Short Takes

Museums

• The Whitney Museum of Art in New York is presenting Alexander Calder: The Paris Years, 1926-1933 from Oct. 16 through Feb. 15. Alexander Calder is one of the most critically acclaimed artists of the 20th century. The highly focused show with the spirit of a young artist’s first retrospective, Alexander Calder: The Paris Years, 1926–1933 explores a time when, from the ages of 27 to 34, Calder created his first wire drawings in space, performed his Circus (made in Paris 1926–’31 and part of the Whitney’s permanent collection) and invented his signature mobiles. For more information, call 212.570.3676 or visit http://whitney.org.

• The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, Conn., is offering a unique exhibit titled What Lies Beneath: Revealing Painters’ Secrets. Over several years, the Atheneum has been examining many of the pictures in its collection using x-radiography and infrared imaging, revealing artist changes not visible to the naked eye. For example, Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait reveals a seated peasant woman beneath the surface paint. The exhibition will examine and interpret under-images of paintings from the collection, hidden from sight in some cases for hundreds of years. The exhibit runs Nov. 6 through March 29. For more information, call 860.278.2670 or visit www.wadsworthatheneum.org.

• Responding to an increasing interest on the part of planners to make a positive contribution, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts worldwide is offering the Meetings that Matter program. Meetings that Matter gives groups an opportunity to help out the community where they’ve enjoyed their stay, or join Fairmont in supporting international organizations that share a commitment to responsible tourism and environmental stewardship around the planet. The new Meetings that Matter offer is available to planners booking a meeting for 2008 or 2009 that requires a minimum of 50 room nights. Ten percent of the room revenue generated by the booking may be used as credit toward another meeting of equal or greater size and value or may be donated to a charitable organization. Planners can determine the charity of choice or pick one of Fairmont’s corporate partners, which include the National Geographic Society and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. For more information, call 506.877.3162 or visit http://fairmont.com/meetingsthatmatter.