Art World Dignitaries Gathered to Honor Dr. Linda Nochlin with the 2012 Award for Excellence in the Arts from the Appraisers Association of America

NEW YORK, April 19, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Appraisers Association of America (AAA), the premier national association of fine and decorative arts appraisers held its 2012 Annual Award Luncheon and presented the AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN THE ARTS to Dr. Linda Nochlin, Lila Acheson Wallace Professor of Modern Art at the Institute of Fine Arts/New York University. Nochlin, celebrated art historian and educator, is among a venerable group in the art establishment to have received this award, which began in 2005 and includes such notable recipients as Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Thomas Krens, and Arne Glimcher.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120419/DC90838)

"AAA has a tradition of honoring pioneering art world figures, and this year we are thrilled to be bestowing the organization's Award for Excellence in the Arts to Dr. Linda Nochlin.  All the work we do as appraisers is deeply grounded in the research of dedicated art historians, and Linda Nochlin is an undisputed luminary in the field -- a 'living legend'.  Linda's writings and criticism changed the way the world looked at the contributions of women artists.  The totality of Dr. Nochlin's scholarship, from studies on Realism, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, to the latest tendencies in Emerging Art, has always been insightfully brilliant," says Nancy Harrison, AAA President. 

The Appraisers Association of America assembled a distinguished group of art industry elite to support Nochlin.  Committee members include MoMA Director Glenn Lowry; Metropolitan Museum of Art curator Nan Rosenthal; Vassar College President, Catharine Bond Hill; Columbia University's Rosalind Krauss; Yale University's Dean of the School of Fine Arts, Robert Storr; Journalist Paul Goldberger; Publisher Hugh Merrell; Artists Ellsworth Kelly, Philip Pearlstein, Liza Lou and Ida Appelbroog; art dealers Larry Gagosian, Richard Feigen, Michael Findlay, and Dominique Levy; Sotheby's Chairman, Warren P. Weitman, Jr.; and Christie's President, Marc Porter, among others.

MoMA President Emerita Agnes Gund spoke at the ceremony and said, "Linda Nochlin is a much heralded art historian, giving so much to students as well as the public and scholars. She is much revered, respected and especially knowledgeable about art made by women. Linda is probably the most globally revered historian for her work on women in the art world."

And University College London's Dr. Tamar Garb, who met Nochlin nearly 25 years ago when Garb was a graduate student, delivered the keynote speech and said of her mentor, "Linda has a way of engaging with people, irrespective of status, with an openness and a generosity that has never altered – and which characterizes her scholarship as well as her personal relationships. She is ageless, irreverent, brilliant and radical. One of the first scholars to challenge the inbuilt power relations and hierarchies of art historical orthodoxies, she rewrote the history of nineteenth century art, embedding hallowed masterpieces in the social situations that made them possible, questioning entrenched values such as artistic genius and inspired creativity, exposing prejudice and writing beautifully about the formal and stylistic properties of works. A formidable critic of contemporary art, a brilliant scholar of nineteenth and twentieth century Modernism, an indefatigable champion of women artists and a profound, irreverent and original thinker, she is arguably the most influential art historian of her generation."

The AAA commissioned artist Liza Lou to create an art piece for Nochlin's award.  And other speakers included AAA president, Nancy Harrison, and Art in America's Editor-at-Large, Elizabeth Baker.

Proceeds of the AAA 2012 Annual Award Luncheon benefits the Appraisal Institute of America, the educational foundation of the Appraisers Association of America, which sponsors educational programs on connoisseurship and valuation.  The organization also focuses on raising public awareness of proper stewardship of works of art.  This year's event raised $85,000.  The event was held on Wednesday, April 18 at the New York Athletic Club, at 180 Central Park South in New York City.

Event sponsors were as follows: Corporate Benefactors: Gagosian Gallery, Herrick, Feinstein LLP, Sotheby's; Corporate Patrons: Atelier4, Bonhams, Borro, Inc., Chartis Private Client Group, Lynn & Cahill LLP, Sharon Chrust & Associates, DeWitt Stern Group
Doyle New York, Fortress New York, Freeman's, Willis Group, Winston Art Group, Withers Bergman LLP.

ABOUT THE APPRAISERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
The Appraisers Association of America, established in 1949, is the premier association of personal property appraisers serving the arts, legal, and financial communities. The Association's Certified Members provide USPAP-compliant appraisals for the fine and decorative arts, jewelry, and household contents to the highest industry standards for purposes of insurance, estate tax, charitable donation, and equitable distribution.

CONTACT: Press inquiries: Samantha Nestor, Chrysanthemum Partners, 646.247.5459, [email protected]

SOURCE Appraisers Association of America