Masterworks from the NOMA

This summer the New Orleans Museum of Art loans masterworks spared by Hurricane Katrina to Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska.

The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) has lent almost 90 of its prized works of American and European masters to the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska. The exhibition, titled “Spared From the Storm,” will run June 16 through October 21, 2007.

The art represents 300 years of western art from the 17th to the 20th centuries, including work from masters such as Bouguereau, Monet, O’Keeffe, Le Brun, Picasso, Renoir, Rodin, Degas, and Tiepolo.

When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in August, 2005, NOMA’s buildings and sculpture gardens were heavily hit in the catastrophe to the tune of millions of dollars worth of damage. Luckily, due to the museum being situated on a high ridge and having its artworks moved to safety by dedicated employees, the collection of 40,000 pieces of art survived unharmed. Even so, the effects of the hurricane meant that NOMA was forced to lay off most of its employees and close down for six months. According to NOMA’s website, just now the museum is returning to “normalcy.”

To assist the New Orleans Museum of Art during its continued renovation and repair, a portion of the proceeds of the Joslyn exhibition will benefit NOMA.