Beginning November 1st, a milestone commission will be viewable by the public at historic arts organization Salmagundi. The commission consists of two dynamic allegorical door panels by Salmagundi artist Noah Buchanan of Santa Cruz, California. Following a competition of thirty-one artists from across the country and Mexico, the commission was awarded to Buchanan for his Light and Visual Perception for the left side door and Intelligence and Education for the right side door.
Commissioned for the occasion of Salmagundi’s 150th anniversary, the competition was organized by Salmagundi’s Library Committee – led by Chairman Alexander Katlan – earlier this year. A celebration and official presentation of the doors will take place at a private Library Dinner on November 17th.
The award ceremony that will take place at the dinner marks the acme of a long process of preservation and restoration that the Library Committee initiated many years ago. The initiative will soon also include the additional installation, in the back of the library, of two handcrafted leaded-glass windows with the Salmagundi logo, a long-cherished idea of Katlan’s that is finally coming to fruition.
“The Library doors commission is the first such commission in 100 years at Salmagundi. These doors will make Salmagundi an even more unique, wonderful, and historic location.” Katlan remarked.
The panels will be displayed in the Library starting from November 1st, in conjunction with the concurrent exhibition of Buchanan’s preparatory studies for the commission, which runs October 18 – November 19. Viewing hours for the exhibition are 1-5 pm Monday – Saturday.
Salmagundi is a non-profit 501(c)(3), professional and social club, created in 1871 by artists and patrons to support one another. It is one of America’s oldest arts organizations with more than 1,100 current members throughout the United States and abroad.
The Club has continuously championed representational art from its founding with iconic members, including: Thomas Moran (1837-1926), William Merritt Chase (1849-1916), Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933), Emil Carlsen (1848-1932), N.C. Wyeth (1882-1945), Childe Hassam (1859-1935) and Winston Churchill (1874-1965).
The Salmagundi Club is located at 47 Fifth Avenue, between 11th and 12th Streets in Greenwich Village.
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