Friday, May 3, 2013

Of all the special days and nights we share at the Museum of Fine Arts, this is, quite possibly, the most special of all. Please mark your calendars now for the ninth annual Sharing Visions: Seminars for Collectors on May 3. It’s designed just for you—members of the Denman Waldo Ross Society.

In celebration of your foresight and your generosity as art donors, the deeply talented Museum curatorial staff has prepared a series of in-depth experiences unique in their range of material and in the perspectives of each scholar.

This exclusive access to the intellectual capital and the MFA’s extraordinary holdings is your opportunity to be enlightened, enriched, and, most of all, to be thanked.

Don’t miss it, because we will surely miss you.


Barbara Alfond
TRUSTEE I CHAIR, GIFTS OF ART COMMITTEE
MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON
Susan B. Kaplan
TRUSTEE I CHAIR, ROSS SOCIETY SUBCOMMITTEE
MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON

 

 ORDER OF THE DAY

Session One

The Lane Gift

bookmarkExplore the remarkable recent gift of the Lane Collection through the example of four great American artists—Georgia O’Keeffe, Charles Sheeler, Arthur Dove, and Stuart Davis. See their work in a whole new light by viewing it across a wide variety of media—from watercolor and drawing, to painting and photography—with curators Karen Quinn and Karen Haas as your guides. Look at paintings in the galleries along with the sketches and photographs that inspired them, and learn more about the working methods employed by these major American modernists while viewing many related works in the Morse Study Room.

Karen Haas, Lane Curator of Photographs and Karen Quinn, Kristin and Roger Servison Curator of Paintings, Art of the Americas

20th-Century Design and Architecture Drawings

bookmarkDo you collect, or have you considered acquiring, works of art that don’t fit into traditional art historical categories? Have you ever seen something remarkable and wondered why it wasn’t in a museum? Using the extraordinary Sharf Collection of design drawings as a case study, discuss the appeal and the challenge of an unconventional approach to collecting. Participate in an informal conversation between collector and curator while viewing a selection of unframed design drawings and architectural renderings from the Sharf Collection.

Meghan Melvin, Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf Curator of Design and Fred Sharf, MFA Trustee and Collector

Arts of the Benin Kingdom: The Robert Owen Lehman Collection

bookmarkThe Robert Owen Lehman Collection of 32 ancient bronze and ivory works from the Benin Kingdom and two ivories from today’s Sierra Leone and Guinea not only puts the MFA’s African holdings on the map, but also provides opportunity for research and collaboration among departments. A curator and a conservator discuss aesthetic qualities and context of several extraordinary works, address issues of dating and authenticity through technical analysis, and present an overview of Benin arts in today’s market place.

Susanne Gänsicke, Conservator of Objects and Christraud M. Geary, Teel Senior Curator of African and Oceanic Art

Session Two

Evaluating the MFA’s American Furniture Collection

bookmarkThe Art of the Americas staff is conducting the first comprehensive review of the MFA’s furniture collection since the 1960s. Join curator Nonie Gadsden to learn how curators and conservators examine furniture, what they consider in these examinations, and some of the insights—both good and bad—that they have discovered.

Nonie Gadsden, Katharine Lane Weems Senior Curator of American Decorative Arts and Sculpture

Ancient Coins at the MFA

bookmarkGain insights on important themes in the field of numismatics (the study of coinage) and learn about the history of the MFA’s esteemed collection of 7,500 ancient coins. Study ancient coins up close in the Art of the Ancient World library, and then take a behind-the-scenes tour of the recently opened Michael C. Ruettgers Gallery—the first gallery dedicated to ancient coinage in a US art museum. Hear about its genesis, planning, and execution.

Phoebe C. Segal, Mary Bryce Comstock Assistant Curator of Greek and Roman Art

A Sneak Peek at “Hippie Chic”

bookmarkGet a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming exhibition “Hippie Chic.” Opening in the Torf Gallery in July, “Hippie Chic” celebrates the exuberant, creative fashions influenced by hippie styles of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Curator Lauren Whitley presents highlights of the show, including several new acquisitions and important gifts to the fashion collection, as well as touching upon the process of selecting objects, preparing them for display, and designing a costume exhibition.

