WHAT WILL YOU DISCOVER?
MEMBERS MAGAZINE
JANUARY–APRIL 2014
CONTENTS 4 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 22 23 24
DESIGNED FOR FLOWERS FINDING ART AT THE WORLD’S FAIRS BOOK BUYING IN CHICAGO A COLLECTOR’S GEM RETURNS HOME INTERVIEW WITH EDDIE C. & C. SYLVIA BROWN MYTHS, TALES & LEGENDS GALA / THE PARTy WELCOME, NEW TRUSTEES SHARING THE GIFT: BUILDING ENDOWMENT ART BLOOMS OFF THE WALL / ARTBABIES THINGS TO DO MARK YOUR CALENDAR SUMMER CAMP 2014 IN THE STORE
cover: Koike Shōko, Shiro no katachi (White Form), 2008. Stoneware. The Betsy and Robert Feinberg Collection. John Dean Photographer back cover: photo by Edward Owen
our mission The Walters Art Museum brings art and people together for enjoyment, discovery, and learning. We strive to create a place where people of every background can be touched by art. We are committed to exhibitions and programs that will strengthen and sustain our community.
The Walters Magazine, Vol. 67, No. 1 Published by the Trustees of the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore Editors, charles dibble & julia keller Designer, tony venne Art Photography, susan tobin Please send membership questions to membership@thewalters.org Please send editorial comments to magazine@thewalters.org
board of trustees 2013–2014 Chair andrea b. laporte President douglas w. hamilton, jr. President-Elect ellen n. bernard Vice President thomas s. bozzuto Vice President guy e. flynn Vice President nancy r. sasser Vice President mary baily wieler Treasurer frank k. turner, jr. Secretary julia marciari-alexander, ph. d. — julianne e. alderman peter l. bain calvin h. baker neal d. borden h. ward classen rosalee c. davison james h. degraffenreidt, jr. michael de havenon cynthia l. egan christine m. espenshade margaret z. ferguson jonathan m. fishman bruce w. fleming kris anne gitlin michael b. glick sanford m. gross kevin a. mccreadie neil a. meyerhoff bailey morris-eck mark mullin jennifer murphy charles j. nabit judy witt phares lynn homeier rauch george k. reynolds iii john r. rockwell 2 × THEWALTERS.ORG
bernard selz gail l. shawe judith van dyke michael j. young — ex-officio members the honorable martin j. o’malley the honorable stephanie rawlings-blake casey n. r. brent, representative for baltimore the honorable bernard c. young mary demory, representative for city council the honorable kevin kamenetz adele kass, representative for baltimore county the honorable ken ulman diana ulman, representative for howard county adam borden, chair, william t. walters association rebecca lawson, chair, docents yvonne e. lenz, chair, women’s committee tom noonan, visit baltimore — trustees emeriti robert s. feinberg samuel k. himmelrich, sr. cynthia r. mead william l. paternotte adena w. testa jay m. wilson — director’s advisory council eddie c. brown constance r. caplan philip d. english laura l. freedlander sir paul ruddock the honorable paul sarbanes benjamin b. zucker
TO OUR MEMBERS What a pleasure it is to walk through the museum at different times of the week and see different groups of visitors enjoying the collections. Weekend mornings are prime time for families, using the Discovery Quilts, touring with printed Family Guides, and making art in the Family Art Center. On Thursday evenings, couples explore the collections, and groups gather in the café for an after-work drink after seeing the special exhibition for free. On Wednesday mornings, groups of schoolchildren cluster around a docent to look closely at a work of art, and long-time members stop in to see a favorite gallery or visit the special exhibition once again. This is the Walters’ mission made manifest—the excitement and diversity of art and people coming together for enjoyment, discovery, and learning. Throughout this publication, you can see that mission put into action, through programs, research, special events, and changing offerings in the galleries. This spring, we will all enjoy a beautiful collection of Japanese ceramics assembled by Betsy and Robert Feinberg and promised to the Walters as a gift. This is just one of the several generous commitments the Feinbergs have made to this museum over many years, for which we celebrate and thank them. Your Board of Trustees embarks this spring on a broadreaching and inclusive strategic planning process to chart the museum’s course for the next few years. As always, this process will balance aspirations with reality, opportunities with challenges, preservation of uniqueness and history with undertaking new initiatives. As you are presented with the chance to take part this spring, through an on-line survey, in volunteer groups, and individually, please share your thoughts and hopes about the museum’s future. I salute and thank you for your continuing commitment to and support of the Walters Art Museum. Thank you for making this gem of a museum, filled with fantastic examples of human creativity over the centuries, a part of your life. Bring an out-of-town guest, a neighbor, a child or grandchild, and see what you discover and re-discover in the galleries. I hope to see you here at the museum. Douglas W. Hamilton, Jr. President, Board of Trustees
In February 1934 the Walters Art Gallery opened its doors as a public museum. This opening of the Museum as a fully functioning public arts institution was made possible by one of the greatest acts of cultural philanthropy of the twentieth century: Henry Walters’ gift to the City of Baltimore—by his bequest—of the collections of 23,000 works of art that he and his father, William, had put together over their eighty years of collecting; the family home at 5 West Mt. Vernon Place and the Palazzo he had built to house the collection on the corner of Charles and Centre Street; and a quarter of his fortune as an endowment to run this magnificent museum in perpetuity “for the benefit of the public.” As we embark on this anniversary year, we have chosen to highlight the nature of the museum and its history as a collection of collections. Featured first are the newest objects to be added to our treasures, the Betsy and Robert Feinberg collection of contemporary Japanese ceramics. The timing of this major exhibition is particularly appropriate as the Walters’ collection of East Asian ceramics was a cornerstone of the museum that opened in 1934. Also featured in this issue are various articles discussing our current exhibitions through the lens of collecting, and we are especially grateful to Betsy Feinberg and Eddie and Sylvia Brown for sharing with us what drives them as collectors. 2014 rings in another anniversary for the Walters: twentyfive years of Art Blooms, the signature annual event put on by the museum’s Women’s Committee. Accordingly, this year we will toast the Women’s Committee at an elegant Celebration Dinner on Saturday, April 6. This extraordinary group continues to drive philanthropy and engagement at the museum, and I hope you will join me in thanking them for all their hard work and success over the past quarter-century. As I approach my own one-year anniversary at the Walters, I would like to thank each of you and every member of the staff and the Board of Trustees for the wonderful welcome my family and I have enjoyed over the last year. The Walters, which began as a home and became a museum, truly feels like my home and you, my family. It will be such fun to celebrate our eighty years of excellence as a public museum with you! See you in the Museum! Julia Marciari-Alexander, Ph.D. Executive Director
