A Sizzling Summer Season is Announced

Summer sizzles and the air is full of ideas this season at Edith Wharton’s estate and gardens. The launch of The Mount’s first annual Berkshire Literary Festival and the Wharton Salon staging of Wharton’s Summer, a novel she called her “hot Ethan,” were among the 2010 season highlights announced today at a preview event hosted by the New York School of Interior Design. Also announced was a special installation of three sculptures by Xavier Veilhan, the internationally acclaimed French artist, and a new exhibit focused on film, stage, and other adaptations of Wharton’s works.

“We’re delighted to find new ways to honor and explore the legacy of Edith Wharton and showcase the unique and uniquely autobiographical house and gardens she created,” said Susan Wissler, Executive Director of The Mount. “With this summer’s debut of our Berkshire Literary Festival, we’re drawing on that legacy to celebrate contemporary writers and add something new and needed to the cultural season in the Berkshires.”

Special guest Michael Simon spoke at today’s event about the challenges and intricacies of recreating Edith Wharton’s bedroom suite, the restoration of which is expected to be completed this year. Simon is a New York designer known for his sumptuous, historically evocative rooms. Also spotlighted was a look ahead to The Mount’s 2011 exhibit, French Salute to Edith Wharton, a world-class design showcase of interiors and installations by 18 leading French designers.

Selected Highlights of the 2010 Season

The season kicks off on May 1 with the reopening of The Mount’s house and gardens and the unveiling of Dramatic License: Edith Wharton on Stage and Screen. This new exhibit presents Wharton with a twist, exploring film, stage, radio, and even opera adaptations of her works. Dramatic License spotlights celebrated adaptations, including Martin Scorsese’s sublime The Age of Innocence (1993), as well as classics such as The Old Maid (1923) starring Bette Davis.

July 5-August 30: 17th Annual Biography Series

For nearly two decades, noted biographers have taken the floor at The Mount, delighting audiences with the lives and lore of cultural icons as diverse as Gertrude Stein, Amelia Earhart, Dora Maar, Julia Child, Coco Chanel, and John Singer Sargent’s “Madame X.” Past speakers include Gail Collins, Nancy Milford, Hermione Lee, Annette Gordon-Reed, Christopher Benfey, and Suzanne Marrs. 2010 speakers will be announced this spring.

July 23-25: First Annual Berkshire Literary Festival

“The air of ideas is the only air worth breathing,” Wharton wrote in The Age of Innocence. This July 23-25, The Mount launches its first annual Berkshire Literary Festival in just that spirit, bringing together acclaimed writers and passionate readers and thinkers for a weekend of talks, readings, and lively discussion. It is the first festival of its kind in the Berkshires and a significant addition to the region’s cultural season. The full line-up of speakers and events will be announced this spring.

August 18-29: Summer, performed by the Wharton Salon

The Wharton Salon made its debut at The Mount last year with sold-out performances of Wharton’s comic short story, Xingu. In August, the ensemble returns for a two-week run of Summer, Wharton’s bittersweet and surprisingly frank coming-of-age story set in the Berkshires, adapted for the stage by Dennis Krausnick and directed by Catherine Taylor-Williams, Wharton Salon’s founder. The Wharton Salon performs the stories of Wharton and her contemporaries in adaptation, offering a unique intimacy among author, actor, and audience. Learn more about the Salon and its collaboration with The Mount at www.whartonsalon.org.

Summer 2010: Special Installation: Xavier Veilhan and a Look Ahead to 2011

This summer’s special installation of three sculptures by celebrated French artist Xavier Veilhan anticipates The Mount’s 2011 French design showcase and offers visitors a thrilling chance to view Veilhan’s art within the natural beauty of The Mount’s landscape. The Mount joins a handful of locations around the world—including Versailles, host to a Veilhan exhibition this fall—distinguished by sitings of the artist’s work.

October 1-3: Coaching Weekend

A popular annual return to the Gilded Age, Coaching Weekend brings horse-drawn carriages to The Mount and other locations in the Berkshires each fall. The Mount’s magnificent grounds are an ideal backdrop for the sights and sounds of the coaches and their Gilded Age-attired drivers and passengers.

A Look Ahead to 2011: French Salute to Edith Wharton

Edith Wharton was an ardent admirer of French culture, particularly the elegance and distinction of French style. In 2011, France’s contemporary designers return the compliment; at The Mount’s invitation, 18 leading French designers will interpret the principal rooms of Wharton’s estate. The resulting exhibit, French Salute to Edith Wharton, is a stimulating and luxurious showcase of French style in a glorious setting. Featured designers include Andrée Putman (Wharton’s library); Tristan Auer (gallery); Elliott Barnes (dining room); Daniel & Michel Bismut (Teddy Wharton’s bedroom); Patrick Blanc (scullery); Mathilda Cox (sewing room); Maxime D’Agneac and Nicole Zaech (forecourt); Joseph Dirand (kitchen and Teddy Wharton’s bathroom); François le Grix (drawing room); Olivier Lempereur (West bedroom suite); Paul Mathieu (stair hall); Michael McKinnon (butler’s pantry); Leiko Oshima & Isabelle Stanislas for so-an (Henry James Suite); Antonio Virga (West bedroom sitting room); and Sebastien Agneessens (outdoor sound installation).

Restoring Edith Wharton’s Bedroom Suite

A top restoration priority, Edith Wharton’s bedroom suite at The Mount was the “inner sanctum” where she wrote some of her most important works, including The House of Mirth. The suite consists of Wharton’s bedroom, boudoir, and bath. The Mount has already received generous funding from the Richard C. von Hess Foundation for the restoration, and continues to seek funds to complete this essential project by the end of 2010. New York designer Michael Simon has recently joined The Mount’s Interiors Committee, chaired by architectural historian Pauline C. Metcalf, to lend his vision and passion to the restoration.

About The Mount

The Mount is both a historic site and a center for culture inspired by the passions and achievements of Edith Wharton. Designed and built by Edith Wharton in 1902, the house embodies the principles outlined in her influential book, The Decoration of Houses (1897). The property includes three acres of formal gardens designed by Wharton, who was also an authority on European landscape design, surrounded by extensive woodlands. Programming at The Mount reflects Wharton’s core interests in the literary arts, interior design and decoration, garden and landscape design, and the art of living. Annual exhibits explore themes from Wharton’s life and work. In the summer of 2010, The Mount launches the Berkshire Literary Festival, a vibrant gathering of writers and readers in one of the most beautiful settings in the Berkshires. Learn more at www.edithwharton.org.

About Edith Wharton

Edith Wharton (1862-1937) was born into the tightly controlled society of Old New York at a time when women were discouraged from achieving anything beyond a proper marriage. Wharton broke through these strictures to become one of America’s greatest writers. Author of The Age of Innocence, Ethan Frome, and The House of Mirth, she wrote over 40 books in 40 years, including authoritative works on architecture, gardens, interior design, and travel. Essentially self-educated, she was the first woman awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Yale University, and a full membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

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