Director of Communications
amanda.murphy@tn.gov
615-741-9010
Senior Communications Manager
jill.kilgore@tn.gov
615-927-1320
Communications Manager
Alli.Lapps@tn.gov
Final two exhibitions this spring highlight the art of collecting
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Visitors will experience a wide variety of vibrant and spectacular artworks—rarely on view to public—during two spring exhibitions “A Feast for the Eyes: 200 Years of American Still-Life Painting from the Hevrdejs Collection” on view April 22-July 30 and “Unwrapped! 100 Gifts for 100 Years” ‘June 3-Aug. 27 at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art.
The finale of the museum’s centennial celebration started in March with The Art of Collecting—a round-table discussion in which three internationally-regarded collectors talked about what fueled their interest in art and the importance of a community cultivating new art collectors.
The two spring exhibitions continue the art collecting conversation by featuring an assortment of works from several collectors.
A Feast for the Eyes: 200 Years of American Still-Life Painting from the Hevrdejs Collection
Featuring more than 60 rarely seen works by major American artists—including Raphaelle Peale, John F. Peto, Thomas Hart Benton, Georgia O’Keeffe and Andrew Wyeth— A Feast for the Eyes: 200 Years of American Still-Life Painting from the Hevrdejs Collection celebrates the history of this genre in the United States. It is a refreshing look at the history of American art through the lens of still-life painting, from the early 19th century to today. Drawn from a private collection, these works represent an extraordinary range of subject matter, from fruit and flowers to images of guns and game. Among the major paintings in the exhibition are John F. Peto’s vibrant and haunting trompe l’oeil, The Writer’s Table: A Precarious Moment (1892) and Andrew Wyeth’s strikingly somber Christina’s Teapot (1968). This exhibition is organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Unwrapped! 100 Gifts for 100 Years
To mark the Brooks’ 100th anniversary, the museum’s generous patrons and supporters have given more than 100 spectacular works of art to the institution. Ranging from ancient coins to contemporary glass, from paintings to quilts, the exhibition will display all of these gifts in glorious profusion. Organized by Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Unwrapped! 100 Gifts for 100 Years is the perfect way not only to celebrate the museum’s first century of existence, but to emphasize the importance of building a collection. Raphaelle Peale, Orange and Book, c. 1817, Oil on canvas, the Frank and Michelle Hevrdejs Collection. Thomas R. Dubrock, photographer. Lino Tagliapietra, Italian, born in 1934, Mandara, 2005, Glass, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art; Gift of Buzzy Hussey and Dr. Hal Brunt, 100 Gifts for 100 Years, 1916-2016, PA.2016.75.
Museum visitors will view scores of rare or never before seen artworks at these two spring exhibitions, which act as the finale of the museum’s centennial celebration. Visitors will also learn about the importance of art collecting, which leads to cultivating the next generation of art collectors.
Photo credit: Richard Edward Miller, The Scarlet Necklace, 1914, Oil on canvas, the Frank and Michelle Hevrdejs Collection. Thomas R. Dubrock, photographer.
About Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
Founded in 1916 and located at 1934 Poplar Ave. in historic Overton Park, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art is home to Tennessee’s oldest and largest major collection of world art. More than 10,000 works make up the Brooks Museum’s permanent collection, including works from ancient Greece, Rome and the Americas; Renaissance masterpieces from Italy; English portraiture; American painting and decorative arts; contemporary art; and a survey of African art. The Brooks Museum enriches the lives of our diverse community through the museum's expanding collection, varied exhibitions, and dynamic programs that reflect the art of world cultures from antiquity to the present.
For more information about the Brooks and all other exhibitions and programs, call 901-544-6200 or visit www.brooksmuseum.org.
Art from everywhere. An experience for everyone.
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Director of Communications
amanda.murphy@tn.gov
615-741-9010
Senior Communications Manager
jill.kilgore@tn.gov
615-927-1320
Communications Manager
Alli.Lapps@tn.gov