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DESIGNED FOR FLOWERS: CONTEMPORARY JAPANESE CERAMICS FEBRUARY 23–MAY 11
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A
s winter comes to a close and the first flowers of spring begin to appear, the Walters opens Designed for Flowers, an exhibition of contemporary Japanese ceramics from the Betsy and Robert Feinberg Collection. The vessels that make up this extraordinary collection come from the kilns and studios of the leading ceramic artists active in Japan over the past two decades. Composed almost exclusively of vases, this exhibition offers a glimpse of the diverse array of decorative and formal approaches to creating ceramic vessels—from those that are firmly rooted in tradition to those that test the very limits of modern technology.
SECTION HEADER Vases are the support—the anchor—for the presentation of flowers. A vase might represent the earth from which a single blossom emerges from its bulb after months of being sheltered from winter’s frosty winds. It might be the trunk of the tree from which the branch grows, holding aloft its new buds, awaiting the first warm breezes of spring. It can be the vessel that holds water, making possible the temporary preservation of evanescent blossoms. The vase serves a special purpose that elevates flowers, at once making them the center of attention and grounding them by providing support for their stems. The vessel itself evokes memory, communicates through its form, and elicits pleasure in all who choose to imagine ideas of decorative elegance and eternal presence.
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SECTION HEADER Japanese potters have been creating ceramic vessels since the late Paleolithic era some fourteen to sixteen thousand years ago. They have realized the expressive potential of using local clay, local glazes, and rustic kilns fired with local timber. Some contemporary potters have so enmeshed themselves in this emphasis on place that their works take on an earthy quality, appearing almost timeless. Their works respond to the seasons, to the land, to the water, and to the fire that magically renders solid form from pliable mud. Ceramic artists in Japan have long understood that the simple vase is a powerful form. With the advent of modern gas kilns and the discovery of new glaze colorants, potters can now create forms and designs that
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challenge the very idea of the vase as support. Some forms become massive sculptural statements; others, in their delicacy and vibrant coloration, seem to rival the beauty of flowers themselves, calling into question whether a flower was ever meant to emerge from their tiny openings. Their artists often play with our expectations, challenging our understanding of how vessels function, and inspiring us to think broadly about the nature of these containers made from earth. The design of these vessels, whether steeped in tradition or infused with the spirit of innovation, responds to a powerful sense of space, as experienced both through architecture and through other forms of art. Ikebana—the art of Japanese flower arrangement—provides a foil for
SECTION HEADER understanding some contemporary vessels that present unexpected irregularity while maintaining a profound visual balance. Perhaps the space that most comfortably supports many of Japan’s newest ceramics is one of its most traditional architectural structures, the tokonoma, or alcove. In this shallow but elevated space, we encounter painting, ceramic, and flowers brought together to create a harmony composed of asymmetrical balance and quiet grace. This is the space in which contemporary ceramic artists find the most immediate link to the past and are challenged to create new experiences.
p. 4 Miyashita Zenji, Noboro ki (Rising Air), ca. 2005, stoneware. The Betsy and Robert Feinberg Collection. Photographs of the collection herein are by John Dean Photographer p. 5 Hayashi Shōtarō, Nezumi shino henko (Mouse Shino Vase), ca. 2003, stoneware. The Betsy and Robert Feinberg Collection p. 6 Kaneshige Kosuke, Sei’i (Sacred Robe), ca. 1991, stoneware. The Betsy and Robert Feinberg Collection p. 7 Yamada Jōzan III, Hanaire (Flower Vase), ca. 1989, stoneware. The Betsy and Robert Feinberg Collection p. 8 Tokuda Yasokichi III, Yōsai tsubo “kōga” (Brilliant Glazed Jar “Galaxy”), ca. 2000, porcelain. The Betsy and Robert Feinberg Collection p. 9 Betsy and Robert Feinberg. Photo courtesy the photographer, Keith Weller
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Drawing on the Walters’ collection of Japanese paintings, the installation in our galleries of these contemporary vessels evokes contexts that emphasize the beauty and unique character of each work of art. While the modernity of some of the works in the Feinberg Collection might seem to challenge tradition directly, when paired with paintings created long ago, they nonetheless assert their ties to the past and their significance as symbols of permanence. Like our founders, William T. Walters and Henry Walters, who began building their art collection in the 1850s, the Feinbergs actively sought out works of art they found fascinating and beautiful. Among William Walters’ early collections, one that he cherished and in which he invested vast amounts of time and wealth was his collection of East Asian porcelain. Betsy and Robert
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Feinberg’s promise to leave this collection of vessels to the Walters, like Henry Walters’ bequest of his collection, is a gesture that will greatly enhance the holdings of the museum and will inspire Baltimoreans and visitors alike for many decades to come. —Robert Mintz, Chief Curator and Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Quincy Scott Curator of Asian Art This exhibition celebrates the extraordinary gift to the Walters of contemporary Japanese ceramics from Betsy and Robert Feinberg. It has been generously supported by The E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, the Friends of the Asian Collection of the Walters Art Museum, the Bernard Family, Mr. and Mrs. Douglas W. Hamilton, Jr., and The Edward Clark Wilson Fund for Asian Art.
