Smithsonian exhibit

The exhibit, "A Revolution in Wood," celebrating a gift of 66 turned and carved wood pieces given to the Smithsonian American Art Museum by collectors Fleur and Charles Bresler, runs through Jan. 30, 2011 at the Renwick Gallery.

The collection includes masterpieces that highlight the expressive capacity of craft's most organic material by some of the best-known wood artists in the United States. Nearly half of the artworks in the exhibition will be on public display for the first time. The Breslers' gift is one of the largest of wood art to any American museum, according to the Smithsonian.

The exhibition is organized by Nicholas R. Bell, curator at the Renwick Gallery. "Contemporary wood art's relative youth in comparison to other craft media and its development at the grassroots level make it an exciting medium to watch," says Bell. "The Breslers' extraordinary gift has provided us with the rare opportunity to examine recent developments in the field through the finest examples."

All 66 objects in the exhibition will be available in a slide show on the museum's website at www.americanart.si.edu. The exhibition will travel to several U.S. museums beginning in 2012.

This article originally appeared in the October 2010 issue.