The American Academy of Arts and Letters has purchased a painting, Dad Sitting in Striped Chair, by Beverly McIver, Esbenshade Professor of the Practice of Art, Art History and Visual Studies, as part of its Art Purchase Program. Works by the winners of the 2017 Art Awards and Purchases are currently on display in the Invitational Exhibition of Visual Arts, and will be shown in the Exhibition of Work by Newly Elected Members and Recipients of Honors and Awards, which follows the Ceremonial in May. The members of this year’s award committee were: Judy Pfaff (Chairman), Lois Dodd, Mary Frank, Robert Gober, Yvonne Jacquette, Bill Jensen, Joan Jonas, Dorothea Rockburne, and Joel Shapiro.

The Academy’s purchase program began in 1946 to place the work of talented, living American artists in museums across the country. Since the inauguration of this program, the Academy has spent nearly $5 million to purchase over 1200 works of art.

The American Academy of Arts and Letters was established in 1898 to “foster, assist, and sustain an interest in literature, music, and the fine arts.” Election to the Academy is considered the highest formal recognition of artistic merit in this country. Founding members include William Merritt Chase, Kenyon Cox, Daniel Chester French, Childe Hassam, Henry James, Theodore Roosevelt, Elihu Vedder, and Woodrow Wilson. The Academy is comprised of 250 of America’s leading voices in the fields of Art, Architecture, Literature, and Music. The Academy presents exhibitions of art, architecture, and manuscripts; and readings and performances of new musicals. It is located in three landmark buildings on Audubon Terrace at 155 Street and Broadway, New York, NY.

[Beverly McIver, Dad Sitting in a Striped Chair, 2017, oil on canvas, 30” x 30”.]