Series to Accompany Ernst Show

Newport Harbor Art Museum will offer several educational events to coincide with the exhibit “Max Ernst: The Sculpture,” which runs July 10 through Sept. 6.

A three-part Surrealism lecture series on Saturdays--July 11, 18 and 25--features museum public relations officer Maxine Gaiber speaking on “Dada and the Birth of Surrealism”; museum education director Ellen Breitman speaking on “Surrealism and Max Ernst in Europe and America,” and San Diego State art history professor Ida Rigby speaking on “The Women of Surrealism.” Tickets for the series are $30, general; $20, students and seniors. Single tickets are $10. Refreshments will be served. Preregistration is required: (714) 966-7816.

“Tuesday Talks at Noon”--held in the galleries and the Lyon Room--are free and do not require reservations. Museum chief curator Bruce Guenther will give two tours (“Max Ernst” on July 14; “Selections from the Permanent Collection” on Aug. 11).

Other talks include a slide lecture and discussion on “Max Ernst in the Southwest” by Karen Schnell, museum associate director of education, on July 21; a talk on “Surrealism in California” by Susan Anderson, curator of exhibitions at Laguna Art Museum, on July 29; sculptor Jim Jenkins talking about bronze casting techniques, on Aug. 4; “Max and His Muses: Women in Max Ernst’s Life,” by museum curatorial assistant Michelle Guy, on Aug. 18, and Breitman discussing the influence of Ernst and other European Surrealists on American art, on Aug. 25. A new series, “Wednesday Matinees: Films at the Museum,” begins Aug. 5 with a videotape, “Max Ernst” (90 minutes, color), about the artist’s U.S. period, 1940-52. The program repeats Aug. 26, when it is coupled with the classic 1929 Surrealist film, “Un Chien Andalou” (16 minutes, black and white), directed by Luis Bunuel, with a screenplay by Bunuel and Salvador Dali.

On Aug. 12, the offerings are: “Masters of Modern Sculpture: Part II, Beyond Cubism” (58 minutes, color), which deals with post-Cubist sculpture in Europe, from Marcel Duchamp to Gilbert and George; “Max Ernst: Journey Into the Subconscious” (19 minutes, black and white), with Ernst discussing such topics as the emotional significance of shapes; and “Kindness Week, or The Seven Capital Elements” (19 minutes, black and white), about Ernst’s inventive use of collage.

On Aug. 19, the films are: “Dada” (3 minutes, black-and-white), with Ernst, Duchamp and Man Ray talking about the anarchic art movement that began in the teens of this century, and “100 Years of Modern Art, Part 2” (23 minutes, color), about painting and sculpture from 1907 to 1930, including work by major Cubists, Expressionists and Surrealists.

All programs start at 2 p.m. and cost $2. Reservations are not required. Information: (714) 966-7816.