News and Media

Published: Mar 4, 2009

SAVANNAH, Ga. -- The Savannah College of Art and Design presents the 30th Anniversary Lecture Series with Michael Kimmelman, chief art critic of The New York Times, Tuesday, April 21, 7:30 p.m., at the Trustees Theater, 216 E. Broughton St. The event is free and open to the public.

Kimmelman, who also frequently writes for The Times Magazine and The New York Review of Books, was a finalist in criticism for the Pulitzer Prize in 2000. His most recent book, "The Accidental Masterpiece: On the Art of Life and Vice Versa," was a national bestseller and a Times notable book of the year. Time Magazine described it as a "transcendent experience." His previous book, "Portraits: Talking with Artists at the Met, the Modern, the Louvre and Elsewhere," which evolved out of interviews that first appeared in The Times, was also named a notable book of the year by The Washington Post and The Times, and a best book of the year by Publisher's Weekly.

Born and raised in Greenwich Village, Kimmelman graduated summa cum laude with a degree in history from Yale University in 1980. He received his graduate degree in art history from Harvard University, where he was an Arthur Kingsley Porter fellow. Kimmelman lectures widely, has produced and written television programs on the arts, and is a concert pianist who performs regularly around the United States.

Kimmelman's lecture will address how he learned as a critic to see art, and how a life spent looking closely can itself become, at its best moments, almost like a work of art. Art is not about money or fashion; it is more precious than either, he reminds his audiences. "Good art is generous," he said. "It's about encouraging people to look more closely at what's around them."

The lecture will be followed by a signing of Kimmelman's book "The Accidental Masterpiece."

This lecture is presented by the Trustees Lecture Series and Memorial Health. For more information, call 912.525.5051. Media inquiries may be directed to 912.525.5225.

SCAD's 30th anniversary celebration is generously supported by The Carson Co. and Mock Plumbing & Mechanical Inc. A complete schedule of 30th anniversary events is available online at www.scad.edu/30.