IN THE STORE
COLLECTING CONTEMPORARY JAPANESE CERAMICS In the early 1970s, my husband, Bob, and I were newly married young professionals beginning our lives together in New York. Like many young couples, our income was meager, and we often visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which, in those days, offered free admission. Though we knew very little about Asian art, we were strongly attracted to the museum’s ceramics. Early in our collecting career, we were introduced to Fred and Joan Baekeland in New York; in 1986, they began to show us contemporary ceramics and Japanese paintings. Their pots were three-dimensional, tactile, and colorful, and the sensibilities and techniques employed in the Japanese wares were much more innovative than anything we had seen in contemporary American ceramics. We were excited by what the Baekelands showed us and began to think that Japanese ceramics could complement the paintings hanging in our home. These contemporary ceramics harmonized beautifully with the older Edo period paintings on the walls of our home. Our interest mounted as Joan and Fred unpacked the pieces from their large wooden boxes and removed their protective yellow cloths. One of our first purchases was a celadon lotus-shaped vessel made by Kawase Shinobu; it is still one of our favorite pieces by one of our favorite potters. When in Japan, we sought out opportunities to visit the studios and kilns of potters. Meeting the artists, talking with them about their works, sharing a meal, sometimes with three generations of the family at the table, and seeing where their ceramics were formed and fired strengthened our connection to them and their art. Now we are entering a new phase in our life with Japanese art, deciding where our collections will ultimately reside. We are very pleased that our ceramics will be added to the collections of the Walters Art Museum, first on loan and then as gifts. The Walters has a long tradition of collecting contemporary Japanese ceramics that started with such singular masterpieces as the grand Itaya Hazan vase that founder Henry Walters purchased in 1915 (p. 10). We are therefore especially honored to be showing our ceramics in the Designed for Flowers exhibition in the spring of 2014. —Betsy Feinberg
Japanese Ceramics for the TwentyFirst Century: The Betsy and Robert Feinberg Collection Robert Mintz, with essays by Betsy Feinberg and Joan B. Mirviss Ceramics have played an important role in the artistic and daily life of Japan for thousands of years. The last century, however, has witnessed an extraordinary resurgence in the art of Japanese ceramics, giving rise to exquisite and diverse works, ranging from rough stoneware to delicate porcelain and from utilitarian objects to highly imaginative ceramics that unite the arts of sculpture, painting, poetry, and philosophy. This catalogue presents one of the finest collections of Japanese contemporary ceramics, brought together over the course of thirty years by Betsy and Robert Feinberg. More than 160 pieces by 100 artists showcase a stunning diversity of styles, unified by their engagement with Japan’s long ceramic tradition. hardcover: $40.00, members: $36.00 Upgrade to the Patron Level or above ($1,000+) and recieve a free catalogue and an invitation to the exclusive patrons opening on February 22! Contact Julia Keller at jkeller@thewalters.org for details.
Excerpt from Japanese Ceramics for the Twenty-First Century: The Betsy and Robert Feinberg Collection THEWALTERS.ORG × 9
collectors & Collecting
Finding Art *at* the World’s Fairs
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n London on May 1, 1851, the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations opened to an excited public. This first World’s Fair generated almost endless commentary and praise as, according to the opening remarks of Queen Victoria, it “united the diligence of all the nations of the earth.” Within many of the exhibits, works of art, both historical and contemporary, played the critical role of offering fairgoers a glimpse of the diversity of cultures that made up their modern world. By 1873, when another fair opened in Vienna, artists’ works from ever more far-flung corners of the world were included, and the sale of objects to eager collectors became an essential facet of the event. William T. Walters served in an official capacity as the U.S. Commissioner to the Vienna International Exhibition. This experience provided him with an insider’s experience of the fair and may have inspired William and Henry’s extensive collecting at fairs across Europe and in the United States.
