Contact:
Marilyn Laufer, Director
(334) 844 – 1486, laufema@auburn.edu

JCSM hosting the rock’n’roll legend: Elvis Presley

AUBURN, Ala – To celebrate the coming 75th anniversary of legendary rock star Elvis Presley’s birthday, Elvis at 21 by Alfred Wertheimer, is currently on display at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art until January 9, 2010 in conjunction with Govinda Gallery, Washington, D.C. JCSM is the precursor venue to the Smithsonian-organized national tour, which includes more than ten venues over three years.

Taken during the year Elvis turned 21, Wertheimer’s photographs are a remarkable visual record of a defining time for rock ’n’ roll’s most enduring figure. When Elvis Presley walked on stage in 1956, time stopped—and then exploded. The earth shook on its axis and the beat of everyday life was jolted. In an instant, mainstream America’s veneer of cultural complacency evaporated.

1956. It was the year Elvis released his first record, made his first television appearance, and started his movie career. It was the year he became a star. Wertheimer, then a young freelance photojournalist, was there to document the extraordinary transition. Here—and including photographs of Elvis never before published! —are images that are a national treasure: a unique visual record of one of the most exciting performers of his time, one of the most influential of all time, the first true icon of rock ’n’ roll. Here is the first and last unguarded look at Elvis, featuring images of him in every aspect of his life—from performance and with the fans, to the recording studio and at home with his family. On stage and off, Elvis defined the notion of “rock style.” His electrifying synthesis of rhythm and blues, gospel, and country bridged traditional divides between white and black, urban and rural. For tens of millions of fans, Elvis transformed the beat of everyday life. His music and style helped launch a cultural revolution.

Open since 2003, the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University is Alabama’s only university art museum. Serving as the gateway into Auburn University, the museum has a wide-ranging permanent collection, which includes more than 100 Audubon prints, Tibetan bronzes dating from as early as the 15th century and works by important American modern artists, such as Arthur Dove, Georgia O’Keeffe and Lyonel Feininger. The museum rotunda features a three-tiered, hand-blown glass chandelier created especially for the space by internationally renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly. The museum experience continues onto the grounds with fifteen acres of gardens, walking paths and water features complete with outdoor sculpture, including Spinoff, created by Auburn alumna Jean Woodham.