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. Mary Cassatt - Under the Horse-Chestnut Tree - Google Art Project

Mary Cassatt - Under the Horse-Chestnut Tree - Google Art Project

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 Dress
July 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 & Learn
aim 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,

, ''

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,

, ''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