Wadsworth Museum of Art Members Quarterly by Virginia Anstett

Membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Quarterly

Back To School Issue

Fall 2007

VISITOR INFORMATION

CONTENTS 2 3 4

Visitor Information Letter from the Director Cover Story: Back To School at the Atheneum

6 Sources of Support 8 Exhibitions 14 Continuing Exhibitions 15 Traveling Exhibition 16 Acquisitions 17 Member Proﬁle 18 Traveling Exhibitions 19 e Museum Shop

Members’ Quarterly is published by the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art.

Main Number: (860) 278-2670 The Museum Cafe: (860) 838-4042 TDD: (860) 278- 294 Web site: www.wadsworthatheneum.org E-mail: info@wadsworthatheneum.org Museum Hours Wednesday–Friday: 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Saturday & Sunday: 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Open until 8:00 p.m. the ﬁrst Thursday of every month. Closed Mondays, Tuesdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Closes at 3:00 p.m. the days before Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Open Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Admission Members: FREE Adults: $10 Seniors (age 62+): $8 Students (age 13–college student with ID): $5 Children 12 & under: FREE FIRST THURSDAYS from 5:00–8:00 p.m.: $5 During Festival of Trees and Traditions, an additional fee of $3 per person is added to all admission tickets. A surcharge applies for special exhibits. Group Tours and Visits With advance reservations only, groups of ten or more are eligible for discounted admission. Please call (860) 838-4046.

Art Director: Jil Krolik Graphic Designer: Virginia Anstett Photographers: Allen Phillips, John Groo, and Jeﬀ Sobiech. Members’ Quarterly is generously supported by a grant from Aetna.

On the cover: Back To School images taken from Hand and Hand, and Story Book Hour events.

Errata The cover detail and page 5 images of Sol LeWitt’s Incomplete Open Cubes installation were accidentally printed in reverse in the summer issue of Members’ Quarterly. We apologize to the LeWitt family and to our members for this error.

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Film Admission Unless otherwise indicated, Aetna Theater film admission is $9; Seniors & Students w/i.d.: $8; Museum Members: $7; Film Buff Members: $3.50; Film Star Members: Free. Refer to the fall film flyer film descriptions, ratings, and running times. Titles are subject to change. Please call (860) 838-4142 or visit www.wadsworthatheneum.org for an updated listing. Membership Annual membership offers many bendfits, including free general admission, exhibition previews, and discounts at The Museum Cafe. Call the Membership Department at (860) 838-4074. The Museum Cafe Open Wednesday through Sunday 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Reservations not required; however, tables of eight or more are encouraged to call in advance—(860) 838-4039. Museum Shop Open during museum hours. Parking at the museum The visitor parking lot is located behind the Museum on Prospect Street. Open during museum hours.

LETTER FROM THE ACTIN G D IR E C T O R

Dear Members,

Saturday, October 6 First Benefit Gala for the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art

Splend0r 6:00 p.m. Cocktails & Silent and Live Auction: Art work, Trips, Decorative Art, Fine Wines 8:00 p.m. Dinner 10:00 p.m. Dancing $300 per person / $600 per couple For more information, contact Marcia Kalayjian: 860.349-3725, marcia.kalayjian@sbcglobal.net or Kathy Kraczkowsky: 860-523-7661, kracz@comcast.net

This autumn will be an especially exciting time at the Atheneum, with the Museum’s first ever benefit gala, Splendor, on Saturday, October 6. For those of you looking for a fun and exciting new way to explore our exhibition, Faith & Fortune: Five Centuries of European Masterpieces, the Museum will be launching a Masterpiece Mystery Puzzle, created by famed children’s book author, illustrator, and great friend of the Museum, Walter Wick. Speaking of excitment, the 34th annual Festival of Trees and Traditions, A Celebration of Families will be held from December 1–9. In this Back to school Issue of our Member’s Quarterly we highlight our School and Teacher Programs, just one aspect of the rich and varied educational experiences available to museum visitors of all ages. The Atheneum has a long tradition of innovative and exciting educational programming, and is a leader in offering programs that link the vusual arts to school curricula, especially in the field of language arts. Such programs would not be possible without the support of many donors, and we give special recognition to the Lincoln Financial Foundation and their generous grant for our School and Teacher Programs. We also acknowledge The Phoenix Company for their continued generous support of Phoenix Art After Hours: First Thursdays, which combine educational experiences, with great entertainment to help broaden the Museum’s audience. On September 22, we open the exhibition again: serial practices in contemporary art. This exhibition celebrates Mickey Cartin’s generous gift of contemporary art to the atheneum, combinging works of art from this gift with loans from his personal collection. Christopher Mir/ Matrix 157: Dreams, Memories, Reflections, opens on October 4, and Magic Facade: The Austin House, opens on October 20. Taken together, all three of these exhibitions promise that this school year, as always, will be an exciting time for all our visitors.

