UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 2, Page 1
September 12, 1991
University Gallery show to celebrate art through ages

     A celebration of art through the ages is being held at the
University Gallery in Old College on the Newark campus from Oct. 4
until Nov. 3.
     Entitled "Brandywine Valley to the Bay: Art from Private
Collections," the comprehensive exhibition is a retrospective of
Western art from medieval to modern times, and also includes some
outstanding examples of art from the Far East, according to Belena
Chapp, University Gallery director. Many of the works of art have
never been exhibited publicly before.
     Works by old masters Rembrandt Van Rijn and Peter Paul Rubens;
by Impressionists Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Alfred Sisley; by
outstanding women artists Suzanne Valadon, Rosa Bonheur and
sculptor Louise Nevelson; by English landscape artist John
Constable; by famed American painter Thomas Eakins of Philadelphia;
and by internationally acclaimed modern masters Marc Chagall, Henri
Matisse, Raoul Dufy and Joan Miro will be among those on display.
     In addition, works of the artists of the Brandywine Valley are
well represented with paintings and drawings by N.C. Wyeth, Howard
Pyle, Frank Schoonover and Stanley Arthurs.
     "This is a significant exhibition, showing the breadth and
depth of collections in the area," Chapp said. "We are grateful to
the many individuals who were willing to share their works of art
with the community and glad that the University has the facilities
to mount this exciting display."
     Selected by guest curator William I. Homer, H. Rodney Sharp
Professor and chairperson of the Department of Art History, the
exhibit will include 93 works of art from 38 collections from all
three counties in Delaware and from neighboring Pennsylvania.
     According to Homer, there has never been an exhibition of art
from private collections of this magnitude in the state. "In
assembling the artwork for the exhibition, I was impressed by the
quality and diversity of the art in private hands. There is a
misconception that collectors in this area are interested only in
American art and antiques, but I discovered that was not the case
and that private collections encompass a wide spectrum, including
medieval and modern European art," Homer said.
     The concept of the exhibition originated with President David
Roselle, who has encouraged and supported the project. It also was
endorsed by the Arts and Humanities Scholarship Committee. A
special Exhibition Advisory Committee was formed with Ruth du Pont
serving as chairperson, and the committee worked with Homer in
identifying local collections and planning a benefit preview of the
exhibition.
     The exhibition at the University Gallery has been a
student-oriented project. According to Chapp, 22 undergraduates and
graduate students in art history have been involved in learning
first hand about planning and executing the exhibition.
     Students carried out scholarly research on the artists and
contributed to the catalog which will accompany the exhibition.
Homer, in addition to writing some of the articles, edited the
164-page catalog, which will be sold at the exhibit.
     Featuring a portrait of Shakespeare's heroine Miranda from The
Tempest by 19th-century British artist Frederick Sandys, on the
cover, the catalog is illustrated with 92 photographs, almost half
of which are in color.
     "The catalog, with its scholarly and historical essays, is a
lasting record of the exhibition's genuine contribution to our
knowledge of art," Homer said.
     Students, who also were involved in helping to photograph the
art objects, planning the exhibition itself and helping with the
installation, will conduct group tours.
     Four graduate students, Stephanie Taylor, Beth Venn, Lisa
Schoenster and Margaret Dwyer, some of whom have had previous
museum experience, were instrumental in mounting the exhibition,
Chapp said.
     Chapp said that she hopes the exhibition, which is free and
open to the public, will attract people from the entire University
community as well as from Delaware and the surrounding area.
Students, faculty, staff, friends and families are invited to drop
in and see the exhibition which will be open seven days a week.
     "This is a unique and unparalleled cultural opportunity at the
University Gallery to see these works of art, many on public
exhibition for the first time. Everyone is welcome to come and
enjoy the exhibition. The selection is varied and of such a high
calibre that the exhibit will appeal to everyone from knowledgable
art lovers to those who simply enjoy looking at works of art," she
said.
     "Brandywine Valley to the Bay: Art from Private Collections"
and the catalog were funded by grants from the Crestlea Foundation,
the John Sloan Memorial Foundation, The Starrett Foundation and the
Welfare Foundation, as well as the Delaware State Arts
Council/Division of the Arts.
     Additional support was provided by the University of
Delaware's Faculty Senate Committee on Cultural Activities and
Public Events and the Office of the President.
     The exhibition has been a University-wide effort with
cooperation from the Office of University Development, the
Publications Office, the Plant Operation Department, the Department
of Public Safety and the Office of the Treasurer.
                                        - Sue Swyers Moncure