New York and the Seattle Museum of Art , both

of which have significant holdings of Japanese

art , came specifically to meet the artist and view his progress . While here , both curators expressed great enthusiasm for what they saw . We , too , here at the Chazen are not immune to Rebirth ’ s allure and would readily welcome it back to Madison . After all , it was created here and contains delightful visual references to Madison and Wisconsin . Careful examination of the 130-square-foot drawing rewards the viewer with images of Bucky Badger , Octopus Car Wash , a large red W , and the dome of the State Capitol , among other local references . Will it return ? Stay tuned .

In the meantime , in distant Paris , France , Jim Dine has been working on a large four-panel mural for the Chazen . Based on the artist ’ s drawings of ancient sculpture , the commissioned mural will be installed in the ceiling area of Gallery I in the Conrad A . Elvehjem Building . This too has been a project long in the making . Inspired by Dine ’ s so-called

Glyptotek Drawings ( 1987 – 88 ), which were shown in Madison in the mid-1990s , arrangements for the Chazen murals were only finalized in 2013 . Given the immensity of the mural ( two of the panels measure twenty-six feet in length ), Dine had to rent a new studio in Paris where he usually spends six to seven months each year . The work will be completed in February of 2017 . The panels will then be shipped to Madison ( by sea , because of their size ) in April and May , and then installed permanently in June 2017 . The subject of the murals is particularly suitable to this gallery as it houses our collection of Greco-Roman antiquities . Although quite different aesthetically from the work that Ikeda just completed , the Dine mural will be spectacular . For this , too , stay tuned .

Russell Panczenko , Director Chazen Museum of Art

exhibitions education collections development

Current and Upcoming Exhibitions

Curator of Education Anne Lambert to Retire

Zebras Join the Permanent Collection

New Class of Docents Joins the Museum