serra's site-specific sculpture Twain, an eight-panel steel triangular work whose openings present changing views of St. Louis' cityscape, became the artist's first permanent, public, sight-specific work in this country. In celebrating the installation of Twain, the Saint Louis Art Museum showed related work and, in 1994, an exhibition of his Weight and Measure Drawings. Serra's circular steel sculpture To Encircle Base Plate Hexagram, Right Angles Inverted (1970) at Laumeier Sculpture Park was the impetus for a series of charcoal drawings at the Foundation.

Sculpture and Drawings by Richard Serra also coincides with the installation opening March 18, 2003 at the Saint Louis Art Museum of Untitled (1968), an important, early-cast rubber floor sculpture. On view at the Sheldon Art Galleries from May 7 - July 26, 2003, Richard Serra: Rounds will present an exhibition of six etchings dedicated to Jazz musicians.

Several special events are planned to celebrate the wealth of Serra's work in St. Louis. On May 7, 2003, the Pulitzer Foundation and the Saint Louis Art Museum will cosponsor a public dialogue between Richard Serra and Hal Foster, Princeton University's Townsend Martin Professor of Modern Art. Foster, a specialist on twentieth century art, has written extensively on Serra. The discussion will center on Serra's work in St. Louis and will take place in the Museum's auditorium at 6:30 p.m.

A tour of different venues in the city to see Serra's work is planned for June 7, 2003. Sponsored by the Contemporary Art Partnership (CAP), an educational initiative created jointly by the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, and the Saint Louis Art Museum, participants will travel by bus to different St. Louis destinations to view Serra's work, engaging in discussions with CAP docents about critical issues surrounding Serra's sculpture and drawings. For further information, contact Susan Lee, CAP Coordinator, at docent@contemporarystl.org, or (314) 535-0770.

The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts seeks to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of art and architecture. Through works of art, programs, library facility and collaboration with other cultural and educational institutions, the Foundation serves artists, architects, scholars, students and the general public. Integral to the Foundation's mission is the experience of its building, which provides a tranquil place for contemplation, enjoyment and study.

During the installation of the galleries, the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts will be closed on Wednesday, February 26, 2003. Resuming March 1, 2003, the Foundation is open Wednesdays from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For information on docent tours, call 314-535-0770; for group visits of 5 or more, call 314-754-1848. For more information about the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts visit www.pulitzerarts.org.