Among the extraordinary works purchased at the fairs are many of the largest and finest East Asian ceramics and sculptures. By 1876, when the Centennial Exhibition opened in Philadelphia, William and his son had bought several hundred works of art for their growing collection. They sought out exceptional examples of old and new work from the many art dealers who exhibited their wares. Three decades later, at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition
Itaya Hazan, Vase with Low-relief Decoration of Bamboo Leaves, ca. 1915, porcelain. Acquired by Henry Walters, 1915
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in San Francisco, 1915, Henry Walters was still buying art at the fairs, but he turned from looking at older objects, favoring instead works made for entry in both industrial and creative competitions. The large porcelain jar decorated with a variegated bamboo leaf pattern in low relief by the Japanese ceramic artist Itaya Hazan (1872–1963) is one such purchase. The jar is a work of profound modernity and rich textural beauty. Its full, round shape and matte surface reveal the technological and artistic skill of Hazan and his studio. The artist was at the forefront of an effort to establish the “high art” potential of porcelain, forming a decisive break from the association of porcelain with dinner ware and other mass-produced items. The decision to acquire it also attests to Henry Walters’ exquisite taste as he selected this work for addition to his growing gallery collection. While the fair was an ephemeral experience only for those lucky enough to attend, the continued display of Hazan’s vase in the Walters Art Museum keeps alive this important moment in the history of modern art. —Robert Mintz, Chief Curator and Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Quincy Scott Curator of Asian Art
collectors & Collecting
Book Buying *in* Chicago
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n December 3, 1892, Parisian bookbinder, bookseller, and art dealer Léon Gruel received exciting news: his application for exhibition in the World’s Columbian Exposition, set to open in Chicago the following May, had been accepted. A string of correspondence between Gruel and the French Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the governmental body that oversaw France’s participation in the fair, ensued, settling details and working out logistics. In the end, Gruel occupied a booth in the Manufactures and Liberal Arts building, offering for sale thirty-two books, both antiquarian and newly published, in “artistic bindings,” plus two leather boxes and a leather scissors case.
The only French bookbinder to represent his country in Chicago, Gruel decided to promote his upcoming American adventure by producing a detailed sales catalogue in advance of the World’s Fair. In it, he included photographs of his wares with detailed descriptions and an invitation to potential customers, stating that “you should be very much pleased when you visit the Chicago Exposition to glance at my show case exhibited in the French section
(Book-department).” Naturally, Gruel sent a copy of the catalogue to his longtime client Henry Walters of Baltimore. A close examination of the catalogue reveals that three of the books offered for sale at Gruel’s booth are now part of the Walters collection—one of which, a Tuscan romance titled The Prison of Love and printed in 1527, can be seen in the exhibition Bookbindings from the Gilded Age, currently on view until May 18 in the third-floor Manuscripts Gallery. The book was rebound by Léon Gruel in imitation of the style favored by Jean Grolier, treasurer-general of France and a renowned bibliophile of the sixteenth century. Gruel’s original stock inventory from the World’s Fair also survives (held in the collections of the University of Maryland), listing each of the three Walters books. Although William T. Walters was too ill to attend the fair in Chicago, we know that his son Henry was able to go and that he selected these three gems to add to his magnificent rare-book collection. —Diane Bockrath, Archivist / Librarian
left: Léon Gruel (binder). Diego de San Pedro (author). La prison d’amour Paris, 1527. Acquired by Henry Walters, 1893 right: Display of Léon Gruel’s work at an exhibition of bookbindings, Musée Galliera, May 1902 (Walters Archives). Gruel’s showcase at the Chicago World’s Fair would have looked much like this. The last book on the right on the second shelf is now in the Walters collection and can be viewed in the exhibition Bookbindings from the Gilded Age.
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Collectors & Collecting
I
A COLLECTOR’S GEM RETURNS HOME
n 1900, Henry Walters purchased this magnificent iris corsage ornament—one of the most important pieces of jewelry in our collection—from Tiffany & Co at the Paris Exposition Universelle, where it was on view.
Tiffany’s focus at the 1900 Exposition was on the mineral wealth of America. The iris petals are made of 134 nearly flawless blue and three violet sapphires from the Yogo deposit in Montana, which were first identified by geologist George Frederick Kunz, who worked at Tiffany from 1865 to 1912. Other gemstones include diamonds creating the spine of the three drooping sepals, golden topaz representing the beard, and green demantoid garnets forming the spathes or leaves on the stem. Metals were selected to complement the colors of the gemstones: recent conservation analyses show that the sapphires were mounted in blued steel, a metal much more difficult to hammer and shape than silver; its use in the iris is a remarkable achievement in craftsmanship. The diamonds are mounted in platinum. The topaz is mounted in 24-karat gold, while the green demantoid garnets are mounted in a gold alloy containing lesser amounts of silver and copper. The stem is composed of “green” gold containing about 75 percent gold and 25 percent silver. Clearly, the metals were as thoughtfully selected as the gemstones. The iris has been traveling for most of the past five years, initially in the Walters-sponsored exhibition Bedazzled and more recently in Inventing the Modern World: Decorative Arts at the World’s Fairs, 1851–1939. Tiffany’s iris will return to the Walters in a new place of prominence with its own case in the Centre Street fourth-floor galleries. —Meg Craft, Head of Objects Conservation & Glenn Gates, Conservation Scientist
Tiffany & Co., New York, Iris Corsage Ornament, ca. 1900. Acquired by Henry Walters, 1900
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Collectors & Collecting
INTERVIEW *with* EDDIE C. & C. SYLVIA BROWN A
vid art collectors Eddie C. Brown, founder of Brown Capital Management, one of the nation’s leading investment firms, and his wife, C. Sylvia Brown, have recently lent from their collection Jacob Lawrence’s Genesis Series (1990), which is on view at the museum through Sunday, April 13, 2014. The Browns joined Jacqueline Copeland, Deputy Director for Audience Engagement and curator of the exhibition, for an interview.
Tell me what interested you in acquiring the Genesis Series. EB: We met two couples in the Baltimore area, both of whom had the Genesis Series. When we saw it, we loved it, and then found out that it was available at a gallery in New York City.
Talk to me about collecting.
SB: We purchased the series in 1998, two years before Jacob Lawrence died. We were very interested in meeting the artist, but unfortunately that never happened. We actually met his wife, Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence, the year after he died.
