Here’s a hint: This weekend is the 100^th anniversary of the first Armory Show. You may have heard the Armory story on NPR recently. Still need more help?

You know I’m always saying that art transforms lives. The 1913 Armory Show was one of those transformational moments for art in the United States, but also for the Columbus Museum of Art. This is the art event that changed Ferdinand Howald’s life—turning him into a collector and an art patron. Howald’s collection went on to form the heart of our internationally renowned Modernist Collection. It literally transformed our destiny.

Now about those two paintings above. Both were in the 1913 Armory Show! The one on the right is Middleton Manigault’s Clown which we acquired in 1999. Manigault was the first artist that Howald purchased. The painting on the left is George Bellows’s Mrs. Albert M. Miller—for long-time Columbusites, she was Dixie Miller’s mother-in-law. Bellows entered the portrait in the Armory Show only two months after painting it. We acquired it in 1974 from the Arnold family.

And that’s the rest of the story.

- Nannette

Introducing Art Madness, our version of March Madness for Art Lovers. To put together our bracket we selected some of our most beloved pieces from four of our strongest collections, as well as a few sleepers. It’s Photography versus Contemporary. Europeans versus the Americans. The Renaissance Region versus the Impressionism Region. Ashcan School Region versus Abstract Expressionism Region. Who will be a bracket buster? Who will come from behind and be the Cinderella of Art Madness? Who will be crowned the Art Madness champion? That’s all up to you. Each day we’ll have a new pairing on Facebook. The artwork with the most likes by the next day at noon will advance on to the next round.

Want to keep track of the winners? Download the Art Madness Bracket.

Please note: just like the NCAA Tournament, the Region a team competes in may be different. i.e. O’Keeffe is not a Renaissance painter. That’s just the region she’s competing in.

