On July 29th, the National Museum of American Illustration (NMAI) celebrated its 10th Anniversary in grand Newport Gilded Age style, honoring Whoppi Goldberg, Tom Wolfe and the National Arts Club (NAC) with the inaugural American Civilization Awards before 350 guests at Vernon Court.

President Bill Clinton, unable to attend due to a family wedding, wrote: "By preserving and celebrating a vital part of our nation's artistic heritage, the NMAI has enriched our culture and inspires visitors from across American and around the world."

The gala benefited the endowment fund of the American Civilization Foundation, the IRS approved 501-c-3 non-profit organization which operates and administers the NMAI.

Author Tom Wolfe, also an artist, delivered a manifesto on the growing significance of illustration art and the rapidly declining quality of American Modern Art.

Below are excerpts from Wolfe's Manifesto Address:

"Starting with Picasso... the history of modern art has been getting worse and worse on the skill level...

...followed by Abstract Expressionism, and it's hard to get much worse than that in a technical, skillful sense, but they found ways...

Then came Pop Art. Pop Art was the first no hands art. In other words, no Pop Art painting was ever an original...

Then there was Minimalism and there was almost nothing there...

Then came Conceptual Art where it was just the concept of the art which was all that mattered.

So now we are finally down to No Hands Art and Tenure Art... and already the signs are showing that people are beginning to realize that illustrators were and are the people who cannot finesse skill. They cannot say, I'm not going to use that old fashion stuff, because that's what everything depends on. And these artists that are at the National Museum of American Illustration are made of tremendous talent and dedication to the craft. If you look at the ones who left school early... not to play basketball, but to study art. Rockwell's a very good example. Howard Chandler Christy's a very good example. These are men  are amongst the last great skillful artists in America.

Rockwell did 321 covers for the 'Saturday Evening Post,' that was very big time. But J.C. Leyendecker outdid him by one I believe, 322. Both just absolutely great, great artists. And today we can see the whole thing turning.

I'm just here tonight to tell Laurence and Judy they've done it. This is the 10th anniversary. Thanks in no small part to Judy and Laurence, Norman Rockwell is the Picasso of the 21st Century."

For a full transcript of Tom Wolfe's Speech, please Click Here to download the complete text.