Lauren Whitley, Curator in the David and Roberta Logie Department of Textile and Fashion Arts

Session Three

Catch the “Wave”

bookmarkThe first exhibition of Japanese art held in the US that included a printed catalogue was the MFA’s 1893 show of works by Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849). Today, the versatile designer of the renowned Great Wave (about 1830–31) is still the most famous of all Japanese artists and the subject of frequent exhibitions. Using examples from the MFA’s rich holdings of Hokusai’s paintings, woodblock prints, and printed books, get an up-close, in-depth look at recent discoveries, and issues of quality and authenticity, in the work of this remarkable artist.

Sarah E. Thompson, Assistant Curator for Japanese Prints and Tanya Uyeda, Associate Conservator for Japanese Paintings Joan Wright Bettina Burr Conservator, Asian Conservation for Japanese Prints, Indian and Islamic Paintings

The Jewels of Trabert & Hoeffer-Mauboussin

bookmarkIn 1936 the American jewelry firm Trabert & Hoeffer Inc. and the Parisian house Mauboussin formed an extraordinary collaboration that lasted 17 years. Under the genius of William Howard Hoeffer, the newly created entity produced some of 20th-century America’s most extraordinary high-style jewels, accessorizing Hollywood stars such as Joan Bennett, Claudette Colbert, and Marlene Dietrich with historic gems mounted in diamond-studded, platinum settings. Learn about about the firm and examine several items of jewelry along with parts of the Trabert & Hoeffer- Mauboussin archive donated to the MFA by Fred and Jean Sharf in 2009.

Yvonne J. Markowitz, Rita J. Kaplan and Susan B. Kaplan Curator of Jewelry, David and Roberta Logie Department of Textile and Fashion Arts

Contemporary Latin American Art

bookmarkCurators Jen Mergel and Liz Munsell introduce contemporary Latin American and Latino art in the MFA collection and beyond, demonstrating how artists address diverse experiences of culture, politics, history, and art history. Ranging in medium—from photography and painting, to sculptures in neon, textiles in gold, drawings in ballpoint pen, and even shimmering beaded curtains—the discussion reveals how intense social experience can inspire emotive and meaningful aesthetic encounters.

Jen Mergel and Liz Munsell, Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art and MFA Programs

Sesson Four

19th-Century Chinese Painting Style

bookmarkDuring the turmoil of late 19th-century China, there emerged a surprising and innovative new painting style called bapo (“eight brokens”), depicting torn paintings, half-burned book pages, worm-eaten calligraphies, and other deteriorating cultural treasures. Long ignored in the official chronicles of Chinese art, the “eight brokens” demonstrate an exciting inventive streak among 19th-century Chinese artists and are reminders that unexpected artworks still wait to be discovered.

Nancy Berliner, Wu Tung Curator of Chinese Art

A Preview of the Hartman Galleries of British Art

bookmarkExamine the new suite of three adjoining galleries in the Evans Wing. Review the reconstruction of the Hamilton Palace dining room (about 1700), which contains English silver made between 1680 and 1760 from the Hartman Collection. Next door is the Newland House drawing room (about 1748), on view for the first time in 40 years with period furniture and paintings. Finally, the long gallery that connects the Evans Wing to the Art of the Americas Wing contains masterpieces of English silver, ceramics, furniture, prints, and tapestry, ranging from Elizabethan to Regency eras from the MFA’s collection. Curators and conservators discuss the two-year reinstallation of period woodwork, as well as object selection and gallery design.

Gordon Hanlon, Head of Furniture and Frame Conservation and Thomas Michie, Stearns Senior Curator of Decorative Arts and Sculpture, Art of Europe

What Makes Prints Great?

bookmarkVisitors often assume that a unique work of art is not only more valuable but inherently more interesting than a multiple. Join print curator Stephanie Stepanek and paintings curator Frederick Ilchman as they convene the expert testimony of Durer, Rembrandt, Jim Dine, and others to challenge the prejudice against multiples. Examine what makes certain prints among the greatest works of art ever produced and get advice on collecting important prints.

Frederick Ilchman, Mrs. Russell W. Baker Curator of Paintings, Art of Europe and Stephanie Loeb Stepanek, Curator, Department of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs

Register Online Now

Single Ticket

Dual Ticket

To help fund this extraordinary learning opportunity, a registration fee of $375 per person is requested.

The total value of the program exceeds the registration fee, so your payment is not tax deductible

As capacity is limited, we recommend that you register by completing the enclosed form as soon as possible to ensure your participation.

For more information, contact the Gifts of Art program at 617-369-4047.

Presenters

See a list of the day's expert presenters.