The Art Deco World of Cole Porter: New York, Paris, Newport, will come to life at Rosecliff at 8 p.m. on Tuesday evening, August 2, as the Preservation Society of Newport County and Sotheby's co-sponsor a special evening in honor of John Grenville Winslow, Chairman Emeritus of the Preservation Society.

Cole Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. His works include the musical comedies Kiss Me, Kate (1948) (based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew), Fifty Million Frenchmen and Anything Goes, as well as songs like "Night and Day," "I Get a Kick Out of You," and "I've Got You Under My Skin." He was noted for his sophisticated lyrics, clever rhymes, and complex forms. Irving Berlin used to refer to "Begin the Beguine" as "that long, long song."

Porter was born in Peru, Indiana, into a wealthy family; his grandfather was a coal and timber speculator. His mother started Cole Porter in musical training at an early age, and Porter learned the violin at age 6, the piano at age 8, and he wrote his first operetta (with help from his mother) at age 10. Porter's grandfather wanted the boy to become a lawyer, and with that career in mind, Porter attended Worcester Academy and then Yale University beginning in 1909, (at Yale he became a member of the famous secret society, Scroll and Key), and spent a year at Harvard Law School in 1913. After realizing that he wanted to concentrate on music, he transferred to Harvard's School of Music. Porter's first Broadway production, in 1916, See America First (book by Lawrason Riggs), was a flop, closing after two weeks.

Porter enlisted in the French Foreign Legion and served in North Africa. [Other chiefly modern sources dispute Porter's claim, but it was accepted at the time.] He was transferred in 1917 to the French Officers School at Fontainebleau and was assigned to teach gunnery to American soldiers. He set up a luxury apartment in Paris and alternated between his officer duties and leading a playboy lifestyle. In 1918, in Paris, he met Linda Lee Thomas (1883 – 1954), a rich Louisville, Kentucky-born divorcée several years his senior; they were married in 1919. She was once dubbed the most beautiful woman in the world.

His musicals and individual songs soon gained him popularity; many were written specifically with Fred Astaire in mind. A riding accident in 1937 crushed his legs and left him in chronic pain and largely crippled, but he continued to compose. (According to a biography by William McBrien, a probably apocryphal story from Porter himself has it that he composed the lyrics to part of "At Long Last Love" while lying in pain waiting to be rescued from the accident.)

Distinguished historian David Garrard Lowe, accompanied by pianist and orchestra leader Bob Hardwick, will create an evening of beautiful artistic images, words and music that capture the spirit of Cole Porter's musical works and the art deco age that he personified. The buildings, people and places of the 1920s and '30s come alive in this artistic and musical presentation.

David Garrard Lowe is a well-known lecturer, cultural historian and author. His articles have appeared in, among other publications, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, American Heritage, House & Garden, and City Journal. His books include Art Deco New York and Lost Chicago.

Mr. Lowe is President of the Beaux Arts Alliance, an organization dedicated to the celebration of the cultural links between the United States and France.

Bob Hardwick started to play the piano and compose at age four with the gift of perfect pitch. He went on to win numerous national talent competitions and was accepted for private study by the University of Louisville School of Music at age 12. He also studied composition with Hall Overton at the Juilliard School of Music. "The Bob Hardwick Sound" is now one of the leading dance orchestras in the country, with an average of over 200 engagements per year in the U.S., including presidential inaugurals.

John Grenville Winslow is Chairman Emeritus of The Preservation Society of Newport County. He served as President and Chairman of the Board of Trustees from 1977 to 1989, overseeing and guiding the Society through a period of significant expansion. Mr. Winslow is an acknowledged authority on the history of Newport and has lent his expertise to numerous research projects and exhibitions for the Preservation Society and its sister institutions. The annual John G. Winslow Lecture has been established by the Preservation Society to honor Mr. Winslow's contribution toward the preservation of Newport’s rich artistic and architectural heritage.

Admission to this special evening is free for members of the Preservation Society, $10 for all others. Reservations are not required. Refreshments will be served.

The Preservation Society of Newport County, Rhode Island is a non-profit educational organization accredited by the American Association of Museums, dedicated to preserving and interpreting the area’s historic architecture, landscapes and decorative arts. Its 11 historic properties—five of them National Historic Landmarks—span more than 250 years of American architectural and social development. [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive]