CAPTURING THE WILD WEST

The Ringling boasts an incredible archive of circus posters from all over the world dating back to the 1850s. In early 2018 the museum expanded its collection, with a generous donation from Howard and Janice Tibbals, of nearly 300 posters from Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show.

From 1883 to 1917, Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show traveled throughout America and Europe, entertaining audiences with re-enactments of historic events that shaped the Wild West, as well as trick riding and sharp shooting. The advertising for these performances communicated not only their authenticity but also the thrills and sights of the show. William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody noted, “whatever the Wild West advertises, it produces it with a sense of realism and truthfulness that has established a most enviable reputation.”

Among the works now in The Ringling collection are posters designed by the well-known French artist, Rosa Bonheur. Europeans were completely enamored with Cody’s Wild West show. When it traveled to Paris in 1889, Bonheur visited the grounds of the show to sketch the exotic American animals and the Indian warriors with their families. Cody, in turn, accepted the invitation of Rosa Bonheur to visit her chateau in Fontainebleau, where she painted this portrait which eventually became a poster for the show. To Bonheur, the great showman embodied the freedom and independence of the United States. Two large paintings by this important artist are on view in Gallery 21 of the Museum of Art.

These visual images deeply shaped the public views about the American West and Native Americans. The iconic images of real people and historic events still influence our perception of the American frontier and its cultural impact on American history.

STORYTELLING:

TWO EXHIBITIONS OF FRENCH ART FROM THE HORVITZ COLLECTION

This September, The Ringling presents Storytelling: French Art from The Horvitz Collection Storytelling unites two exhibitions selected from one of the world’s finest private collections of French art: Imaging Text: French Drawings for Book Illustration from the Horvitz Collection, and Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century French Paintings from the Horvitz Collection

Storytelling will feature 60 drawings and 10 related prints for book illustration, created between the 16th and 19th centuries, as well as a selection of 10 paintings. With subjects ranging from mythological and religious scenes to more playful genre imagery, these stunning works offer a rich overview of the narrative tradition in French art. Storytelling will be on view in the Searing Wing from September 9 to December 2,

2018, and is curated by Alvin L. Clark, Jr., Curator, The Horvitz Collection and The J.E. Horvitz Consultative Curator, Harvard Art Museums. An illustrated catalogue will be available for purchase in the Museum Store.

The Ringling is pleased to bring works from The Horvitz Collection to Sarasota audiences for the first time. Jeffrey E. Horvitz has been amassing his outstanding collection of French drawings—which now numbers more than 1,600— for over thirty years. The Horvitz Collection has been shared through numerous exhibition projects in the United States and Europe, including a major show at the Petit Palais in Paris in 2017. Recently, The Horvitz Collection has been working with museums in Florida, notably the Harn Museum of Art in Gainesville.

Showcasing narrative drawings over a period of three centuries, Imaging Text: French Drawings for Book Illustration from The Horvitz Collection represents a rare opportunity to see French artists in the most immediate fashion. These extraordinary works on paper offer an intimate glimpse of the artist’s hand, and a window into the artistic process. Many of the drawings are elaborate compositions, incorporating multiple figures, and demonstrate the exceptional sensitivity of these French artists in creating visually compelling translations of written stories. Visitors will also become acquainted with the wide range of techniques employed over three centuries, from pen-and-ink drawings—often with the addition of wash— to chalks, charcoal, and graphite.

A number of the works in Imaging Text: French Drawings for Book Illustration from The Horvitz Collection were produced by artists whose names are well known today, such as Charles Le Brun (1619–1690), Charles-Nicolas Cochin le Jeune (1715–1790), and Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732–1806). However, The Horvitz Collection is of such depth that the exhibition will also highlight artists whose reputations were great in their own day, but whose names are less familiar to modern audiences, for example: Claude Gillot (1673–1722), and Anne-Louis Girodet de Roucy-Trioson (1767–1824). What is more, the exhibition goes beyond the work of painters, shedding light on the role of drawing for important French sculptors such as Edme Bouchardon (1698–1762), Jean-Guillaume Boichot (1735–1814), and Jean-Guillaume Moitte (1746–1810).

The Horvitz Collection also includes stunning examples of French painting. Ten important works will be presented in Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century French Paintings from The Horvitz Collection. Visitors will enjoy painted biblical and mythological scenes by Michel II Corneille (1642–1708), Nicolas de Largillière (1656–1746), Louis-Jean François Lagrenée (1724–1805), and Jean-Baptiste-Marie Pierre (1714–1789), as well as two memorable portraits by the celebrated Louis-Michel Vanloo (1707–1771).

Opposite: Louis-Michel Vanloo (Toulon, 1707-1771 Paris), Geneviève-FrançoiseLaurette Randon da Malboissière as Melpomene. Oil on canvas, 36 1/4 x 28 3/8 in. The Horvitz Collection.

Left: Edme Bouchardon (Chaumont-enBassigny, 1698-1762 Paris), Visigoths Attacking Clovis as He Kills Alaric Red chalk on cream antique laid paper, framing lines in red chalk, 96 x 202 mm. The Horvitz Collection.