EB: The strategy was to build a significant collection of art by African American artists across the spectrum—from the old masters to mid-career to emerging artists. Certainly as you look through that time span, Jacob Lawrence is one of those significant figures, and so we had to have him. Our most recent purchase is a painting by Horace Pippin, but we’re still learning. I was collecting first as a hobby, but it became more than a hobby.
What was it about the series that captivated you? Why did you want this series?
What is the value to visitors who see your Genesis Series in the museum?
EB: I think the subject matter and the fact that each image has his own handwriting was significant to us. It’s the Creation.
SB: I hope visitors can see that African American artists are brilliant in their depiction of the story— that they can learn something new and see works from a different perspective.
SB: Everybody and anybody can relate to this. And it’s full of color, which he’s known for. It’s so vibrant—I just love the color.
EB: I think it can be of educational value to children, to young people—anyone really—who might not have the knowledge of the significance of someone like Jacob Lawrence. It can be an educational process to all people— not just people of color—that there are really some talented African American artists, and Jacob Lawrence is one of them.
EB: The images tell a story. We were fascinated by his work. When we saw that the Genesis Series was an edition of only 22, we liked the fact that it was a limited edition. We have several other works by Lawrence, but we wanted to have a whole series that told a story.
JC: It’s a beautiful series, and we certainly thank you for letting the Walters display it.
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SEEN and HEARD ❶
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Myths, Tales, & Legends
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In September, members at the Curators’ Circle ($1,500– 2,499) level and above gathered on the Sculpture Court for the Annual Curators’ Choice Reception. This year’s theme was “Myths, Tales, and Legends.” After hors d’oeuvres on the Court, the guests split into six groups and embarked on tours focusing on myths, tales, and legends in the Walters’ permanent collection. Tours included “Romance and Adventure in Eighteenth-Century Painting and Porcelain,” “Beyond Romulus and Remus: How Romans Explained Their Origin of Myth,” and “The Peaches of Immortality and Other East Asian Myths.” To be a part of these magical evenings, join the Curators’ Circle! Contact Julia Keller at jkeller@thewalters.org for more information. ❶ ❷ ❸ ❹ ❺ ❻
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Michael Warlow, Melissa Warlow, Lenel Srochi-Meyerhoff, and John Meyerhoff Dee Alevizatos and Stiles Colwill Frona Brown and Beryl Rosenstein John Payne and Jane Champe Payne Suzi Cordish Richard Dellheim and Ellen Bernard
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SEEN AND HEARD
THE WALTERS GALA 2013: CELEBRATING ART AND COMMUNITY On October 19, more than five hundred guests welcomed the Walters’ new Executive Director, Julia MarciariAlexander, to the museum and celebrated in a style that Henry Walters would have enjoyed one hundred years ago. It was a glamorous and elegant evening of dining in the galleries and fulfilled the museum’s mission to bring art and people together for enjoyment, discovery, and learning. The pARTy was attended by more than two hundred who enjoyed dancing on the Sculpture Court until midnight. Overwhelming support from the museum’s community raised $400,000 for the year’s operating budget. The evening was truly a great success. Save the date of October 18, 2014, for the Walters Gala 2014— an event that you won’t want to miss!
top row (l–r) Jennifer Pfeifer and Henry Wright in front of his vintage Franklin; Sibley and Ward Classen flanked by Doug and Tsognie Hamilton; Joe and Mary Alicia Haberman with Gala Co-Chair Cynthia Egan middle row (l–r) Julia Marciari-Alexander, John Marciari, Gala Co-chairs Cal Baker and Lidia Paz-Baker; Robin and Toby Bozzuto with Jaki and Ken Ulman; Beulah Sabundayo, Kate Powell, Roswell Encina, Alexa Corcoran, Paul Sabundayo bottom row (l–r) Guests at the DLA Piper table: Lisa Hazel, Lisa Smolen, Janet Roa, Christina Hernandez, Sylvia Mackey, Adam Smolen, Daren Roa, Ethan Giffin, Elizabeth Aneckstein, and Ken Aneckstein; Meredith and Adam Borden; Melanie and Kevin McCreadie with Lynn and Phil Rauch and Gail Ostergaard
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Welcome New Trustees
Margaret (Meg) Z. Ferguson Meg Ferguson is an assistant county attorney and chief counsel for the Baltimore County Department of Social Services, where she represents the department in child abuse and child neglect cases, and in adult guardianship cases. She previously served in Baltimore County government in various capacities since 1995, including Code Enforcement Hearing Officer, Criminal Justice Coordinator, and Labor Commissioner, and was a member of the executive staff for County Executive C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger and County Executive James T. Smith, Jr.
Kevin A. McCreadie Kevin A. McCreadie is president, CEO, and Chief Investment Officer of PNC Capital Advisors, LLC, as well as the managing executive for PNC’s Institutional Asset Management Businesses. Before joining the firm in 2002, he served as president and chief investment officer of the Mercantile Funds Company. Mr. McCreadie has more than twenty years of portfolio management experience. He was previously a partner at Brown Investment Advisory. Prior to that, he was a senior portfolio manager for J. P. Morgan Investment Management.
Ms. Ferguson has been an active supporter of the Walters Art Museum, including serving as an ex-officio board member from 1999 to 2004 and from 2008 to the present.
