Buffalo, NY – The Albright-Knox Art Gallery will hold its annual Christmas Tree Lighting and Concert this Sunday, December 11, at 3 pm, in the museum’s Auditorium. The tree will feature the museum’s rare 18th-century Neapolitan crèche, donated in memory of Helen Northrup Knox. This set of figurines is one of only three in the United States; the other two are in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the White House.

During the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, the White House set was a focal point of the holiday display in the East Room. There are 33 pieces in each of the three sets, with the largest ranging from 15 to 20 inches high. These figurines were made exclusively in Naples, Italy, during the hundred-year period between 1730 and 1830.

The ceremony will begin at 3 pm in the Auditorium and will include a performance of holiday favorites by the Buffalo Gay Men's Chorus under the direction of Artistic Director Garrett F. Martin and Associate Artistic Director Dr. Abigail Rockwood-Puehn. This event is free and will be followed by a reception in AK Café. 

###