Coleman H. Casey Acting Director and President, Board of Trustees

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Back To School at the Atheneum Story Book Hour caption..

An artwork is missing from the Museum! Describe the crime scene and the missing work of art. That is the assignment for Hartford Public School fifth grade students taking part in Hand in Hand: Art and Writing at the Atheneum, an annual program that marries the skill of observation with the art of creative writing. This fall, 130 students, six teachers and twelve docents will participate in this nationally recognized program, which reinforces classroom learning. Teachers tell us that they are thrilled to have a museum program that supports their curriculum and exposes students to great art. Expository writing is a key skill for students. That’s why the Museum introduced its Art and Writing tour in 2005. During the program’s first year, more than 500 students participated; last year, more than twice that number took part. The Atheneum also supports Social Studies and art curricula with tours such as Connecticut People and Places and Learning to Look. At the same time, these programs provide many students with their first opportunity to visit a museum.

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Our education programs offer teachers a wide range of opportunities to link the visual arts to curricula in language arts, social studies, fine arts, history, geography, and science. The Atheneum’s Art Matters series, for example, integrates a gallery tour with an art activity. Local teaching artists help students recognize the direct correlation between art on the gallery walls and the artwork that they create in the Museum’s studio. Our high school program, The Drawing Studio, works similarly. Dedicated Hartford art students are selected by their teachers to participate in this five-part class at the Museum. Each session includes discussions about works in the collection, followed by sketching in the galleries. Several of our Drawing Studio students have won awards and scholarships to art colleges. Of course, educators are also learners, so the Museum provides training and resources to nurture teachers of Kindergarten through grade twelve in disciplines

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ranging from art to world languages and history. The State of Connecticut Department of Education recognizes the Atheneum as a licensed provider for caus. (Continuing Education Units), which educators must accrue to maintain their teaching certiﬁcations. We’ve also partnered with Saint Joseph College, the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, and other organizations to teach educators how to integrate art into their classroom. These programs all share the goal of converting the ﬁrst-time visitor into a lover of museums. Reasons teachers cite for bringing their students to the museum: • reinforce learning about the Hartford community. • validate what was being taught in the classroom. • integrate art and writing curriculum. • be exposed to artwork and have the experience of visiting an art museum.

CO V E R S T O RY

Hand and Hand. HOTSchools Institute.

The Education Department has established a strong relationship with schools and teachers around Connecticut. Last school year, students from 101 towns, representing 213 schools in Kindergarten through grade twelve, visited the Atheneum for various programs. Some teachers report that they’ve been bringing their students here for more nearly a decade.

• to better their understanding of ‘Pop’ art and to observe diﬀerent styles of art. • learn more about Connecticut people and places. • to experience art. Just as compelling are students’ comments about their visit to the Atheneum:

• Art is fun, and there are many things and ways you can create an artwork. • We imagined what the pictures were about. • The Docents were kind and smart. • You could see the brush strokes. • Monet, Renoir, and Hassam paintings are very pleasant and peaceful. • The mummy was cool.

And my favorite: “I really enjoy going to the museum and learning about art…trust me that at ﬁrst I went to the museum I thought it was going to be boring.” Dawn Salerno, Associate Museum Educator for School and Family Audiences

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Lincoln Financial Foundation The Wadsworth Atheneum received a $45,000 grant in March of 2007 from Lincoln Financial Foundation for its School and Teacher Programs: Art and Learning at the Wadsworth Atheneum. The Atheneum is grateful that Lincoln Financial recognized the importance of this program, as one of its past funders moved from the region. The appeal of the program was obvious to Lisa Curran, rogram Oﬃcer with Lincoln Foundation in Hartford. “The School and Teacher Program combines two of our funding priority areas – arts accessibility and arts education,” she said. “It brings Hartford school students to the Museum and enhances their current classroom curriculum. Many of the students and their families would not go to the Museum on their own.” Lincoln Foundation also partners with the Greater Hartford Arts Council, whose support is invaluable to the many arts organizations in the area – including the Wadsworth Atheneum. Lincoln Foundation is working with the arts council to create Open House Hartford on September 8 and 9. Residents of Hartford and the suburbs will be able to attend performances and explore museums and historic houses, including the Wadsworth Atheneum, for free. The weekend will showcase numerous local treasures and speaks to the core mission of the Lincoln Foundation: improving the quality of life in the areas where the company’s employees live

