Ten/Forty: Collecting American Art at the Florence Griswold Museum
February 12 through
May 29, 2016
Ten/Forty: Collecting American Art at the Florence Griswold Museum commemorated the fortieth anniversary of Jeffrey Andersen’s tenure as Director of the Museum, and the tenth anniversary of Curator Amy Kurtz Lansing. The exhibition reflected on the evolving nature of how the Museum has approached building and stewarding a collection of American art.
Recent acquisitions and selections from the permanent collection were placed in the context of new scholarship and examined in terms of how museums have changed their approach to the subject over the past forty years. Ten/Forty looked back over decades of transformation and contemplated avenues for future growth in telling the story of art in Connecticut.
The over 80 objects on view in Ten/Forty told the account of how a local historic house, loved by visitors, members, and the community alike, becomes, through thoughtful stewardship by trustees and staff, a leading regional museum of American art. Many of the stories behind the paintings, works on paper, photos, and artifacts told of deeply personal and emotional connections to the Museum and its mission. Through narrative and first-person accounts sown among object labels, visitors understand the dedication of the Museum’s supporters.
Mary Knollenberg (1904–1992), Dora Washington, 1930–31. Bronze, 15 x 8 x 6 inches. Gift of Ippy Patterson
Sybil Wilson (1923–1997), Black and White, ca. 1970. Acrylic on canvas, 35 x 45 inches. Florence Griswold Museum, Purchase with funds provided by Charles T. Clark
Martin Lewis, Dawn, Sandy Hook, Connecticut, circa 1933. Oil on canvas, 30 x 40 inches. Florence Griswold Museum Purchase
Harlan Page (1791–1834), Portrait of a Man, ca. 1815. Oil on canvas, 21 1/4 x 18 3/4 inches. Florence Griswold Museum, Gift of the Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company
Jeffery Andersen and Amy Kurtz Lansing in front of Willard L. Metcalf, Kalmia, 1905. Oil on canvas, 34 x 34.” Florence Griswold Museum, Purchased through a consortium of generous supporters.
