PROGRAMS & EXHIBITIONS Winter/Spring 2015 letter | exhibitions | calendar | programs | walks & talks | family | membership | general information Dear Members & Friends, This has been an extraordinary time in New-York Historical’s history, with two spectacular new acquisitions expanding the stories we tell. The first, the world’s greatest collection of antique miniature trains and toys has attracted record holiday crowds with a dynamic display of show- stopping collectors’ and moving pieces. The exhibit remains on view through February 22nd. Our second great new acquisition, on view beginning May 22nd, is Picasso’s Le Tricorne— New York’s Picasso—which has hung since 1959 at the storied Four Seasons Restaurant. Three special exhibitions will also be on view: Freedom Journey 1965: Photographs of the Selma to Montgomery March by Stephen Somerstein; Lincoln and the Jews; and The Art of Al Hirschfeld. The fascinating and provocative Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion continues through April 19th. Of course there will be some old friends in our galleries, as well, among them The Final Flight of Audubon’s astonishing Aviary. You will find in the pages of this beautiful brochure a cornucopia of spectacular programs organized by my talented colleague Dale Gregory, together with her colleagues Alex Kassl, Genna Sarnak, and Hannah Donoghue. As always we thank Bernard Schwartz for enabling us to invite great historians and writers to our Robert H. Smith Auditorium. Highlights of the Schwartz Distinguished Speakers Series include programs featuring Jonathan D. Sarna and Harold Holzer discussing Lincoln and the Jews; A. Scott Berg joined by Douglas Brinkley in a discussion of Woodrow Wilson; Margaret MacMillan on World War I; Randall Kennedy on the Voting Rights Act of 1965; Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal on leadership; and Robert Osborne, Louise Kerz Hirschfeld, and Harold Prince in conversation about Al Hirschfeld. We will also welcome author Amy Tan; performing artists Shen Wei, Hao Jiang Tian, Huang Ruo, and Manuel Barrueco; and playwright David Henry Hwang. A new series on Parenting in the Digital Age will explore the challenges of raising children in a digital world. We are so very fortunate that Bonnie and Richard Reiss and Lewis Lehrman have generously added their support to offerings that amplify our reputation as the destination for history and current events. You surely will not want to miss the Reiss Series program featuring Akhil Reed Amar, and Distinguished Lehrman Fellow at N-YHS Andrew Roberts speaking on Lady Opposite: Margaret Thatcher. In honor of Roger Hertog’s superb leadership for seven years as Chairman John James Audubon, of our Board, Gen. David H. Petraeus will present a timely commentary on America and Gyrfalcon (Falco Afghanistan. rusticolus), Study for Havell pl. 366, ca. As always I want to thank our wonderful Board of Trustees—above all, Chair Pam Schafler— 1835–36. Watercolor, graphite, pastel, for supporting and encouraging our work. I look forward to seeing you soon! black chalk, gouache, and black ink with scratching out and With best wishes, touches of glazing on paper, laid on card. New-York Historical Society, Purchased for the Society by public Louise Mirrer, PH.D. subscription from Mrs. PRESIDENT and CEO John J. Audubon, 1863.17.36 2 New-York Historical Society Visit nyhistory.org for the latest information 3 letter | exhibitions | calendar | programs | walks & talks | family | membership | general information Exhibition Highlights Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion Lincoln and the Jews September 26, 2014 – April 19, 2015 March 20 – June 7, 2015 Lead support provided by Oscar Examine the long, complex, often troubled, but also Marking the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln’s Major support for this exhibition has Tang and Agnes Hsu-Tang – Tang mutually sought-after relations between China, the assassination, this exhibition explores the significant relationships between been provided by the David Berg Family Foundation. Generous Foundation, Offit Capital, and the funding has also been provided U.S., and the people of both nations. A particular Lincoln and his Jewish friends and associates. Discover this story with never- Shapell Manuscript Foundation. by Bernard and Irene Schwartz, focus is the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which before displayed original documents, artifacts, photographs, and more. the National Endowment for severely restricted immigration from China and the Humanities, the Institute of prevented all naturalization of Chinese immigrants, Museum and Library Services, the The Art of Al Hirschfeld as well as initiated an era of increasingly Draconian Achelis and Bodman Foundations, May 22 – October 12, 2015 and Harold J. and Ruth Newman. anti-immigrant laws. This program is supported by For the first time, nine decades of Al Hirschfeld’s (1903- The Art of Al Hirschfeld was Anna May Wong Certificate of Identity (detail), August 28, public funds from the New York organized by Louise Kerz 1924. National Archives at San Francisco (54099). 2003) art are presented to document his life and career. City Department of Cultural Hirschfeld, President of the Al Trace the Line King’s evolution through a dynamic Affairs in partnership with the Hirschfeld Foundation, and the City Council. Additional support exhibition of his drawings, paintings, prints, sketchbooks, New-York Historical Society, and provided by Lulu C. Wang. and ephemera. was curated by David Leopold, Archivist of the Al Hirschfeld Richard Kiley in Man of La Mancha. Ink on board, 1977. Collection Foundation. Major support for of Harvard University. Gift of Melvin Seiden. Courtesy of The Al The Art of Al Hirschfeld has been Freedom Journey 1965: Photographs of the Hirschfeld Foundation, www.AlHirschfeldFoundation.org. provided by The Al Hirschfeld Selma to Montgomery March by Stephen Somerstein Foundation, Louise Kerz Hirschfeld & Lewis B. Cullman, Edwin January 16 – April 19, 2015 Schloss, and Janine Luke, in Support for this exhibition In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of memory of Melvin Seiden. has been provided by Bank of the Selma-to-Montgomery Civil Rights March, America and the Henry Nias Foundation. New-York Historical presents a selection of Stephen Somerstein’s photographs documenting New York Story Film Experience the quest for equality and social justice. Ongoing Stephen Somerstein (b. 1941). Marching in Montgomery New York Story is an 18-minute panoramic film experience narrated by award- This film is made possible by a (detail), 1965. Digital print. winning actor and native New Yorker Liev Schreiber. The film depicts New York’s generous gift from Bernard and Irene Schwartz. rise from remote outpost to city at the center of the world. Produced by Donna Lawrence Productions, the high-resolution video expands on screen from 25- to 73-feet wide over the course of the show. SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Audubon’s Aviary: The Final Flight (Part III of The Complete Flock) The New-York Historical Society is embarking on an exciting new chapter. The Henry Luce III Center March 6 – May 10, 2015 for the Study of American Culture on our fourth floor is closed for renovations through December 2016. Please visit our other three floors of outstanding art and history exhibitions. The New-York Historical Society Don’t miss the final installment of the highly acclaimed tripartite seriesAudubon’s recognizes The Peter Jay Sharp Aviary: The Complete Flock. This multimedia exhibition showcases the pieces Foundation and the Gilbert and John James Audubon produced as he was rushing to complete his great work, Ildiko Butler Family Foundation for their support of Audubon’s Aviary: The Birds of America, and highlights outliers and western species to bookend the The Complete Flock. North American continent. Exhibitions at the New-York Historical Society are made possible, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Exhibitions at the New-York Historical Society are supported by the Saunders Trust for American History. 4 New-York Historical Society Visit nyhistory.org/exhibitions for all current, upcoming, and ongoing exhibitions 5 letter | exhibitions | calendar | programs | walks & talks | family | membership | general information Calendar Highlights Lectures, Conversations & Performances PAGES 8 – 20 Friday Night Films PAGES 22 & 23 Tuesday, March 10, 6:30 pm Wednesday, April 22, 6:30 pm Friday, March 27, 7 pm Friday, May 8, 7 pm February February The Fierce Urgency of Now: The Law of the Land: A Grand Tour Au Revoir Les Enfants (1987) Umberto D. (1952) SOLD OUT Friday, February 27, 7 pm Laurence Kardish Antonio Monda Lyndon Johnson, Congress, of Our Constitutional Republic Philadelphia (1993) Monday, February 2, 6:30 pm and the Battle for the Great Society Akhil Reed Amar, Trevor W. Morrison Foreign Policy Linda Greenhouse, Robert Post, Julian E. Zelizer, Sam Tanenhaus Friday, May 29, 7 pm Kenji Yoshino April David E. Sanger, Richard N. Haass Thursday, April 23, 7 pm All the President’s Men (1976) Friday, April 10, 7 pm Saturday, March 14, 9:30–11 am China West Concert Bob Herbert Tuesday, February 3, 6:30 pm Sweet Smell of Success (1957) The Untold Story of Joseph Stalin Manuel Barrueco, March The China Trade in Early America Antonio Monda and Reflections on Russia Today The Beijing Guitar Duo Friday, March 6, 7 pm William R. Sargent June Stephen Kotkin Spellbound (1945) Friday, April 24, 7 pm Friday, June 5, 7 pm Tuesday,