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HotSchools Institue.

and work. We all benefit from having Lincoln Financial Group in Hartford. In 1998, Philadelphia-based Lincoln Financial Group established a presence in Hartford when it acquired the Aetna and Cigna life insurance businesses. Hartford became the headquarters for Lincoln Financial’s life and annuity businesses until 2006, when Lincoln merged with Jefferson Pilot Financial, based in Greensboro, North Carolina. Today the Hartford office is considered a “center of excellence” for Lincoln’s life underwriting operation. Lincoln Foundation focuses its philanthropic efforts in three priority areas – arts, education and human services. The Foundation’s funding targets programs in

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Arlington, IL; Atlanta; Charlotte; Concord, NH; Fort Wayne, IN; Greensboro, NC; Hartford, Omaha and Philadelphia. Charitable Contributions Committees have been established in each city to review grant applications and determine which nonproﬁt organizations will receive Lincoln Foundation support. Each committee meets three times a year to discuss grants within one of the focus areas. The committee is composed of local employees and has grant-making autonomy up to $50,000. Any grants the committee approves of $50,000 or more must receive the additional approval of the Foundation board in Philadelphia. That board comprises six members of the senior management team.

SOURCES O F S U P P O R T

Masterpiece mystery puzzle created for Faith and Fortune Walter Wick

Children’s book author and illustrator Walter Wick is no stranger to inquisitive minds and people who like to explore. Wick, an artist for more than thirty years, is known for his I Spy and Can You See What I See picture puzzle books. During the last ﬁve years, while traveling, he has searched around the world for works by Renaissance artists. This experience has made him ever more “astounded” by the depth of the Atheneum’s collection. So it is not surprising that he immediately said “yes”when Linda Roth, the Charles C. and Eleanor Lamont Cunningham Curator of European Decorative Art, asked him to create a puzzle for the Faith and Fortune exhibition. Wick initially envisioned an I Spy– style search-and-ﬁnd puzzle. After conversations with the curators and the Museum’s education department, however, the idea evolved, and “To Catch a Thief: A Masterpiece Mystery” was conceived. The puzzle (a work in progress as of this writing) will take children and adults through the galleries of Faith and Fortune in search of a thief who provides clues to his identity as he narrates a story in rhyme: Long ago, way back in time, I lived a wicked life of crime. Of what I did, I will be brief, To put it straight, I was a thief. From house to house, from street to street, I’d steal so that I could eat. Who am I? You might ask; Precisely! That’s your task. The evidence is in plain view, For the artist’s hand is sure and true.

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Self contained in a fold-out map, the puzzle will include the thief ’s story, rhyming clues and picture clues, and a grid to enter letters to decode a message that reveals the thief ’s identity. It is intended for ages six and up; Wick expects that it will work best when children and adults solve it together. During their quest, viewers of all ages

will discover that images from popular culture today –such as dragons, dragon slayers, skulls, princesses, knights in armor, and exotic treasures– are also found in paintings that are hundreds of years old. We hope that their journey through the galleries to ﬁnd the riddle’s surprising thief will inspire many return visits to the Atheneum.

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again: serial practices in contemporary art September 22 – December 31, 2007

This fall the Wadsworth Atheneum celebrates a gift from collector Mickey Cartin with a special exhibition featuring more than100 works of art, including highlights from the gift and loans from The Cartin Collection. Spanning the latter half of the twentieth century, this exhibition oﬀers a rich cross-section of methods and ideas, and comprises traditional and contemporary photographic media, artist’s books, and correspondence art. Although the artists featured in again employ diﬀerent media and explore diverse subjects, they share a methodology, whereby numerous aspects of a chosen subject are recorded sequentially over time (in some cases over a period of decades, in others a mere hour). This process not only yields a more dimensionally accurate record of the subject, it imbues an intensely personal connection and visual power. Photographer Roger Ballen has spent decades documenting the inhabitants of small working-class towns in South Africa. His images are an arresting combination of surreal expression and social document, in the tradition of Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange. The 1993 double-portrait Dresie and Casie, twins, Western Transvaal, for example, displays Ballen’s typically inquisitive, sympathetic gaze, illuminating both a unique personal moment and an abundance of larger social problems. Lucinda Devlin’s work also straddles document and visual expression. Her large, striking prints, such as Electric Chair, Holman Unit, Atmore, Alabama, 1991, are saturated with color and graphically enticing, but their subject matter engages divisive moral and political

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issues. Devlin carefully eliminates her presence from each photograph, providing only a simple explanatory title, leaving viewers to search for authorial intent. Arnold Odermatt’s images of wrecked cars in the Swiss canton of Niedwalden also suggest violence, but in starkly incongruous surroundings. His 1965 photograph Buochs, which was created during his four decades of work as a policeman, transformed Odermatt into an internationally recognized artist after his retirement. Other exhibition highlights include: a suite of sexually charged portraits by Joe Ovelmann – Marine Corps Uniform c. 1970 – depicting twenty-three diﬀerent men dressed in a uniform belonging to his father; small black-and-white portraits taken by the Malian photographer Malik Sidibé in the decades following his country’s independence, each displayed in a colorful hand-painted frame; Czech photographer Miroslav Tichy’s mysterious photographs of women– blurred images taken with cameras built by hand from

tin cans, reading glasses, and other found objects; a number of serially organized artist’s books, including Ed Ruscha’s Thirty Four Parking Lots and Every Building on the Sunset Strip, and On Kawara’s I Met, a record of every person he met during a period of twelve years; and a lengthy correspondence art project by Jonathan Monk: Guessing Your Grandmother’s Name. The works that make up the again exhibition display a serial practice with roots in the earliest daguerreotypes, which catalogued collections of books, fossils – even other photographs. Although the media and subject matter diﬀer, these works are windows to the process of artistic creation. Together, they illuminate both what is unique about each artist, and what is shared by the group.

Roger Ballen. Dresie and Casie, twins, Western Transvaal, 1993. Selenium toned gelatin silver print. Gift of Janice and Mickey Cartin, 2004.31.3

Lucinda Devlin. Electric Chair, Holman Unit, Atmore, Alabama, 1991. Color photograph. Gift of Janice and Mickey Cartin, 2004.31.22.

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Ash Anderson, exhibition co-curator again: serial practices in contemporary art is co-curated by Ash Anderson, PhD candidate at Yale University, and Steven Holmes, curator of the Cartin Collection.

E X H IB IT IO N S

(above) Frank Breuer. Untitled, 1995. C-print, 15 3/4 x 11 3/4 in. Gift of Janice and Mickey Cartin, 2004.31.68.

The exhibition is made possible by the members of the Contemporary Coalition and The Larsen Fund for Photography.

The Cartin Collection began in 1988 with the purchase of a single painting: a small work by the obscure, self-taught artist John Kane. That work soon was accompanied by a second painting by Kane, and through reading, looking at art, and spending time with artists, the obsessive gene that drives most collectors was switched on in Mickey Cartin, a Hartford native and longtime supporter of the Atheneum. The Cartin Collection now holds approximately 2,400 objects by more than 400 artists, ranging from ﬁfteenth-century paintings from Early Netherlandish masters, such as Jan Provost and the Master of the Tiburtine Sybil, to works by a diverse group of modern and contemporary artists, including Sol LeWitt, Agnes Martin, Tony Smith, Wim Delvoye, Tom Sachs, and Josef Albers. At any given time, as many as 40 museum exhibitions around the world include a work borrowed from the collection. With the hiring of its ﬁrst curator, Steven Holmes, in 2005, The Cartin Collection began to develop its own exhibition program, designed to make its works accessible to new audiences. In the two years since, it has produced eight exhibitions (Hartford and New London Connecticut; Miami, New York, and Paris). Some took place in traditional venues; others were installed in vacant storefronts or empty warehouses, and were free and open to the public.

Arnold Odermatt. Buochs, 1957. Black and white photograph. Gift of Janice and Mickey Cartin, 2004.31.33.

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Christopher Mir / MATRIX 157: Dreams, Memories, Reflections

Martin Luther King, Jr.: Life, Times and Legacy

October 4 – January 6, 2008

November 13, 2007 – April 29, 2008

Mir often revisits motifs within his work, and he is particularly interested in creating scenes of a futuristic spirit world, such as depicted in Day One (2006), where two men and a woman stand on the shores of a rocky coast amidst a post-apocalyptic landscape. Who are these wanderers, and why have they gathered along the desolate shore? Mir is reluctant to answer such questions, leaving us to revel in the uncertainty of his spectacularly strange compositions. Chris Mir was born in 1970 and received his M.F.A. in painting from Boston University School for the Arts in 1998. His work is represented in the permanent collection of the Yale University Art Gallery, and has been featured in solo exhibitions at RARE Gallery, New York, and group exhibitions at ArtSpace New Haven, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgeﬁeld, and Galeria Senda, Barcelona. For MATRIX 157, Mir will present a selection of his paintings from 2006 and 2007.

Martin Luther King, Jr. emerged as a leader during the Montgomery, Alabama Bus Boycott of 1955. With his charismatic personality and his unwavering determination to see that all men and women were treated equally, he quickly rose to become a symbol of civil rights activism. But a mere thirteen years later, on April 4, 1968, the hope of a people seemed to be extinguished as word spread that Dr. King had been mortally wounded as he was leaving the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. The Amistad Center for Art & Culture presents this exhibition to mark the fortieth anniversary of the assassination of Dr. King, and to recognize his importance to American culture. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Life, Times and Legacy explores the social issues of the Civil Rights era and recognizes Dr. King’s enormous contributions through period photographs – by individuals such as Gordon Parks, Moneta Sleet, and Ernest Withers – and art that was created in response to the social, political and cultural climate of his time. Among these works are the iconic image Revolutionary, by Wadsworth Jarrell; paintings, such as

Joanna Marsh, guest curator Made possible by the members of the Contemporary Coalition.

Unidentified Artist. Martin Luther King,Jr., c. 1960. Gelatin silver print. The Amistad Center for Art and Culture; Simpson Collection, AF 1987.1.1835.

Jeﬀ Donaldson’s Aunt Jemima and the Pillsbury Doughboy; and sculpture, including Elizabeth Catlett’s Homage to My Young Black Sisters. The exhibition concludes with a section of works by contemporary artists who explore the themes of race and injustice in America, which encourage Museum visitors to compare and contrast the social climate of today with that of the Civil Rights era, and assess the progress of a people, and our nation. Rehema Barber, exhibition curator

Martin Luther King, Jr.: Life, Times and Legacy opens in conjunction with The Amistad Center for Art & Culture’s Annual Meeting on November 13, 2007. The exhibition is supported by the NewAlliance Foundation.

With additional support from the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism.

Christopher Mir. Day One, 2006. Oil on canvas. Collection of Malcom Nicholls.

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E X H IB IT IO N S

Magic Façade: The Austin House October 20, 2007 – March 9, 2008

On October 20 the Wadsworth Atheneum will open a three-part exhibition focusing on the restoration of the largest object in its collection: the Austin House. The exhibition culminates decades of research and conserving or recreating fabrics, finishes, and objects to recapture a time when the house was a gathering place for figures such as Salvador Dalí, Alexander Calder, Aaron Copland, Buckminster Fuller, and George Balanchine, all of whom came to Hartford to take part in the dazzling programs of the Wadsworth Atheneum’s legendary director, A. Everett Austin, Jr., affectionately known as “Chick.” From its completion in 1930, the Austin House has been the subject of a persistent urban myth—that it is nothing more than a façade—no doubt because of its unique measurements: eighty-six feet wide, but a mere eighteen feet deep. It reality, the house is a miniature Palladian villa, built by Chick Austin and his wife Helen, a member of one of Hartford’s founding families, the Goodwins. Although it was modeled on a grand sixteenth-century Italian villa, its streamlined appearance is clearly the product of a playful twentiethcentury imagination. Inside, the Austin House is a study of contrasts. Its first floor is decorated in baroque-rococo style, with walls covered in eighteenth-century fabrics, such as Italian silk brocatelle and French chinoiserie toile; painted and gilded furniture; and an elaborately carved Bavarian alcove. But Helen Austin’s second floor dressing room proclaims the twentieth century with a jolt: a black linoleum floor, walls of different colors, chromium light fixtures, and tubular steel furniture by Marcel Breuer.

Magic Façade will introduce Museum visitors to the history of the house and the Austin family. The ﬁrst part of the exhibition features examples of the contrasting rococo and modernist furniture and decorative objects from the house, augmented by Austin family letters, photographs, books, memorabilia, and personal items. The second section focuses on the restoration project, with examples of the original fabrics and wallpaper that enabled the Museum to the recreate the interiors as they existed during the period of Austin’s greatest achievements. The third section illuminates Austin’s dual role as innovative director of the Atheneum and an irrepressible artist and performer, through correspondence with such modernist pioneers as Gertrude Stein, Le Corbusier, and Mondrian; photographs, catalogues, and theater programs; a costume designed by Austin himself; works of art he acquired for the museum; and his own paintings, watercolors and theater designs.

The Austin House.

Interior view of the Austin House.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully illustrated book, also called Magic Façade: The Austin House, featuring an introductory reminiscence of Chick Austin by his friend Angela Lansbury; an essay on the Austin House, its creator and his family, by Eugene R. Gaddis; a commentary by Austin’s son David Austin; an essay on the house in the context of American architecture by Richard Guy Wilson, Commonwealth Professor and Chair of the Department of Architectural History at the University of Virginia; and an essay by Krystyn Hastings-Silver, the Restoration Project Director, describing the philosophy and the detective work required to bring the Austin House back to life. Eugene R. Gaddis, William G. DeLana Archivist and Curator of the Austin House This exhibition is made possible through the generosity of the William and Alice Mortensen Foundation.

A. Everett Austin, Jr.

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Impressionists by the Sea February 9 - May 11, 2008

The coast of Northern France had long been a popular subject for painters. Many, like Courbet and Millet, concentrated on dramatic natural scenes while others such as Whistler and Isabey showed the local ďŹ sherman at work. With the advent of Impressionism, artists such as Monet and Manet painted attractive scenes of vacationing Parisians on fashionable resort beaches, as did Renoir and Cassatt. Monet, represented by fourteen paintings in the exhibition, soon turned away from the frivolity to concentrate on powerful scenes of pure nature. The ďŹ fty works in this exhibition, many never seen before, provide a splendid survey of this exciting subject.

Frederic Edwin Church. Coast Scene, Mount Desert (Sunrise off the Maine Coast), 1863. Oil on canvas. Bequest of Clara Hinton Gould, 1948.178.

The exhibition is organized by the Royal Academy of Arts, London, The Phillips Collection, Washington DC and the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, CT. Supported by Farrow & Ball.

Gustave Courbet. The Shore at Trouville: Sunset Effect, 1866. Oil on canvas. Gift in honor of Helene and Max Eisner, by exchange, with additional funds provided by the Ella Gallup Sumner and Mary Catlin Sumner Collection Fund, 2006.15.1.

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E X H IB IT IO N S

(above) Eugéne-Louis Boudin. The Beach at Trouville, 1863. Oil on panel. The Ella Gallup Sumner and Mary Catlin Sumner Collection Fund, 1948.385.

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C O N T IN U IN G E X H IBITIONS

Charles McGill. American, b. 1964. Old Navy Harlem, 2001. C-print 4/20. Collection of the Artist.

Pablo Picasso. The Bather, 1922. Oil on panel. The Ella Gallup Sumner and Mary Catlin Sumner Collection Fund, 1931.198.

Michael Sweerts. Flemish, 1624-1664. Boy with a Hat, c. 1655–1660. Oil on panel. The Ella Gallup Sumner and Mary Catlin Sumner Collection Fund, 1940.198.

For the Love of the Game, Race and Sport in America

Picasso to Pop: Aspects of Modern Art

Faith and Fortune: Five Centuries of European Masterworks

Through October 21

Through November 18

Through December 9

For the Love of the Game intersperses contemporary and multimedia pieces with early images of African Americans in sport, simultaneously acknowledging the joy of organized athletic endeavors and the turbulent and emotional elements of race, class, and identity that surround them.

Paintings, watercolors, drawings, collages, and sculptures from the Atheneum’s extensive collection examine the Museum’s history of acquiring works by twentieth-century innovators and demonstrate the diversity and international reach of modern art.

Faith and Fortune pairs the Atheneum’s Old Master paintings with a rich and varied array of sculpture and decorative arts from the permanent collection. Included are paintings by Fra Angelico, Caravaggio, Hals, Zurbarán, Canaletto, Boucher, Tiepolo, Ingres, and Delacroix, and a dazzling array of objects made of bronze, silver, ivory, ceramics, and glass.

The exhibition is generously supported by the Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation and the J. Walton Bissell Foundation, with additional support provided by the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism.

Sponsorship for Picasso to Pop: Aspects of Modern Art is provided by NewAlliance Foundation.

Presenting Sponsorship is provided by the Beatrice Fox Auerbach Foundation Fund at

Lead Sponsorship provided by The Larsen Fund, the Decorative Arts Council of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Genomas, Inc., and the David T. Langrock Foundation. The Langrock Foundation

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TRAVELING E X H IB IT IO N

Exhibition in Brescia, Italy November 24, 2007 – May 4, 2008

The Wadsworth Atheneum plans to lend approximately ﬁfty major works from the museum’s 19th Century American Painting Collection to the Linea d’ombra museum of art in Brescia, Italy, for an exhibition to be held from November 24, 2007-May 4, 2008, entitled America! Storie de Pittura dal Nuovo Mondo. This major exhibition, and scholarly catalogue, which will include an essay on the Hudson River School by Elizabeth Mankin Kornhauser, Krieble Curator of American Painting and Sculpture, marks the ﬁrst presentation of American 19th century art for the Italian audience. With over 400 masterworks drawn from leading art museums in the United States, this promises to be a ground breaking project, and one that will present the Atheneum’s collections to an international audience. Visitors to the Wadsworth Atheneum’s American Galleries will be able to see a new installation of 19th Century American watercolors by such artists as Winslow Homer and John Singer Sargent, which will be installed in place of the loans traveling to Italy.

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A C Q U IS IT IO N

George Laurence Nelson The American artist George Laurence Nelson pursued his artistic career in France where he developed a bold and bright post-impressionist style. With the approaching war, Nelson returned to New York in 1914 and would later become a central ﬁgure in the art colony in Kent, Connecticut, that included fellow-artists Robert Nisbet and Eliott Clark, among many other New York based painters who acquired country houses in Kent and who established the Kent Art Association in 1922. Over the course of his very successful career, he became a leading society portrait painter and was elected to the National Academy of Design, and served as the president of the Allied Artists of America. In 1919, Laurence purchased a historic house in the “Flanders” section of Kent that dated to the seventeenth century. Called “Seven Hearths,” Nelson renovated the house, where he also created a studio, living there with his wife, the art critic Hermine (Helen) Charlotta Redgrave Nelson, and her daughter Beatrice. Nelson and his family spent sixty years at Seven Hearths, and at the time of his death, he left the house and the contents of his studio to the Kent Historical Society. In recent years, the Society has engaged in placing the artist’s most important works in major American museums.

The Daguerreotype is a prime example of the artist’s most accomplished portrait style. The subjects include his adopted daughter Beatrice, who is enthralled by her grandmother, who gazes at a family daguerreotype portrait, likely of herself. They are seated in one of the parlors of Seven Hearths, which includes a corner cupboard filled with early 19th century blue and white transfer ware British pottery. Various antique furnishings fill the parlor, and in the center of the table is a glorious still life of wild flowers from the Nelson’s famed gardens, a vignette often featured in his more personal portraits of family members. The colonial revival movement, of which Nelson was

an avid student, inspires the subject of the portrait. The artist has juxtaposed the older generation (his in laws) who present a much earlier form of photographic portraiture – the daguerreotype which was ﬁrst invented in the 1830s – to their granddaughter, who with her grandparents is portrayed by Nelson in the highly fashionable portrait style of the early 20th century. The Wadsworth Atheneum is indebted to The Kent Historical Society for this important addition to the collection of American art. Elizabeth Mankin Kornhauser, Krieble Curator of American Painting and Sculpture

George Laurence Nelson. The Daguerreotype, c. 1915. Oil on canvas. Gift of the Kent Historical Society, Kent, Connecticut.

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MEMBE R P R O F IL E S

Names: Sandra and David Benjamin Hometown: Tolland, Connecticut Recently, we sat down with Sandra and David Benjamin to discuss their Museum membership and the way that art inﬂuences their life. MQ: How did your love of the arts develop? Sandra: I’ve always loved visiting art museums. When I was a child we lived in Tarrytown, New York, and I often would go down to the city with my friends. We thought we were a big deal to wander through the Metropolitan Museum of Art by ourselves. Those early experiences really shaped my life. They motivated me to pursue an undergraduate degree in Fine Arts from Syracuse University, before going on to receive a Masters of Divinity from Yale Divinity School. David: I also went to Syracuse University, to study engineering. So it was an interesting combination; the engineer and the artist [laughs]. Sandy has certainly broadened my point of view on things, and I credit her for introducing me to the arts. It’s been very rewarding. Sandra: When we moved to Connecticut in 1965, we joined the Museum right away. Back then, it was a diﬀerent place – the art didn’t change as often as it does today. At that time, we lived in East Hartford, and I worked right across the street from the Wadsworth at SNET Co. I made it a point to come over at lunchtime and enjoy the Museum most every day. MQ: Are there specific works, or types of work, in our collection that create a connection for you? David: I really connect with the Hudson River School paintings. I could spend quite a bit of time enjoying those works. They’re certainly some of the Museum’s signature pieces.

David B. Benjamin, granddaughter Gina Carroll, and Sandra T. Benjamin

Sandra: My old favorites are from the baroque collection, because they make me feel at home; they’re like friends up on the wall that I come and visit. That’s my emotional response – but artistically, I love it all. I love the diversity of the Museum’s collection. I discover new things about works all the time. It can be surprising how a painting that has never caught your eye before leaps out at you all of a sudden, and captures your attention. My favorites change all the time though. I think that’s probably the way it’s meant to be.

They can only grow in appreciation for the many cultures and peoples in the world and in tolerance for the exchange of ideas. Not to mention they can have a lot of fun. David: We love to bring them to the Atheneum for the Art Explorers programs in the studio and Storybook Hour in the galleries. It’s great to see their excitement as they experience new things. It’s a well-rounded experience for children. I really think people should put it on their list of things to do.

