10/3/01

FORMER METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART DIRECTOR TO SPEAK AT AU

AUBURN -- Thomas Hoving, former director of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, will present the first 2001-02 Littleton-Franklin Lectures in the Sciences and Humanities at Auburn University on Thursday, Oct. 11.

Hoving's lecture is also being sponsored by the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Art at AU.

His lecture, based on his latest book titled Greatest Works of Arts of Western Civilization will be at 4 p.m., in AU's Hotel and Dixon Conference Center auditorium. A question and answer session will follow the lecture, as well as a book signing and reception.

Hoving became one of the most controversial figures in the history of art museums in America when he assumed the directorship of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1967.

During his 10-year tenure, Hoving doubled the size of the museum, redesigned its entrance facade, added five wings and renovated more than 50 galleries. He also strengthened all areas of the Metropolitan's permanent collection by acquiring more than 25,000 works of art.

In a further attempt to popularize the museum with the general public, Hoving conceived the first 'blockbuster' exhibition, designing the 1976 King Tut show, which continues to rank as one of the most popular museum exhibits of all time

The success of the King Tut exhibition combined with other exhibits have made Hoving one of the most influential personalities in the world of American art museums today.

"Hoving is often credited with popularizing American museums, which now enjoy an astounding 865 million visitors a year," said Michael De Marsche, director of AU's Jule Collins Smith Museum of Art, which is under construction on South College Street.

Hoving is the author of 12 non-fiction and fiction books since 1979, including two best sellers, The Untold Story, King Tutankhamun and Making the Mummies Dance, an unvarnished account of his tenure as director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

For six years, he was also entertainment editor on the ABC television network show, 20/20, and was editor-in-chief of Connoisseur magazine from 1981-1990.

Hoving currently writes a monthly column, "My Eye," for the Artnet magazine published on the website, www.artnet.com.

The Littleton-Franklin Lectures, sponsored since 1968 by the John and Mary Franklin Foundation of Atlanta, also recognizes the services of Mosley Professor Emeritus Taylor D. Littleton.

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CONTACT: Michael De Marsche, 334/844-1484; Littleton-Franklin committee chair Philip Shevlin, 334/844-4043.