Mr. McCreadie is active in a number of civic and charitable organizations in the Baltimore area, including Family and Children’s Services of Central Maryland, The Ponaganset Foundation, and The Calvert School. He earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Rutgers College and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
She previously chaired the Maryland State Advisory Board for Juvenile Services and the management committee for the Baltimore Metropolitan Council. She founded the Baltimore County HOMEFRONT Returning Veterans Support Workgroup. Ms. Ferguson graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University, with a degree in Economics, and from Georgetown University, with a juris doctor. Her husband, Harry, is an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which runs the Hubble Space Telescope.
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Michael J. Young Michael Young is a partner of SC&H Group, LLC, an audit, tax, and consulting firm, and he is a member of their executive committee, for which he oversees operations and business development across the firm’s various practice areas and service lines. Before joining SC&H, he was an audit and business advisory service manager for the international accounting firm Arthur Andersen and the chief financial officer of a $25 million regional retailer and contractor. Mr. Young holds a BS in business and accounting from Towson University, and is an Accredited Business Valuator, a Certified Valuation Analyst, and a Certified Public Accountant. He holds active memberships in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants, and the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts. He has served as president and board member of the ARC of Baltimore. He is also a board member and treasurer for the Independent College Fund of Maryland and was a member of the Walters’ Finance Committee before his election as trustee.
planned SECTION HEADER giving
Sharing The Gift: Building Endowment Henry Walters gave his magnificent gallery, art collection, and a quarter of his fortune to Baltimore in one of the greatest acts of cultural philanthropy in our nation’s history. Those who care deeply about the Walters Art Museum have continued to nurture the museum with their own gifts and legacies. In 2005, a member for more than thirty years established a Charitable Gift Annuity with the Walters Art Museum. His gift to the museum provided him with fixed payments during his lifetime and recently provided the Walters with a remainder of $47,000 in unrestricted endowment. A long-time Information Desk volunteer made a contribution to our Pooled Income Fund in 1997. Her legacy remainder of $12,000 will help to build the endowment and continue her commitment to the museum into the future. A member of our Legacy Society named the Walters as a beneficiary of a Charitable Remainder Unitrust, providing the museum with a gift of $150,000. This longtime member also designated 15 percent of the residuary of her estate to continue the museum’s mission of “bringing art and people together for enjoyment, discovery, and learning.” Whatever the size of the gift, the message from our friends is always one of affection and commitment. These gifts enhance the collection, support the Walters’ programs, and continue the legacy of the Walters family. If you have named the Walters in your will or other estate plan, please contact Ashley Mancinelli, Manager of Gift Planning and Major Gifts, at 410-547-9000, ext. 387, or email amancinelli@thewalters.org so that you can be celebrated by inclusion in our Legacy Society. Alfred Stevens, News from Afar (detail), mid-1860s. Acquired by William T. Walters, before 1878
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SECTION ART BLOOMS HEADER
The 25th Anniversary of Art Blooms For the Love of Art and Flowers Friday, April 5 to Sunday, April 7, 2014
This spring, forty interpretive flower arrangements by Federated Garden Clubs of Maryland and Garden Clubs of Americas will be located throughout the Palazzo Building! Friday, 1o:30 a.m. Margot Shaw, founder and editor-in-chief of Flower Magazine, will give a lecture and demonstration in the auditorium followed by a luncheon on the Sculpture Court—$75 Saturday, 6:30 p.m. A 25th Anniversary Celebration Dinner will be held on the Sculpture Court—$150/person Sunday Floral demonstrations from noted Ikebana masters will take place on the Sculpture Court. This program is free to the public. Our pop-up store, The Garden Shed, carrying gently used, flower-related garden items will be open throughout Art Blooms! The Art Blooms weekend is presented by the Women’s Committee of the Walters Art Museum. For tickets and more information, visit wamwc.org. Giuseppe Recco, Flowers by a Pond with Frogs (detail), 1670–79. Acquired by Henry Walters with the Massarenti Collection, 1902
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OFF THE WALL
Mother and young son search for the frogs in Guiseppe Recco’s Flowers by a Pond with Frogs, in Leone Riverside Park.
Artbabies
Finish this sentence—Art makes me feel… liberated and inspired.
What is your favorite part of the ArtBabies program? The tactile objects in the galleries, like the puppets that say “hello.” She likes to pet them and make sounds back. It has been really great to see her development between last month’s program and this month’s program. Last time she mostly watched, and this time she was interacting with the objects much more. The education coordinators are also very friendly and accommodating. How did you hear about the ArtBabies program? My sister-in-law, who brings my three nephews for other programs, told me about the babies program. How long have you been coming to the Walters Art Museum? I have been coming for four or five years. I’m a teacher so I came on field trips with students, as well as visits with family. What do you hope your child gets out of coming to the Walters? I hope she develops a lifelong sense of curiosity. Mom Katie and her daughter, Audrey, recently participated in our ArtBabies program. Families are invited to bond, play, and learn during this 60-minute class for parents, grandparents, and caregivers with children birth to 12 months of age. 1–2 p.m., Second Tuesday of each month, October to May $10 member’s child / $15 non-member’s child THEWALTERS.ORG × 19
things to do Designed for Flowers: Contemporary Japanese Ceramics members opening Saturday, February 22, 7–10 p.m.
