Through a multidisciplinary program of exhibitions, events, and educational outreach, the American Center for Art and Culture's (formerly Mona Bismarck American Center) mission is to engage visitors in a dialogue with the depth and diversity of the current American cultural scene.
The current center was launched in 2011, based on the legacy of the Mona Bismarck Foundation, which became active in 1986 following the death of its founder and sole benefactor. The American philanthropist Countess
Mona von Bismarck
Mona von Bismarck (''née'' Strader; February 5, 1897 – July 10, 1983), also known as Mona Bismarck, was an American socialite, fashion icon, and philanthropist. Her five husbands included Harrison Williams, among the richest men in America, an ...
donated her Parisian townhouse and the majority of her estate to found the Mona Bismarck Foundation, as "her desire was to establish a Cultural Centre in Paris to enhance the cause of American/French friendship upon her death".
[Rajakaruna, C.]
Mona Bismarck Foundation: Its Background Information and the Role It Plays in the American Community
." United States Embassy France. Retrieved 24 Apr. 2013.
On July 4, 2019, the Mona Bismarck American Center became the American Center for Art and Culture.
[ ]
History
The Center
Located on the Seine, across from the Eiffel Tower, the ''
hôtel particulier
An ''hôtel particulier'' () is a grand townhouse, comparable to the Townhouse (Great Britain), British townhouse or mansion. Whereas an ordinary ''maison'' (house) was built as part of a row, sharing party walls with the houses on either side an ...
'', or Parisian townhouse, was built at the end of the 19th century. It was reconfigured for Mona Bismarck in the late 1950s by French interior decorator
Stéphane Boudin
Stéphane Boudin (28 October 1888 – 18 October 1967) was a French interior designer and a president of Maison Jansen, the influential Paris-based interior decorating firm.
Boudin is best known for being asked by U.S. First Lady Jacqueline Kenn ...
. The building was featured in a 1928 issue of ''Vogue''.
["MONA VON BISMARCK." Voguepedia. Vogue, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2013. .]
Programming
Exhibitions
One exhibition of American art is presented each year in partnership with international institutions. Exhibitions focus on a single artist or theme and represent a range of artistic styles and movements.
Past exhibitions
* Quilt Art: Patchwork Art
February 13 – May 19, 2013
*
Mary Cassatt
Mary Stevenson Cassatt (; May 22, 1844June 14, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker. She was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh's North Side), but lived much of her adult life in France, where she befriended Edgar De ...
in Paris: Prints and Drawings from the Ambroise Vollard Collection
September 26, 2012 – January 20, 2013
* The Wyeths: Three Generations of American Art (Bank of America Merrill Lynch Collection)
November 10, 2011 – February 12, 2012
Little Black DressJuly 3 – September 22, 2013
*
Yousuf Karsh
Yousuf Karsh, FRPS (December 23, 1908 – July 13, 2002) was a Canadian-Armenian photographer known for his portraits of notable individuals. He has been described as one of the greatest portrait photographers of the 20th century.
An Armenian ...
: Icons of the 20th Century
October 16, 2013 – January 26, 2014
Wasteland : New Art from Los Angeles
March, 12 – July 17, 2016
* Landscape with a Ruin. Evan Roth
October 2017- November 2017
Publics programs
The American Center for Art and Culture invites the public to discover American culture through a program o
concerts, performances and discussions.
The center is also often rented out for private events at night.
Education
The progra
Look & Learnaim to broaden French students’ appreciation of American culture and art and while creating a friendly environment where students feel comfortable expressing themselves in English.
Images
File:Fondation Mona Bismarck.jpg, Interior lobby
File:Musée Mona Bismarck.jpg, Detail of center, chandelier
File:Stairway at Mona Bismarck American Center for art & culture.jpg, Stairway
File:Mona Bismarck American Center for art & culture.JPG, Library
Exhibition samples
File:Martha Graham 1948.jpg, Yousuf Karsh
Yousuf Karsh, FRPS (December 23, 1908 – July 13, 2002) was a Canadian-Armenian photographer known for his portraits of notable individuals. He has been described as one of the greatest portrait photographers of the 20th century.
An Armenian ...
, ''Martha Graham
Martha Graham (May 11, 1894 – April 1, 1991) was an American modern dancer and choreographer. Her style, the Graham technique, reshaped American dance and is still taught worldwide.
Graham danced and taught for over seventy years. She wa ...
'', 1948
File:Mary Cassatt - Under the Horse-Chestnut Tree - Google Art Project.jpg, Mary Cassatt
Mary Stevenson Cassatt (; May 22, 1844June 14, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker. She was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh's North Side), but lived much of her adult life in France, where she befriended Edgar De ...
, ''Under the Horse-Chestnut Tree'', 1896-1897
File:Cassatt Mary The Lamp 1891.jpg, Mary Cassatt, ''The Lamp'', 1890-1891
File:Mary Cassatt - In the Omnibus - Google Art Project.jpg, Mary Cassatt, ''In the Omnibus'', 1890-1891
File:Brooklyn Museum - The Barefooted Child - Mary Cassatt.jpg, Mary Cassatt, ''The Barefooted Child'', 1896-1897
File:Mary Cassatt-Selfportrait.jpg, Mary Cassatt, ''Portrait of the Artist'', 1878
References
External links
*
Further reading
*Birchfield, James. ''Kentucky Countess: Mona Bismarck in Art and Fashion''. Lexington: University of Kentucky Art Museum, 1997.
*Launet, Edouard.
L’American Center Ressuscite à Paris" Libération. N.p., 20 Sept. 2012. Web. 24 Apr. 2013.
" Quilt Art @ The Mona Bismarck American Center. ''Needleprint'', 16 Feb. 2013.
Art Slant Paris, Mona Bismarck Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:American Center for art and culture
Art museums and galleries in Paris
Buildings and structures in the 16th arrondissement of Paris