Questions of Provenance: William and Gertrude Schuchardt

Posted on September 20, 2016 by
Installation of Corot, Daubigny, Miller: Visions of France. Photo credit: the author.

Installation of Corot, Daubigny, Miller: Visions of France. Photo credit: the author.

In the past, in posts related to provenance (or the history of an artwork, such as who has owned it and where it’s been), we’ve talked a little bit about credit lines.  Credit lines are the part of an object label that tells you how the Milwaukee Art Museum acquired that artwork.  The most common credit lines are gifts or bequests, but we also purchase artwork with funds given to us for that reason.

Today, I want to explore the story behind a more unusual credit line. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Curatorial, Exhibitions | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Opening Soon: Rineke Dijkstra: Rehearsals

Posted on September 6, 2016 by
Rineke Dijkstra, Marianna (The Fairy Doll), 2014. One-channel HD video installation, surround sound; 19 min. 13 sec., looped. Courtesy of the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery. © Rineke Dijkstra.

Rineke Dijkstra, Marianna (The Fairy Doll), 2014. One-channel HD video installation, surround sound; 19 min. 13 sec., looped. Courtesy of the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery. © Rineke Dijkstra.

Rineke Dijkstra: Rehearsals opens this Friday, September 9, in the Herzfeld Center for Media Arts.

Dutch artist Rineke Dijkstra (b. 1959) is interested in moments of transition, particularly adolescence. In the upcoming exhibition, young athletes are the focus: rhythmic gymnasts in The Gymschool, St. Petersburg (2014) and a ballerina in Marianna (The Fairy Doll) (2014).

Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Curatorial, Exhibitions | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

From the Collection: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s Three Cuirassiers, Part 1

Posted on August 23, 2016 by
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864–1901), Three Cuirassiers, 1879. Oil on canvas. Milwaukee Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Harry Lynde Bradley M1977.149. Photo credit: John R. Glembin.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864–1901), Three Cuirassiers, 1879. Oil on canvas. Milwaukee Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Harry Lynde Bradley M1977.149. Photo credit: John R. Glembin.

There is so much commentary surrounding the artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864–1901) and his ‘celebrity’. Certainly, with just at the mention of his name, shimmering glimpses of Parisian nightlife in come to mind. But what would surprise most, I think, is that he developed from an aristocratic youth into a bohemian artist whose images are anything but blue-blooded.

We can get a little peek into the early life of one of the best known painters of the post-Impressionist period with Three Cuirassiers (left), dated 1879. This small painting—in fact, you might have missed it!—is on display in the newly reopened European Galleries. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Curatorial | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

From the Collection: Paintings by George Inness

Posted on August 9, 2016 by
George Inness (American, 1825–1894), Autumn by the Sea, 1875. Oil on canvas. Milwaukee Art Museum, Bequest of Catherine Jean Quirk M1989.61. Photo credit: John Glembin

George Inness (American, 1825–1894), Autumn by the Sea, 1875. Oil on canvas. Milwaukee Art Museum, Bequest of Catherine Jean Quirk M1989.61. Photo credit: John Glembin

George Inness (1825-1894), one of the most celebrated artists of the Hudson River School, captured the beauty of the American landscape in his paintings.

The Milwaukee Art Museum is lucky enough to have two paintings by Inness on display: Autumn by the Sea and Sunset in Georgia. I will use these works to show how Inness mastered the themes of the Hudson River School painters, but made them his own.

Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Curatorial | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

From the Collection: The Nudes of Anders Zorn

Posted on July 26, 2016 by

The current exhibition in the European works on paper rotation space (on view until July 31) is Anders Zorn: Sweden’s Painter-Etcher. Featuring all 18 prints in the Milwaukee Art Museum’s collection by Zorn, this is the first time ever that they have been on view at the same time. This is the fifth and final in a series of posts focusing on the exhibition.

Anders Leonard Zorn (Swedish, 1860–1920), Dal River (Dalälven), 1919. Etching, roulette, drypoint, and engraving. Milwaukee Art Museum, Gift of Mr. Lindsay Hoben M1966.111. Photo credit: John R. Glembin

Anders Leonard Zorn (Swedish, 1860–1920), Dal River (Dalälven), 1919. Etching, roulette, drypoint, and engraving. Milwaukee Art Museum, Gift of Mr. Lindsay Hoben M1966.111. Photo credit: John R. Glembin

This week, we’ll wrap up our consideration of the prints of Anders Zorn with a look at one of his favorite subjects: the female nude.

In 1888, Zorn became one of the first artists to paint nude women outdoors in a publicly accessible setting. Before this time, if an artist wanted to show a nude out-of-doors, the proper thing was to sketch or paint the outdoor setting and then add the nude from a model later in the privacy of the studio.

Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Curatorial, Exhibitions | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment