NEW YORK, NY.- The 185th Annual: An Invitational Exhibition of Contemporary American Art will feature 65 emerging and established artists selected by a jury of National Academicians. This biennial invitational is an inter-generational exhibition of non-Academicians that offers an opportunity for the public to preview new artistic directions in contemporary American art. Seen from the perspective of distinguished American artists, this national exhibition includes artists working in the New York area and the Eastern region as well as the Midwest, West Coast, and as far away as Hawaii.

The show runs the gamut from realism to abstraction, and includes a mix of painting, sculpture, mixed media and installation art. Selections represent diverse ideas, mediums and techniques from an historic number of over 400 artists that submitted work for consideration.

Included in this exhibition are artists Ghada Amer, Petah Coyne, Dana Schutz, Robert Yasuda, Chris Martin, Alison Elizabeth Taylor, Nina Yankowitz, Barkley L. Hendricks, Cildo Meireles, Anna Lambrini Moisiadis, Lari Pittman, Elise Engler, Janet Ballweg and many more of the finest American artists working today.

The exhibition will run from February 17 through June 8, 2010 at the National Academy Museum, 1083 Fifth Avenue at 89th Street, New York City. The Museum is open Wednesday and Thursday, 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM, Friday, 1:00 PM to 9:00 PM, and Saturday and Sunday, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Closed Monday and Tuesday. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for seniors and students, free for children under 12.

The National Academy Museum & School of Fine Arts was the first institution of its kind with the simple yet profound mission to "promote the fine arts in America through instruction and exhibition." As true today as when it was founded in 1825, the Academy remains a place where working artists and architects come together to create, educate, share ideas, and show their work. At its heart are the 325 National Academicians who give it both its historic richness and vital energy and are the source of the Museum's impressive permanent collection. Included are many of America's leading painters, sculptors, architects and printmakers such as Asher B. Durand, Winslow Homer, Louise Bourgeois, Frank Lloyd Wright, I.M. Pei, Robert Rauschenberg, Maya Lin, Frank Gehry and Red Grooms. The Museum houses one of the largest collections of nineteenth and twentieth century American art in the country, and includes an unparalleled portrait collection. Throughout the year, visitors can view works from the collection or see exhibitions that reflect the Academy's mission to celebrate American art and artists.