NATIONAL SPORTING LIBRARY & MUSEUM
preserving, promoting, and sharing the literature, art, and culture of equestrian, angling, and field sports
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dear Friend,
OFFICERS Manuel H. Johnson Chairman
Jacqueline B. Mars Vice Chairman
Claire Reid Treasurer
Cathy M. Brentzel Secretary
DIRECTORS Mimi Abel Smith Hector Alcalde Joseph E. Aulisi Bradley J. Bondi Frank A. Bonsal, Jr. B. Tim Brookshire Donald G. Calder Natalie M. Epstein Helen K. Groves James I. Harrison, III Lawrence E. Kurzius Clarke Ohrstrom Jacqueline L. Ohrstrom Gayden Parker Lorian Peralta-Ramos F. Turner Reuter, Jr. HONORARY Juliana E. May ADVISORY Dorothy Lee Pierre Manigault Catherine Murdock
The National Sporting Library & Museum is thrilled to present A Sporting Vision: The Paul Mellon Collection of British Sporting Art from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, on view April 13, 2018 – July 15, 2018. This exhibition features works by renowned sporting artists such as George Stubbs, Sir Francis Grant, John Frederick Herring, Benjamin Marshall, and George Morland. A Sporting Vision celebrates the tremendous gift made by Paul Mellon to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) and provides an opportunity to view this outstanding and comprehensive collection. Themes explored include sporting art in several contexts, such as the scientific and industrial revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries, transformation of the British countryside, and society’s changing habits and customs. A Sporting Vision will further examine the evolution of the hunt and the horse as an agent of social and environmental change. We are currently seeking sponsorships for this exciting exhibition. Support from private donors and corporate sponsors enables the National Sporting Library & Museum to present compelling exhibitions like A Sporting Vision, produce scholarly publications, and offer unique educational programming. Enclosed please find more information about the exhibition, NSLM’s history and milestones, and available sponsorship opportunities. Outside funding is so very crucial to presenting an exhibition of this caliber. Thank you for taking the time to consider supporting such a worthy project. Sincerely,
Melanie L. Mathewes Executive Director
Melanie L. Mathewes Executive Director
PO Box 1335 | 102 The Plains Road |Middleburg, Virginia 20118 | Phone (540) 687-6542 | Fax (540) 446-0071 | www.NationalSporting.org National Sporting Library & Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Federal Tax ID# 54-6053662.
EXHIBITION OVERVIEW
A SPORTING VISION The Paul Mellon Collection of British Sporting Art from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts On View at the National Sporting Library & Museum April 13, 2018 – July 15, 2018
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION With representative masterpieces of the genre—including works by George Stubbs, Sir Francis Grant, John Frederick Herring, Benjamin Marshall, and George Morland— this exhibition celebrates Paul Mellon’s gift of British sporting art to VMFA and will mark a special opportunity to view the entire breadth of this outstanding and comprehensive collection. It also proposes a fresh look at sporting art within wider social and artistic contexts, including the scientific and industrial revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries, the transformation of the British countryside, the evolutionary history of the horse and other animals, and society’s changing habits and customs.
Black and White Spaniel Following a Scent, 1773, George Stubbs (English, 1724–1806)
GEORGE STUBBS, the greatest practitioner of British sporting art, is represented by six paintings as a welcoming introduction to A Sporting Vision.
Tiger, ca. 1769–71, George Stubbs (English, 1724–1806)
Hyaena at Newmarket with One of Jenison Shafto’s Stable-lads, ca. 1765–7, George Stubbs (English, 1724–1806)
A Traveling Exhibition Organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts All works on loan from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Paul Mellon Collection
Hunting is another example of the reaction which has set up inside me against business, the city, modern industrial drabness, the suppression of the natural emotions and feelings. . . .It involves the use of the horse, that instinctive animal, and man’s mastery of the horse.
Paul Mellon, 1936
IN PURSUIT examines the evolution of the hunt and connected social practices in paintings by leading artists such as James Seymour, James Ross, Benjamin Marshall, Sir Francis Grant, and Sir Alfred Munnings, among many others.
Colonel Henry Campbell Shooting on a Moor, ca. 1806, Benjamin Marshall (English, 1786–1835)
The Melton Hunt Going to Draw the Ram’s Head Cover, 1839, Sir Francis Grant (Scottish, 1803–1878)
IN MOTION surveys the history of the horse as a primary agent of social and environmental change in Britain. John Wootton’s monumental and classicizing depictions of imported Arabian stallions— which, crossbred with English horses, produced the modern thoroughbred—depict a transformational moment in the history of the animal.
Coaching Incident: A Railway Train Overtaking the Hull-London Royal Mail Coach, 1843, James Pollard (English, 1792–1867)
The Final Lengths of the Race for the Doncaster Gold Cup, 1826, John Frederick Herring, Sr. (English, 1795–1865)
Linin’ ’em Up, Newmarket, ca. 1940–53, Sir Alfred Munnings (English, 1878–1959)
ANIMAL, MAN, COUNTRY are examined in this section within the context of the evolution of the British countryside during the transformations wrought by the advent of the Industrial Revolution. Despite the very straightforward, if not blunt, styles used in the presentation of these human and animal portraits and landscapes, these paintings can be more correctly understood as highly complex representations of historically charged subjects.
Pigs and Piglets in a Sty, ca.1800, George Morland (English, 1763–1804)
Farm Scene in Winter, 1802, William Williams (English, active 1802)
THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN presents several highly comical paintings, taking gravity rather than gravitas as their starting point, that do more than poke fun at those lacking sporting prowess. They encourage sportsmen, sportswomen, and nonparticipants alike to view sport as pure free play—where anything can happen with few consequences.
Portrait of an Extraordinary Musical Dog, 1805, Philip Reinagle (English, 1749–1833) “The Joys of the Chase” or “The Rising Woman and the Falling Man,” 1780, John Collet (English, ca. 1725–1780)
A Traveling Exhibition Organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts All works on loan from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Paul Mellon Collection
National Sporting
102 The Plains Road, Middleburg, VA
Library & Museum
540-687-6542 | NationalSporting.org
4.6.17
NATIONAL SPORTING LIBRARY & MUSEUM The National Sporting Library & Museum in Middleburg, Virginia, is dedicated to preserving, promoting, and sharing the literature, art, and culture of equestrian, angling, and field sports. Founded in 1954, the NSLM is a non-profit arts organization that consists of a research Library and a fine art Museum. The Library houses over 26,000 volumes and includes rare books and archival material dating from the 16th century to the modern day. The Museum displays a permanent art collection that includes paintings, sculpture, works on paper, and decorative arts, while presenting an active schedule of changing loan exhibitions. The only organization of its kind that focuses on turf and field sports, the NSLM collaborates with other arts organizations and sporting communities, and offers a wide variety of educational programming. The NSLM is supported through its membership program, donations, and corporate sponsorships.
NSLM COLLECTIONS • 26,000 books about angling, horsemanship, wingshooting, steeplechasing, foxhunting, flat racing, polo, coaching, and wildlife • 5,000 rare books spanning 500 years of sporting history • 75 archival collections of photographs, letters, diaries, and papers spanning more than 100 years of sporting history • Over 1,000 works of art in the permanent collection
Top: NSLM campus in Middleburg, Virginia Middle: Nic Fiddian-Green (British, b. 1963), Still Water, 2011, hammered lead with copper rivets on an oak base, 9 feet tall, NSLM Collection Bottom Left: John Ferneley, Sr. (English, 1782-1860) The Hunt in Belvoir Vale, c. 1835, oil on canvas, 48 x 133 inches, Gift of Kathryn James Clark in memory of Stephen C. Clark, Jr., 2013 Bottom Right: Detail from Shokubako [On Horse Ornaments], Matoba Katsumi, two volumes, 1857, National Sporting Library & Museum, F. Ambrose Clark Rare Book Room, Gift of John H. and Martha Daniels, 1999
(more)
The Poetical Works of Thomas Campbell, London, Edward Maxon, 1840. English School, mid-to-late 19th century fishing scene, fore-edge painting, fanned to the right. National Sporting Library & Museum, F. Ambrose Clark Rare Book Room, Gift of John H. and Martha Daniels
July 1886 issue of The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine (left) where Theodore Roosevelt’s essay (right) Riding to Hounds on Long Island was published. National Sporting Library & Museum, F. Ambrose Clark Rare Book Room, Gift of John H. and Martha Daniels, 1994
Andre Pater
In a Sporting Light APRIL 21 - AUGUST 13, 2017
“Go beyond the mere image, and the painting becomes a ‘matter of light,’” writes sporting art authority Lorian Peralta-Ramos of contemporary artist, Andre Pater (Polish-American, b. 1953). “Horses, colorful jockeys’ silks, hounds, cattle are all textures and as surfaces, each have their own particular reflective properties.” Pater’s bold and vibrant compositions are often compared to those of the great 20th-century sporting artist Sir Alfred Munnings. Pater’s refinement in pastels in addition to the classic medium of oil solidifies his rightful place as an illustrious artist in the 21st century.