MQ: What roles do the arts play in your personal and family life? Sandra: When I studied at Yale Divinity School I made it a point to take classes in sacred art and architecture. Throughout my years in the ministry, I was able to use the arts as a means to help people better understand themselves, others and their faith. The visual arts have a huge inﬂuence on all of us, especially children. It has always been important to me to expose my grandchildren to art at an early age. As soon as each of them was born, I would bring them in and show them works that were really big, with bright colors, especially when they were very young and theirs eyes were just beginning to focus.

MQ: Do you have any favorite memories from visiting the Wadsworth over the years? David: Sandy started bringing our grandson Sean to the Museum when he was only two or three months old, so he was exposed to quite a bit of art at a very young age. I remember one time we brought some relatives in for a visit, and Sean was with us. He was four years old at the time, and he had seen Sandy introduce some of the works when she was giving docent tours during his prior visits. He had three or four favorite paintings and he acted like a little docent, taking us all around to see them and telling us about them. It was great to watch him do that.

MEMB ER S’ Q U ARTER LY

FALL 2007

T R AV E L IN G E X H IB ITIONS

Exhibitions drawn from the Wadsworth’s extraordinary collections will be seen by national and international audiences in 2007 and 2008.

USA Samuel Colt: Arms, Art, and Invention

Detail. Samuel Colt. Number 5 Holster Pistol, 1840. Bequest of Elizabeth Hart Jarvis Colt.

October 13, 2007–January 6, 2008 National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum Oklahoma City, OK February 2–April 27, 2008 Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture Spokane, WA May 24–September 1, 2008 Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum Canyon, TX

Europe Nue Welt. Die Erfindung der amerikanischen Malerei (New World. Creating An American Art) July 21–October 21, 2007 Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, Germany

America! Storie di pittura dal Nuovo Mondo

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(America! Painting the New World) November 24, 2007–May 4, 2008 Linea d’ombra museum of art Brescia, Italy Coming Soon

FALL 2007

The Phoenix pledges continued support THANK YOU! to The Phoenix Company for continuing their support of Phoenix Art After Hours: First Thursdays at the Wadsworth Atheneum for a second year. The Phoenix’s $100,000 sponsorship has helped the Museum oﬀer stimulating lectures and gallery talks, and contributed to the vibrant mix of jazz, rock, and R&B musicians performing in our galleries, all of which broaden

WAD SWO RTH ATH EN EU M.O R G

the Museum’s audience. In addition, opening the galleries in the evening for folks ﬁnishing oﬀ a day of work or others coming into Hartford for dinner and a movie, contributes to the health and vitality of the downtown scene. We are pleased to have a continued partnership with The Phoenix Company, and look forward to bringing you another year of outstanding programming.

MU S E U M S H O P

Save time to stop at The Museum shop during your visit. You’ll ﬁnd exquisite jewelry, exhibition catalogues and books, and games and activities for every age group. Members receive 10% oﬀ their purchases.

Playmate Chess Set This whimsical set includes 32 molded rubber playing pieces, chessboard, and a reusable carrying case. 11.5 x 11.5 inches. $33.95

Holiday Box Note Cards We have more than 100 diﬀerent sets to choose from, ranging from traditional images to contemporary designs. There’s something for every taste! $10.95-$19.95

Uglydolls Some Uglyworms are sneaky; some are crafty; all are hungry … for knowledge, like: “Where do you keep the carrot cake?” and “How long before ice cream goes bad?” We have Uglyworm’s friends, too – Ugly Moxy and Ugly Big Toe – in assorted sizes and personalities. $7.95-$22.00

2008 Calendars Get organized! We have a great selection of artist’s calendars in diﬀerent sizes and styles. $8.99-$13.99

Ornaments Snowmen, animals, the ocean, and sports – these are just a few of the myriad themes the ornaments on our Boutique trees will be sporting, from November 30 to December 9. Whether you’re a serious collector or just looking for interesting ornaments to hang on your tree, be sure to visit The Museum Shop.

MEMB ER S’ Q U ARTER LY

FALL 2007

34th annual Festival of Trees & Traditions “A Celebration of Families” at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art December 1 – 9, 2007 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Closed Monday, December 3; open until 8:00 p.m. on ursday, December 6 Featuring: decorated trees, handcrafted wreaths, and tabletop decorations arranged in Yuletide vignettes; craft activities for children, and live entertainment throughout the day; special activities for families on Saturdays. An additional fee of $3 per person is added to all admission tickets for this annual fundraiser.

Photograph by Robert Benson

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