Opening-Day Talk Sunday, February 23, 2–3 p.m. FREE
Japanese Film Festival Rashomon (1950) Thursday, March 13, 6–7:30 p.m. Japanese, subtitled in English. Running time: 88 minutes; NR Tokyo Story (1953) Thursday, March 20, 6–8:15 p.m. Japanese, subtitled in English. Running time: 136 minutes; NR Madadayo (1993) Thursday, March 27, 6–8:15 p.m. Japanese, subtitled in English. Running time: 134 minutes; NR FREE
Ikebana Floral Demonstrations by Ikebana International Sunday, March 9 Sunday, April 6 (Sponsored by the Women’s Committee) Sunday, April 27 2–3 p.m. FREE
Dr. Vishakha N. Desai The Past in the Present: Traditional Sources for Contemporary Arts in China and India the john & berthe ford annual lecture in asian art Sunday, April 13, 2–3 p.m. FREE
Kimono Lecture and Trunk Sale Saturday, May 10, 2–4 p.m. FREE
Intercambio: Tours in Spanish and English for adults and mature youth Sundays January 26, February 23, March 23, April 27 3–4:30 p.m. FREE
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Sunday Walk-in Tours
thursday evening gallery talks
1–2 p.m. FREE, unless noted Meet in the Centre Street Lobby
Being Black and Rich (or Poor) in Renaissance Europe February 6, 6–7 p.m.
Art of the Ancient World January 5 The Chamber of Art and Wonders January 12 Jacob Lawrence’s Genesis Series January 19 Nineteenth-Century Art January 26
Designed for Flowers: Contemporary Japanese Ceramics March 6, 6–7 p.m.
Jacob Lawrence’s Genesis Series February 2 Nineteenth-Century Art February 9 The Glory of Ancient Egypt February 16 Highlights of the Walters February 23 East Meets West: Asian and Western Art March 2 Jacob Lawrence’s Genesis Series March 9 Designed for Flowers: Contemporary Japanese Ceramics, FREE with membership or exhibition admission March 16 Castles and Cathedrals March 23 Highlights of the Walters March 30 Art Blooms: Docents stationed in the Sculpture Court April 4–6, 10 a.m.–3 p.m., Highlights of the Walters April 13 Highlights of the Walters April 20 Designed for Flowers: Contemporary Japanese Ceramics, FREE with membership or exhibition admission April 27
Celebrating Women in Art through the Ages April 10, 6–7 p.m.
Member Tours Members have the opportunity to join a Walters expert for an intimate tour. Please meet us in the first-floor lobby. These are members-only tour. Tour schedules and topics are subject to change. Registration is not required. For questions, please call the membership office at 410-547-9000, ext. 283. Seven Wonders of the Ancient World in the Chamber of Wonders Thursday, January 16, 6 p.m. Joaneath Spicer, James A. Murnaghan Curator of Renaissance and Baroque Art Faiyum Mummy Portraits Wednesday, February 26, 1 p.m. Marden Nichols, Assistant Curator of Ancient Art Geneva Griswold, Objects Conservation Intern Glenn Gates, Conservation Scientist Bookbindings from the Gilded Age Thursday, March 20, 6 p.m. Diane Bockrath, Archivist / Librarian Abigail Quandt, Head of Book and Paper Conservation Challenges and Care of Southeast Asian Lacquer Wednesday, April 9, 1 p.m. Meg Craft, Head of Objects Conservation The Walters Legacy and Islamic Art Thursday, May 29, 5 p.m. Amy Landau, Associate Curator of Manuscripts and Islamic Art
THINGS TO DO ArtCarts and Drop-In Activities
ArtCubs Pre-Toddler Program
Friends of the Asian Collection
Every Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m.–3 p.m. January Heroes & Legends February Women in the Arts March Read & Grow April Flowers & Vessels
1–2 p.m. Ages 13–23 months and an adult Members $10 / Non-members $15 pre-registration required January 21 Siren Song February 18 G is for Girl March 18 Blossom April 15 Seedlings
Are you interested in the enrichment and study of the collection of Asian art at the Walters Art Museum? Join the Friends of the Asian Collection and help the Walters’ efforts to preserve and showcase its stunning and diverse Asian holdings. To become a member of Friends of the Asian Collection, you must have a current membership to the Walters and commit to annual dues to the Friends ($75 for Individual / $100 for Dual).
ArtAccents Bilingual Tours 11 a.m.–noon Ages 6–12 and an adult Members $10 / Non-members $15, pre-registration required January 26 Sports / Deportes February 23 Artist / Artista March 23 Nature / La Natureleza April 27 Flowers / Flores
Walk, Wonder, & Create Tours 11 a.m. or 1 p.m. Ages 6–8 and an adult Free, pre-registration required January 18 Climb Mt. Olympus February 1 Walk in Her Shoes March 15 An Hour in Japan April 19 Bloom and Prune
ArtBabies Baby Program Tuesdays, 1–2 p.m. Ages birth to 12 months and an adult Members $10 / Non-members $15 pre-registration required January 14 Red and Black February 11 G is for Girl March 11 Blossom April 8 Seedlings
Scout Programs Museum Days— Greetings from Japan! Saturday, March 1 or March 8 Sunday, March 2 or March 9 1–3 p.m. $10 per scout, pre-registration required
ArtKids Preschool Program
Spring Break Activities
10:30 a.m.–noon Ages 3–5 and an adult FREE, pre-registration required January 4, 7, 8, or 11 Strong Stuff: Herakles and His Labors by John Harris February 1, 4, 5, or 8 Through Georgia’s Eyes by Rachel Victoria Rodriguez March 1, 4, 5, or 8 Today and Today by Kobayashi Issa April 1, 2, 5, or 26 Aiko’s Flowers by Rui Umezawa
Wednesday–Friday, April 16–18 10 a.m.–3 p.m. FREE
ArtTots Program Tuesday, 10–11 a.m. Ages 2–3 and an adult FREE, pre-registration required January 21 or 28 Creature Feature February 18 or 25 Wonderful Women March 18 or 25 Ready to Read? April 15 or 22 Sprouts
Waltee Illustration by Brian Ralph
Festivals All ages FREE, check our website for details Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Family Festival January 20 Chinese New Year Celebration February 2 African American Family Festival February 22 Asian Art Family Festival April 12
For more information, please contact Danielle Horetsky, Curatorial Assistant, at 410-547-9000, ext. 250, or email dhoretsky@thewalters.org. Upcoming Lectures (located in the Parlor of 5 West Mount Vernon Place) Satsuma in the Walters Collection Tuesday, January 14, 5–7 p.m. Matthew Baer, Ivory Tower Antiques, Inc. Contemporary Japanese Ceramics Tuesday, February 11, 5–7 p.m. Joan Mirviss, Joan B. Mirviss Ltd. The Art of Drawing in Courtly North India Tuesday, March 11, 5–7 p.m. Ainsley M. Cameron, Assistant Curator of Indian & Himalayan Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art Lockwood de Forest: from India to Baltimore Tuesday, May 20, 5–7 p.m. Amy Poster, Former Curator of Asian Art, Brooklyn Museum and Mellon Curatorat-Large, Indianapolis Museum of Art
All family programs take place in the Lower Level Family Art Center unless otherwise noted.