SCOUTING REPORT ON THE ART MADNESS TEAMS

A Lady with a Parrot and a Gentleman with a Monkey by Caspar NetscherDutch portrait artist Netscher’s work is often cited as a perennial fan favorite among the Columbus Museum of Art permanent collection. Here he uses the penchant for symbolism to great effect: oysters as aphrodisiacs, a feather to indicate pleasure, a monkey to indicate lust.	Autumn Leaves – Lake George, N.Y. by Georgia O’KeeffePerhaps the most famous female artist of all time, O’Keeffe is a strong contender to win the Big Dance. She changed the art world with her emphasis on color, shape, clean lines, and close-ups that fell somewhere between representation and abstraction like this painting of leaves from her summer home with her husband, photographer Alfred Stieglitz.
Sidewalk Clock, NYC by Ida Wyman Wyman was one of the nearly 100 female photographers of the Photo League, the pioneering documentary photo movement of the 1930s and 1940s. Here Wyman captures the movement and rhythm of the city. Analysis: really knows how to pace her game.	Three Piece Reclining Figure: Draped by Henry Moore England’s most famous sculptor is known for his sometimes surreal and sensuous sculptures like this iconic piece on the front lawn of the Columbus Museum of Art. Talk about tough: this art can withstand snow, sleet, and heavy winds, and may be hard to beat down the stretch.
Playing Cards and Glass of Beer by Juan GrisSpanish painter, sculptor, compatriot of Picasso, Gris, was one of one of the founding members of the Cubism movement. Here Gris really pulls his team together with a collage-style painting constructed of real objects combined with painted ones.	Polo at Lakewood by George BellowsColumbus homeboy Bellows, an OSU athlete and one of the preeminent artists of the Ashcan School, was known for depicting scenes of action like this one, where his slashing brushstrokes contrast with the genteel nature of the crowd. Like his Ohio State alma mater he’s likely to go far in the tournament.
Nocturne Navigator by Alison SaarThe “Blue Lady” as this artwork is nicknamed, was commissioned by the Columbus Museum of Art as a commemoration to the Underground Railroad. It’s a powerhouse piece beloved by the Columbus community.	Coney Island by Sid GrossmanGrossman advanced his passion for photography through the Photo League, the pioneering documentary photography movement he founded. He was often cited for his belief that photography could change the world. Grossman’s work (as well as Wyman’s) will be on display as part of our upcoming Radical Camera exhibition, which the New York Times calls “stirring.”
The Swimmer by Yasuo KuniyoshiJapanese American Kuniyoshi takes his cue from the strong lines and low key colors of 18th- and 19th- century Japanese art. The swimmer is an allusion to bas reliefs of ancient Egypt and Assyria in which sea nymphs often swim among water plants. Will this piece swim its way to victory?	The Breakfast by Edgar DegasMaster draftsman and Impressionist Degas explored with intensity and pleasure the potential of pastel for spontaneous, sensuous expression. This piece from our renowned Sirak Collection may be quiet and peaceful, however in the art world it remains a beloved, tough contender.
Andalusia by Henri Cartier-BressonFrench photographer Bresson began as a Cubist painter, and was drawn into the circle of the French surrealists. He’s definitely a clutch player, able to capture what he calls “the decisive moment,” as in this photograph where the boys appear to be enveloped in graffiti.	A Street Called Home by Aminah RobinsonHometown hero and MacArthur Genius Grant recipient Aminah Robinson combines traditional art materials with found objects and everyday materials such as buttons, cloth, leather, twigs, shells, and music box workings. She often works on pieces she calls RagGonNons, art that often takes years to research and continues to evolve as others respond to the works. Home court advantage: Robinson.
Composition with Flames by Jackson PollockPassionate Pollock revolutionized the art world with his Abstract Expressionist style. The man put his whole body into his painting, which eventually became known as Action Painting. Enough said.	Jill and I by Tina BarneyConsider Barney the Harvard of the art world. Barney portrays intimate portraits of upper class family and friends like in this haunting photograph. Will Barney and her work be the Cinderella story of Art Madness?
Cornice by George TookerTooker’s paintings were often psychologically charged, haunting, and mysterious. He was known as a magic realist combining real life with fantasy. Does Tooker’s work have what it takes to go all the way?	Schokko with a Red Hat by Alexaj JawlenskyJawlensky was a former Russian army officer turned Expressionist painter, and key member of the Blue Rider, an influential group of Russian emigrants and German artists in the early 1900s that also included Jawlensky’s compatriot Kandinsky. Schokko may just ride all the way to victory.

Art Speaks. Join the Conversation.

In honor of the Columbus Bicentennial, each month throughout 2012 we will highlight a local Columbus artist from the Museum’s collection. Look for “12 for 12″ blog posts each month, plus follow us on Facebook and Twitter for interesting tidbits about the artists’ life and work. To kick things off we’re starting with George Bellows.

George Wesley Bellows (1882 – 1925) was arguably the most celebrated American painter of his generation. Born in Columbus, Ohio, he attended The Ohio State University, where he played on the varsity baseball and basketball teams. Bellows left Columbus in 1904 to study art in New York City, quickly becoming associated with the charismatic artist Robert Henri and his artistic group later characterized by the term Ashcan School. Bellows’ work exemplified Henri’s call to depict the experience of the everyday, often gritty working-class, world around him.  “It seems to me,” he wrote, “that an artist must be a spectator of life: a reverential, enthusiastic, emotional spectator, and then the great dramas of human nature will surge through his mind.”  The artist’s facile brushwork perfectly conveyed the teeming vitality and heady brashness of human and natural drama.

By his mid-twenties, Bellows had risen from art student to art luminary, winning nearly every major award in the art world, and becoming a member of the prestigious National Academy at the young age of twenty-seven. His dazzling career, however, was brief; he died tragically at the age of forty-three from a ruptured appendix. In his short professional life, Bellows created an enormous body of work that includes more than seven hundred paintings, almost two hundred editions of lithographs, and an equal number of drawings. He is celebrated equally for his seascapes, portraits, city snow scenes, and socially engaged genre, as he is for his depictions of working-class urban life. The Columbus Museum of Art has one of the largest and most important collections of works by Bellows in the world.