Tennis Legend John McEnroe and World-Renowned Artist Eric Fischl Team Up for Fundraising Event Combining Tennis and Art

Join Phoenix College for a special event presented by Lennar: For the Love of Art

Phoenix College Eric Fischl Lecture Series and the Phoenix Art Museum present John McEnroe: We Can Be Serious

McEnroe will discuss his contemporary art collection, sharing insights about why he has chosen to purchase certain pieces.

Presented as part of the Contemporary Forum Series

When: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.

Where: Whiteman Hall at Phoenix Art Museum, Central Avenue and McDowell Road

Admission: Free and open to the public

Charity Tennis Event: John McEnroe vs. Andrei Pavel

When: Thursday, April 15, 2010

6:00 p.m. Preliminary match

7:00 p.m. Feature match between John McEnroe and Andrei Pavel

8:00 p.m. Doubles matches with John McEnroe and Sponsors

9:00 p.m. VIP Post Match Reception with John McEnroe and Eric Fischl

Where: Camelback Village Racquet and Health Club, 4444 E. Camelback Road

Admission: Tickets are $50 per person for tennis event only, $150 per person for tennis plus a reception with Fischl and McEnroe. Tickets may be purchased at the Camelback Village Racquet and Health Club front desk.

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Tennis fans around the world know John McEnroe as one of the most successful and high-profile players in the history of the game. For the Love of Art teams McEnroe with his friend Eric Fischl, one of the world’s top contemporary artists, to help raise funds to benefit the Phoenix College Eric Fischl Scholars Program and the John and Patty McEnroe Foundation.

Fischl’s work has been featured in galleries, museums, and private collections around the globe. An alumnus of Phoenix College, he celebrates his connection to the college by returning annually to present the Eric Fischl Lecture Series. Each year, he brings along a friend to highlight the annual Phoenix Art Museum event, presented as part of the Contemporary Forum series. McEnroe will be the featured speaker this year. Those who think they “know” McEnroe may not be aware of the existence of The John McEnroe Gallery in New York City’s Soho area, where he collects and trades art and showcases the work of contemporary artists. McEnroe’s presentation is entitled We Can Be Serious, a riff on the title of his best-selling autobiography, You Cannot Be Serious.

In conjunction with the lecture, Fischl will present the prestigious Vanguard Award to two Phoenix College students competing in the college’s 2010 student art competition, which will be exhibited in Phoenix Art Museum’s Great Hall prior to the lecture. Each student selected for the Vanguard Award receives a $2,500 cash prize. Fischl will also celebrate the Eric Fischl Scholars Program, which recruits students to study fine art at Phoenix College and is the first program of its kind among community colleges.

For the Love of Art is sponsored through a partnership between Lennar, Village Health Clubs & Spas, Phoenix College, Phoenix Art Museum’s Contemporary Forum, Londen Companies, Systems Solutions Inc., Climatec, Phoenix Motor Company and Dr. Abbus Fazel DDS.

For details, visit www.phoenixcollege.edu/loveart.