Milwaukee Art Museum Blog

Snow + Art = Perfect Wintry Mix!

Post author By Brett Henzig
Post date January 21, 2021
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Young man out in the snow holding a small shovel

One of the best parts of living in Wisconsin for many is the snowy winters. While the joy of snow days might not be the same for adults as for kids, the fun of making snow angels or the thrill of throwing a snowball never fades. I remember spending hours digging tunnels through snow drifts that couldn’t possibly have been as tall in life as they exist in my memory. I wouldn’t come inside until my masterpiece was finished…or my toes were numb.

As we settle into this cold winter, there are two things that can help us thrive: art and the great outdoors. That’s why the Kohl’s Art Studio is teaming up with the Urban Ecology Center (UEC) to encourage everyone to bundle up and get creative together—outside!

Art Behind the Scenes Collection Curatorial European

The Neapolitan Crèche: A Holiday Tradition

Post author By Tanya Paul
Post date December 17, 2020
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Woman holding a baby surrounded by people, angels, and goats — Naples, Italy, “Nativity Scene (Crèche)”, mid-18th century. Polychromed terracotta, painted wood, and fabric, on a later support. Dimensions variable. Gift of Loretta Howard Sturgis, M2006.9.1-.20. Photo by John R. Glembin.

Although this year we cannot gather at the Museum to see the Neapolitan crèche in the European galleries, an annual tradition for many, it is still possible to appreciate the joy this special tableau brings.

Art Behind the Scenes Collection Curatorial European

Crèche Redux: A Storyboard

Post author By Richard Knight
Post date December 11, 2020
2 Comments on Crèche Redux: A Storyboard

Back in early 2018, Tanya Paul, Isabel and Alfred Bader Curator of European Art, proposed that the Museum again install its Nativity scene, or crèche, in the galleries for the holidays. The work, a visitor favorite, hadn’t been on view since 2013, because the setting for the Holy Family and other figures was worn and needed repair—such stage sets are often fragile constructions that require replacing. The Museum’s setting needed either to be restored or refabricated. The decision was made to make a new stage set, and a group of us, from the Conservation department and the preparatory staff, started to explore the possibilities.

Art Collection Curatorial European

The Neapolitan Crèche

Around December each year the Museum places its beloved Neapolitan crèche in the galleries. I invite you to read on to learn more about it, and about the history of restaging the Nativity scene.

Art Art News Collection Curatorial Membership Prints and Drawings

Happy 40th Anniversary Print Forum

Post author By Nikki Otten
Post date November 20, 2020
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People riding into a party on horseback — Warrington Colescott, *I Ride with the Blue Riders. We Visit die Brücke Picnic and Enjoy a Bratwurst, Reminding Me of Summer in Milwaukee*, from the portfolio *My German Trip*, 1992. Color soft-ground etching, spit bite bitumen aquatint, and color relief; plate: 11 13/16 × 13 7/8 in., sheet: 14 11/16 × 20 in. Purchase with funds from Print Forum, M2006.38.9. Photo by Michael Tropea. © Warrington Colescott

Nearly forty years ago, in 1981, a group of twelve Museum Members with an interest in prints and drawings established Print Forum. George Evans and Kent Anderson served as the group’s first president and vice-president, respectively. One of the Museum’s nine currently active support groups, Print Forum is among the longest standing.

Art Collection Curatorial European Library/Archives

A Painting, a Director, and the Mexican Film Industry

Post author By Amanda Brown
Post date October 14, 2020
2 Comments on A Painting, a Director, and the Mexican Film Industry

Francisco de Zurbarán, *Saint Francis of Assisi in His Tomb*, 1630/34. Oil on canvas. Purchase, M1958.70. Photo by John R. Glembin.

Man in brown hooded robe looking down at a skull in his hands — Francisco de Zurbarán, *Saint Francis of Assisi in His Tomb*, 1630/34 (detail). Oil on canvas. Purchase, M1958.70. Photo by John R. Glembin.

When I returned to the Milwaukee Art Museum after the state’s Safer at Home order, one of the first things I did was visit an old friend: Saint Francis of Assisi in His Tomb (1630/34) by the Spanish artist Francisco de Zurbarán. I’ve walked by the painting nearly every workday in my time at the Museum, but never have I been more appreciative of its quiet contemplativeness and the sense of stability it brings me. Indeed, the painting is such a fixture of the Museum that it is hard to imagine that it was ever not here, that it lived in three different countries, across two continents, before arriving in Milwaukee.

Art Behind the Scenes Museum Buildings

A Night at the Museum

Alberto Rios is not only one of the Museum’s wonderful third-shift security officers; he is also a talented photographer. You may have seen some of his photos featured on the Museum’s social media pages. He captured this gorgeous sunrise on the East End and an image of Schroeder Galleria lit up for Pride Month, among other views of the Museum. Because he has such a great eye, and he has the unique opportunity to capture the Museum at a time when most are asleep, I asked if he would create a photo diary, taking viewers through one of his shifts. Get a behind-the-scenes—and somewhat eerie—look at the Museum (after dark!) below.
—Erin Aeschbacher, associate content writer

Art Collection Collection Reflection Contemporary Curatorial

Collection Reflection: Curator Margaret Andera on Beth Lipman

Post author By Margaret Andera
Post date October 9, 2020
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Various glassware stacked and laid out on top of a short, black, wooden table — Beth Lipman, *Laid Table (Still Life with Metal Pitcher)*, 2007. Blown, sculpted, lamp-worked, and kiln-formed glass on wood table. 85 × 103 × 96 in. (215.9 × 261.62 × 243.84 cm). Purchase, Jill and Jack Pelisek Endowment, Jack Pelisek Funds, and various donors by exchange M2009.48. Photo credit by John R. Glembin © Beth Lipman

We invite you to join us as each curator focuses on a single work of art, exploring both that object and how the object speaks to the collection as a whole, as well as to the chosen theme in particular.

Art Museum Buildings

The Poem that Inspired the Name “Windhover Hall”

Post author By Milwaukee Art Museum
Post date October 8, 2020
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Did you know that the Museum’s Windhover Hall was named after one of donor Harry Quadracci’s favorite poems: The Windhover (published 1918) by Gerard Manley Hopkins? Read the full poem, and hear the work read aloud by Alicia Rice, Kohl’s Art Generation Community Relations Coordinator.

Art Collection Curatorial European

From the Collection: Portrait of Henry VII of England

Post author By Catherine Sawinski
Post date September 29, 2020
5 Comments on From the Collection: Portrait of Henry VII of England

Probably after Meynnart Wewyck, *Henry VII of England*, 1504/09. Bequest of Catherine Jean Quirk, M1989.63. Photo by P. Richard Eells.

Probably after Meynnart Wewyck, Henry VII of England, 1504/09 (detail). Bequest of Catherine Jean Quirk, M1989.63. Photo by P. Richard Eells.

English history can appear to be a long list of kings and queens with the same names. The queen that most of us are familiar with today is Queen Elizabeth II. The first and only other Queen Elizabeth ruled from 1558 to 1603.