The Parthenon, in partnership with Centennial Park Conservancy, is showcasing a new exhibition Century III: Forty Year Retrospective 1980 -2020 in the Parthenon’s East Gallery now through Sunday, January 24, 2021. This exhibit will revisit a body of work acquired by the Parthenon in 1980 in celebration of the city's bicentennial. A virtual gallery tour will be held on Centennial Park Conservancy’s Facebook page on Friday, January 8 at 6 PM (CST).
“In 1979, the city of Nashville set aside funds to purchase and exhibit work by middle Tennessee artists, in part to celebrate the city’s bicentennial,” said Mark Medley, Parthenon Curator. “The resulting Century III collection was exhibited at the Parthenon in April 1980 and continues to be a core asset of the Parthenon’s permanent holdings, featuring work by noted Tennessee artists, such as Alan LeQuire, Paul Lancaster, and Sylvia Hyman, in a variety of themes and mediums. From today’s perspective, the Century III collection is a document of Nashville culture and history.”
To mark the Century III Collection’s 40th anniversary, the Parthenon will present this short retrospective of selected pieces, many of which have not been seen in some time.
According to Parthenon Director Wesley Paine, “One of the first major events of my tenure as director of the Parthenon was receiving the hundreds of pieces submitted to the Century III Commission for consideration for this new collection. It was wonderful to see the creativity evident among Nashville-area artists and to hear noted teacher, art critic, and author John Canaday, who was the juror selecting the works for purchase, comment on the high quality of art submitted. It is a great pleasure to see these objects on view to a new public, many of whom weren’t yet born when they were created.
Virtual Gallery Opening