From myth and legend, to warfare and transportation, to leisure, sport, and Olympic competition, the horse played an integral role in ancient Greek culture. As symbols of wealth, power, and status, horses appear on the finest examples of ancient art and pottery.
Demonstrative, 2014 oil on canvas, 28 x 22 inches Private Collection © Andre Pater
Works gathered from collections across the country highlight Pater’s mastery of the use of light.
National Sporting
102 The Plains Road, Middleburg, VA
Organized by the NSLM and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, The Horse in Ancient Greek Art exhibition features Greek vases and sculpture from the 8th through the 4th centuries BCE drawn from a private collection, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and other museum collections. The exhibition and accompanying publication explore the significance of the horse in
Black-figured Amphora attributed to the Swing Painter, c. 540-535 BCE terracotta, 19⅜ inches high, Private Collection
ancient Greek culture, the superb horsemanship skills of the ancient Greeks, and imagery of the horse in ancient myth, war, sport, and competition.
Library & Museum
540-687-6542 | NationalSporting.org
4.6.17
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
A SPORTING VISION The Paul Mellon Collection of British Sporting Art from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts On View at the National Sporting Library & Museum April 13, 2018 – July 15, 2018
Support from private donors and corporate sponsors enables the National Sporting Library & Museum to present exhibitions, produce scholarly publications, and create dynamic educational programming. Sponsorships described below help provide funding for A Sporting Vision.
$25,000 EXHIBITION SPONSOR • Prominent placement of name or corporate logo on wall in exhibition, invitations, and press and publicity materials in print and online, including a link to sponsor’s website from the NSLM site • Prominent placement of name or corporate logo in exhibition catalog and other educational materials • One complimentary rental of the Founders’ Room and Paul Mellon Foyer within one year of sponsorship • Private exhibition tour for sponsor and guests • Invitations for sponsor and guests to private and public exhibition opening events at the NSLM • Recognition in the NSLM Annual Report • Receives all benefits of NSLM Circle level membership for one year
$10,000 EXHIBITION SPONSOR • Preferred listing of name or corporate logo on wall in exhibition, invitations, and press and publicity materials in print and online, including a link to sponsor’s website from the NSLM site • Preferred listing of name or corporate logo in exhibition catalog and other educational materials • Invitations for sponsor and guests to private and public exhibition opening events at the NSLM • Recognition in the NSLM Annual Report • Receives all benefits of NSLM Circle level membership for one year
$5,000 EXHIBITION SPONSOR • Listing of name or corporate logo on wall in exhibition, invitations, and press and publicity materials in print and online • Invitations for sponsor and guests to private and public exhibition opening events at the NSLM • Recognition in the NSLM Annual Report • Receives all benefits of NSLM Circle level membership for one year
Artwork at top: A Bay Horse Led Towards a Rubbing-Down House at Newmarket, ca. 1715, John Wootton (ca.1682-1765), 30 × 47 inches, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Paul Mellon Collection A Traveling Exhibition Organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
National Sporting
102 The Plains Road, Middleburg, VA
Library & Museum
540-687-6542 | NationalSporting.org
4.6.17
National Sporting Library & Museum P.O. Box 1335 102 The Plains Rd. Middleburg, VA 20118 (540) 687-6542 NationalSporting.org