Huntsville, Ala. – The Huntsville Museum of Art (HMA) is excited to host a FREE concert in celebration of the opening of the newest exhibition, The Life and Art of Mary Petty, on Sunday, April 22 at 2:30 p.m.

In conjunction with HMA, The Valley Conservatory Lyceum Series will present Something Old Something New, featuring Jazz and Baroque music to celebrate the opening of The Life and Art of Mary Petty. Following the free concert, guests may visit the gallery level and preview the exhibition for the cost of general admission.

The Life and Art of Mary Petty features 30 original watercolor illustrations that became iconic covers for The New Yorker. The exhibition is organized by the Syracuse University Art Collection, Syracuse, NY.

“Music is the universal language that everyone can relate to,” remarked Dr. Beatrice Renee Collins-Williams, founding director of the Valley Conservatory. “It is our goal to be a catalyst for the arts, where performers can showcase their talents in conjunction to providing cultural enrichment and educational opportunities to the community.”

American illustrator Mary Petty (1899-1976) is best known for her distinctive covers for The New Yorker, which she illustrated between 1927 and 1966. Over her four decades with the magazine, she created a singular style of cartoon illustration characterized by its gentle satire of the City’s well-to-do. Central to her imagery were the characters of Mrs. Peabody and her maid, Fay. Petty used these two characters to explain the foibles of New York’s social elite. Working in watercolor, she meticulously drew her characters and scenes using a limited palette of roses, blues, greens, browns, and gold.

During the 1930s, she became preoccupied with the wealthy society who inhabited the mansions that dotted New York’s Upper East Side. The lifestyle and attitudes of these Victorian-style ‘old money’ families were the grist for Petty’s keen observations. Her satire, nearly always on target, was of a gentle variety that poked fun at human frailties and never seemed mean spirited. Entirely self-taught, Petty contributed to The New Yorker for 39 years, publishing 273 drawings and 38 covers. Her last cartoon was published on May 19, 1966.

No pre-registration for this is needed. For more information about the Huntsville Museum of Art and to see what other exhibitions are on display, visit hsvmuseum.org.

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