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mark your calendar American Artists Abroad: Works from the Permanent Collection May 10–September 21 Tourists, students, expatriates, cosmopolitans, and explorers, American artists traveled widely during the nineteenth century. This exhibition explores this theme and features work by Mary Cassatt, John Singer Sargent, and James McNeill Whistler, among others. It also celebrates the completion of a grant-funded project, sponsored by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, to catalogue and photograph more than 600 American paintings, drawings, and miniatures for the Works of Art website; the grant also supported the 2013 exhibition New Eyes on America: The Genius of Richard Caton Woodville and related programming. The Janet & Walters Sondheim Artscape Prize 2014 Finalists June 20–August 17 Presented by the Walters and the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, this exhibition will show the work of the finalists for the 2014 Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize. Artists will compete for top honors and a $25,000 fellowship in the Greater Baltimore area’s most prestigious arts competition. The prize assists in furthering the career of a visual artist or visual artist collaborators living and working in this region. Held in conjunction with Artscape, America’s largest free arts festival, the semifinalist and finalists exhibitions will be presented in partnership with the Walters and the Maryland Institute College of Art. The competition winner will be announced at the awards ceremony at the Walters on July 12. Artscape will be July 18–20, 2014. Seeing Music in Medieval Manuscripts June 28–September 28 Medieval painters often filled their manuscripts with scenes of everyday life that included charming illuminations of people and animals playing instruments and dancing. Many of these images, however, functioned as sophisticated symbols that conveyed a complex understanding of man’s relationship with the order of the universe. Musical harmony and dissonance were thought to mirror the perfection of heaven as well as the disorder of evil. This exhibition, composed of approximately twenty manuscripts and objects, will explore music in its relationship with philosophy, religion, and the arts during the Middle Ages. top: William Trost Richards, Tintagel on the Cornish Coast (detail), 1879. Gift in memory of Dr. Theodore L. Low, Director of Education from 1946–1980, by Josiah O. Low, Jr., Mary Low Fitch and Dorothy Low Newton in memory of their brother, 1989 middle: Louie Palu, Ex-Gang Member, 2012 and Self Beating, 2011. From The Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize 2013 Finalists bottom: Northeast France / Southern Flanders, Wedding Feast of St. Cecilia, 1290, in the Beaupré Antiphonary, vol. 2, fol. 173r. Gift of the William R. Hearst Foundation, 1957
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mark your calendar
SUMMER CAMP 2014 Summer Camp at the Walters July 1–August 2, 2014 (1st–5th grades) Full Day 9 a.m.–4:15 p.m. Members $210 / Non-members $360 (per week) Morning Only 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Members $110 / Non-members $190 (per week) The Artist’s Studio Experience August 5–16, 2014 (6th–12th grades) 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Members $170 / Non-members $310 (per week) The school year isn’t the only time that the Walters offers rich programming for all school age children. Registration for our ever-popular summer camp begins January 30. Go to thewalters.org/summercamp for more details.
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600 n. charles st. baltimore, md 21201-5185 thewalters.org / 410-547-9000
Recognizing CURATOR EMERITUS WILLIAM R. JOHNSTON
William and Henry Walters, The Reticent Collectors $47.00 / Members $42.30 With this book, recently reprinted by the Johns Hopkins University Press, William R. Johnston, curator of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century art at the Walters from 1967 to 2008, restores William and Henry Walters to their rightful place among America’s great art collectors. Drawing upon the knowledge of the early museum staff and gathering valuable information from other rare sources, Johnston has painstakingly re-created the collector’s lives and world.
nonprofit org u.s. postage paid baltimore, md permit no. 1608
The Journal of the Walters Art Museum, Vol. 70–71 Essays in Honor of William R. Johnston $50.00 / Members $45.00 Seventeen essays by friends and colleagues of William R. Johnston, curator of eighteenth- and nineteenthcentury art at the Walters for more than forty years, celebrate Johnston’s remarkable exhibitions, acquisitions, and publications over the course of his career. Topics range from a fourteenthcentury Crucifixion painting to late nineteenth-century paintings, enamels, jewelry, and glassware.
Purchase the Journal of the Walters Art Museum and Reticent Collectors together for a discounted price of $79.95. Members $71.95