Worcester Art Museum
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| Worcester Art Museum | |
| Established | 1898 |
|---|---|
| Location | 55 Salisbury Street Worcester, Massachusetts |
| Type | Art museum |
| Director | James A. Welu [1] |
| Website | Worcester Art Museum |
The Worcester Art Museum, also known as WAM, houses over 35,000 works of art dating from antiquity to the present day, representing cultures from all over the world. The WAM opened in 1898 in Worcester, Massachusetts, and is the second largest art museum in New England. [2]The WAM also has a café, museum shop, library, and a year round roster of classes for children and adults. [3]
Contents |
[edit] History and collection overview
The museum opened in 1898 and was established by Stephen Salisbury III, a Massachusetts state Senator and wealthy Worcester landowner (Less than a decade after he founded the Museum, he died). The Museum's first important acquisitions came from bequests. In 1901 John Chandler Bancroft, a wealthy Bostonian, bequeathed a group of over 3,000 Japanese prints. With the arrival of the Museum's first professional director, Philip J. Gentner, the collection has grown to be one of the most reputable in the country. The Museum's mission was founded more than a century ago "for the benefit of all."
In 1927 the museum purchased a 12th-century chapter house. This was the first medieval building ever transported from Europe to America. [4] In 1933 the grand Renaissance Court was built to link the museum and the chapter house.[5]
Aside from having an extensive collection, WAM hosts a wide range of exhibitions ranging from classical to contemporary as well as from across the globe. These have included a concert by the Von Trapp Family Singers during WWII, and an early dance performance by Twyla Tharp.[6]
[edit] Education
The Higgins Education Wing, built in the 1970s, offers a plethora of classes to the Worcester community year-round. Classes and workshops range from vacation week programs to adult evening classes as well as an extensive off-site program.
[edit] Collection highlights
Strengths of the collection include the Roman mosaic-laden Renaissance court, and a 12th century French chapter house. European paintings include some fine Flemish Renaissance paintings, an El Greco, a Rembrandt, and a room of impressionist and 20th century works by the likes of Matisse, Renoir, Gauguin, and Kandinsky. The American painting collection includes works by Thomas Cole, Winslow Homer, and John Singer Sargent among others and a 20th century gallery including works by Franz Kline, Jackson Pollock, and Joan Mitchell. It also includes collections of European and North American painting, prints, photographs and drawings; Asian art; Greek and Roman sculpture and mosaics; and Contemporary art.[3]
Other Higlights include:
- El Greco - The Repentant Magdalene, about 1577
- Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn - St. Barholemew
- Paul Gauguin - The Brooding Woman, 1891
- Edward Hicks - The Peaceable Kingdom, about 1833
[edit] See also
- Francis Henry Taylor — former director
- Joseph Skinger 1911-1967 Vermont silversmith and sculptor; a 1st generation American craftsman from Worcester. His motivation to become an artist and craftsman came from his experiences with and exposure to art at the Worcester Art Museum.
[edit] References
- ^ From the Director of the Worcester Art Museum
- ^ http://tfaoi.org/newsmu/nmus52.htm Traditional Fine Arts Organization WAM site
- ^ a b Worcester Art Museum: About, ARTINFO, 2008, http://www.artinfo.com/galleryguide/19806/6347/about/worcester-art-museum-worcester/, retrieved on 2008-07-24
- ^ http://www.worcesterart.org/Information/from_the_director.html "From the Dirrector" accessed on 2008-12-13
- ^ http://www.worcesterart.org/Information/from_the_director.html "From the Dirrector" accessed on 2008-12-13
- ^ http://www.worcesterart.org/Information/from_the_director.html "From the Dirrector" accessed on 2008-12-13
[edit] External links
