The Heckscher Museum of Art 2 Prime Avenue Huntington, NY 11743 Public Information: 631.351.3250

CONTACT Christine Nottonson [email protected] 631.351.3006 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE THE HECKSCHER MUSEUM OF ART PRESENTS MORT KÜNSTLER PRINT AND BOOK SIGNING SUNDAY, 12 APRIL 2015, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM Huntington, NY - Mort Künstler, America’s premier Civil War history painter, will be signing limited edition prints of his painting Respect of An Army, recently unveiled at the Museum. On view from Saturday, April 11, through Sunday, April 19, the painting commemorates the 150th anniversary of the signing of the terms of surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia by Generals Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant. Künstler will also be signing his book The New Nation: The Creation of the United States in Paintings and Eyewitness Accounts. Other Künstler prints will be available for purchase.

After studying at Brooklyn College, U.C.L.A., and Pratt Institute, Mr. Künstler became a successful illustrator in New York where he received assignments from book and magazine publishers. An important part of his training resulted from his affiliation with National Geographic Magazine. It was through their assignments of historical subject matter that he learned the value of working with historians so that accuracy was firmly imbued into his work.

When he placed his focus on Civil War art in the late 1980s, Künstler rapidly became the country’s most collected Civil War artist, with an enormous following. Respect of An Army is the artist’s second-to-last painting, as he has officially retired from the genre. 1

The Museum is working with the artist on two exhibitions that will open in December 2016. One will feature paintings, drawings, and sketches from the artist’s recently published book, The New Nation: The Creation of the United States in Paintings and Eyewitness Accounts, which chronicles the story of the creation of America from the first settlements at Jamestown in 1607 through the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, while the other will showcase works from the artist’s extensive collection of American illustrators, which includes such masters as J.C. Leyendecker, Howard Pyle, Norman Rockwell, and N.C. Wyeth. Editor’s Note: The Heckscher Museum of Art, founded in 1920 by August Heckscher, serves the people of the Town of Huntington and surrounding communities. Through exhibitions of its permanent and loan collections of art and related programs, the Museum seeks to provide inspiring and transformative educational experiences to encourage a broader understanding of our past and present to enrich the quality of life of the individuals it serves. The Museum’s Permanent Collection contains more than 2,500 works from 16th- to 21st-century European and American painting, sculpture, works on paper, and photography. For information about The Heckscher Museum of Art, visit www.heckscher.org. Museum Hours Wednesday - Friday | 10:00 am - 5:00 pm * Saturday and Sunday | 11:00 am - 5:00 pm * Monday and Tuesday | Closed * Huntington Township Residents admitted FREE Wednesdays after 2:00 pm and Saturdays before 1:00 pm. Proof of residency required. Free Admission for Active Military Personnel, Veterans, and Family Available to any bearer of a Geneva Convention Common Access Card (CAC), a DD Form 1173, a DD Form 1173-1, a Veteran’s DD-214, or a Veteran ID card and a driver’s license. Includes active military personnel (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard, and Reserve) or Veteran and up to five (5) family members (spouse, child, aunt, uncle, grandparent, etc.).

Accredited by Alliance of Museums (AAM) since 1972.

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