Museum

Docent Speakers Bureau

The Docent Speakers Bureau makes art come alive in the community. The Bureau brings lively and informative art history programs to groups of all sizes, including civic organizations, libraries, cultural clubs, and residential communities. One-hour PowerPoint slideshow programs, presented by NSU Art Museum-trained docents can be scheduled throughout the year in Broward and southern Palm Beach. Groups can choose from a wide range of art history topics designed to make art accessible and enjoyable.

The Venus of Brassempouy, circa, 26,000 to 24,000 BP (before present), Mammoth ivory, 1½ in. high, ¾ in. deep and ¾ in. wide, Musée d'Archéologie Nationale at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Paris, France

Judith Leyster (Dutch, 1609-1660), Self Portrait, 1630, Oil on Canvas, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC

Johannes Vermeer (Dutch, 1632-1675), Girl with a Pearl Earring, 1665, Oil on canvas, 17½ x 15 1-3 in., Mauritshuis Museum, The Hague, Netherlands

George Bellows (1882-1925), Pennsylvania Station Excavation, ca. 1907-1908, Oil on canvas, 31-3/16 x 38¼ in., Brooklyn Museum, New York

Karel Appel (Dutch 1921-2006), Wild Horses, 1954, Oil on canvas, 76½ x 44½ in., Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid

George Bellows (1882-1925), Dempsey and Firpo, 1924, Oil on canvas, 51 × 63¼ in., Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

Jackson Pollock (American 1912-1956), Convergence: Number 10, 1952, Oil on canvas, 93½ x 155 in., Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, N.Y.

Georgia O’Keeffe (1887 – 1986), Black Iris, 1926, Oil on canvas, 36 x 29-7/8”, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY

Norman Rockwell (American 1894–1978), The Problem We All Live With, 1963, Oil on canvas, 40-1/8 x 62 in., Norman Rockwell Museum. Stockbridge, MA

Norman Rockwell (American 1894–1978), Art Critic, 1955, Oil on canvas, 39½ x 36¼ in., Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, MA

Alfred Stieglitz (1864–1946), The Steerage, 1907, Photogravure, 15-7/8 x 11-1/16 in., The Jewish Museum, New York, NY

Henri Cartier-Bresson, Spiral Staircase (No true title or date)

Some Topics Include

French Impressionism: The Fall of the Art Establishment

After more than 200 years as the arbiters of fine art, the French Salon was given a profound shock when a group of maverick artists, soon to be
critically dubbed the “Impressionists”, promoted new ideas and techniques.

French Impressionists You May Not Know

Names like Boudin, Bazille, and Caillebotte, may not be as familiar as Monet, Renoir, and Morisot, but their work and their personal stories are equally engaging.

Major Post-Impressionists

Four celebrated European artists built on the success of the Impressionists, advancing into the 20th Century: Cezanne, Gauguin, van Gogh, and Seurat  American Impressionism American artists moved to Europe to study during the late 19th century. Mary Cassatt and William Merritt Chase, among others, were instrumental in popularizing this new art style in the United States.

William Glackens: An American Modernist

Take an in-depth look at the artist as brilliant illustrator, Impressionist painter, and devoted family man. He has often been dubbed the “American Renoir” and the NSU Art Museum is home to the largest collection of the artist’s works.

Coming of Age: American Art, 1850’s to 1950’s

See how great American artists like Winslow Homer, James McNeil Whistler, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Jackson Pollack moved the center of the art world from Paris to New York.

The “Ashcan” Painters

Five American artists, led by Robert Henri, outraged critics with their gritty portrayal of daily life in early 20th century New York City.

Picturing Women

Women have served as models, muses, and mistresses to artists for centuries. Follow this illustrative history as they are captured in love, lust, and daily life – on canvas, in ivory, marble, film, and more.

Women Artists – The Feminine Perspective

From the early 17th century to the Modern era women have struggled for artistic recognition in the male-dominated art world.

Realism in a Modern Society

Two iconic New York artists, George Bellows and Edward Hopper, present contrasting views of America in the early 20th century.

Norman Rockwell: America’s Illustrator

Enjoy this updated version of the NSU Art Museum’s 2009-2010 exhibition. Rockwell continues to be a perennial crowd-pleaser.

Is This Art?

Does contemporary art confuse you? This program will walk you through the steps to understanding how to look at, and appreciate, art from the Modern era to today’s diverse landscape.

Matisse and the Fauves: aka “The Wild Beasts”

In 1905 a French art critic dubbed this group of artists Fauves – or “wild beasts” – for their use of outrageous color. Explore the advancement of Modern Art through the works of Matisse, Derain, and others.

The HeArt of America

The epic history of art in America is viewed from it’s earliest days to the 20th century. Numerous artists portrayed the people, events, and everyday activity that helped shape this great country.

Looking Through the Lens

The eye of the camera captures the subject but it is the eye of the photographer that creates the magic!

Follow the Trail: Picasso’s Path to Creativity

Picasso’s artwork was never ending. Where did some of his ideas get their start?

Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel (1508-1512 and 1536-1541)

How did Michelangelo, noted Italian Renaissance sculptor, end up painting the world’s most famous frescos? We look closely at some of his iconic images from the Sistine Chapel and the artist’s turbulent relationship with the Pope who made it happen, Julius II.

Treasures In Our Own Backyard

An introduction to the NSU Art Museum’s extensive holdings, including American painter William Glackens and his contemporaries, CoBrA art from post-World War II Europe, and Cuban and Latin-American collections.

The Power of Picasso

Arguably the most significant and prolific artist of the 20th century, Picasso’s immense influence has extended around the world.

Americans Discover Impressionism

After studying abroad, American artists like William Merritt Chase and Theodore Robinson came back with fresh ideas.

Art in 3D

Using a wide variety of media, one of the oldest forms of art continues to evolve over the centuries.

Glackens and Renoir – Affinities and Distinctions

William Glackens was known as the “American Renoir” Is this really true?

Great Masters of Dutch and Flemish Art

A look at Rubens, Rembrandt, Vermeer and other masters from the Low Countries.

If a topic you are interested in is not listed, please inquire about availability.

For more information or to book a speaker, email [email protected] or call 954-262-0204.

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Exhibitions

Currently on View

The Riddle of the Sphinx and Other Mysteries

May 14, 2025

May 30 - September 28, 2025

William J. Glackens Seated Across with Mirror, c.1903. NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale; gift of the Sansom Foundation, Inc.