Davis Museum at Wellesley College Opening!

Opening this Thursday, February 9th, 2017, 6:30-9pm

The Medici’s Painter: Carlo Dolci and 17th-Century Florence Daphne Wright: Prayer Project The Fine Print: Selections from the Collection Bequest of Ann Kirk Warren ‘50

Carlo Dolci, Self Portrait, 1674. Photo Credit: Scala/Ministero per i Beni e le Attività culturali/Art Resource, NY.

The Medici’s Painter: Carlo Dolci and 17th-Century Florence

The Davis Museum at Wellesley College will present The Medici’s Painter: Carlo Dolci and 17th-Century Florence, the first-ever exhibition in America devoted to the luminous and meticulously rendered paintings and drawings of 17th-century Italian artist Carlo Dolci (1616–1687), and the Davis Museum’s most ambitious Old Master project to date. Dolci was arguably the most important artist in Florence during the 17th-century and the exhibition brings together for the first time in the U.S. the artist's sophisticated devotional work, pictures and drawings of the highest pictorial, technical, and spiritual qualities. On view in the Camilla Chandler and Dorothy Buffum Chandler Gallery and the Marjorie and Gerald Bronfman Gallery, The Medici’s Painter will open on February 9, and run through July 9, 2017. The exhibition includes more than 50 paintings and drawings, on loan from the most important public and private collections in the U.S. and abroad, and from otherwise inaccessible private collections. Works will travel from the Uffizi Gallery and Pitta Palace in Florence, the Louvre Museum in Paris, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, among others. The exhibition will travel for presentation at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University in August 2017. The Medici’s Painter is organized by Dr. Eve Straussman-Pflanzer, Head of European Art Department & Elizabeth and Allan Shelden Curator of European Paintings at the Detroit Institute of Arts, with Dr. Francesca Baldassari. Straussman-Pflanzer was previously the Assistant Director of Curatorial Affairs and Senior Curator of Collections at the Davis Museum. “The exhibition will consider Dolci’s art in depth as well as consider art as a critical diplomatic, political, and cultural tool from the early modern period to the present,” said StraussmanPflanzer. “It provides the first opportunity in the United States to study the life and oeuvre of the most important artist in 17th-century Florence.” Best known for his half-length and single-figure devotional pictures, Dolci was also a gifted painter of altarpieces and portraits as well as a highly accomplished draughtsman. He created his first works of art in the mid-1620s, after entering the studio of the Florentine painter Jacopo Vignali (1592–1664) in 1625. Among his first patrons were members of the Medici family and foreign nobility, who immediately recognized his reverence for detail, brilliant palette, and seemingly enameled surfaces. New Scholarship  This exhibition moves beyond the notion of Dolci as a sentimental painter or an exclusively devotional one, and returns to an appreciation of the aesthetic merits, naturalistic underpinnings, and cultural context of the artist’s work. Exhibiting Dolci’s oeuvre chronologically with attention to autograph works by the artist, the exhibition will exceed longstanding prejudices by presenting the artist’s exquisite surfaces and breathtaking palette alongside preparatory drawings. Such juxtaposition will reveal the sheer technical virtuosity of the artist as well as the naturalistic vein that forms the foundation of his entire legacy. PUBLICATION  An exhibition catalogue, published by the Davis Museum at Wellesley College and distributed by Yale University Press, will accompany the exhibition. The catalogue will be edited by Julia P. Henshaw with contributions by early modern scholars Francesca Baldassari, Edward Goldberg, Scott Nethersole, Lisa Goldenberg Stoppato, and Eve Straussman-Pflanzer. The price for the catalogue is $35. ADMISSION AND PRICING  Please Note: Tickets are required for this entry to this exhibition. General Admission $20; Wellesley College alumnae $12. Gratis entry for all students, Wellesley College faculty and staff, Friends of Art members, and Durant Society members. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.theDavis.org.

Daphne Wright: Prayer Project

The Davis Museum at Wellesley College will present Daphne Wright: Prayer Project, an installation of seven video portraits, reflecting the private moment of prayer and meditation. These tranquil films place a variety of faiths on an equal footing in their stripped-down, human form, showing faith as part of daily life. The viewer is invited to explore the notion of communion, both in the sense of its religious connotations (a communion with god) but also in the old sense of the word as communication, community, or dialogue with the self or with an ‘other’. Prayer Project, a continuous 50-minute projection, will be on view in the Joan Levine Freedman ’57 and Richard I. Freedman Gallery from February 10 - July 9, 2017. “Daphne Wright’s work is always suggestive and moving, said Lisa Fischman, Ruth Gordon Shapiro ’37 Director of the Davis. “Her Prayer Project is particularly timely and apt. It is important that we display art that provokes thought on social issues, and to have the opportunity to collaborate with Daphne Wright is a great honor for the Davis.” The portraits in this installation are of Bryan Appleyard, Vice President and Chairman of the Buddhist Society in London; Sister Frances Dominica, filmed at the All Saints Convent, Oxfordshire; Jay Lakhani, Education Director for the Hindu Council UK; Rabbi Francis Berry of the Bristol and West Progressive Jewish Congregation; Prafula Shah, a leading community representative of the Jain faith; Vanessa Gilliland, member of the nondenominational Vineyard movement; and Dr. R. David Muir from the Evangelical Alliance. The Davis’ installation is in contemplative counterpoint to the devotional paintings on view in The Medici’s Painter: Carlo Dolci and 17th-Century Florence. While Dolci’s pictures expressed and encouraged religious piety, Wright’s filmic portraits create space for the quiet consideration of devotional diversity, inviting empathy and shared awareness. The Artist Daphne Wright, born in 1963 in Ireland, is an artist best known for her unsettling yet poignant sculptural installations. Using a wide range of materials–plaster, tinfoil, video, printmaking, found objects and performance–she creates worlds that are beautiful and rather eerie which feel like the threshold to somewhere new. Wright has exhibited nationally and internationally, with works held in permanent collections at the Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow, Hamburger Kunsthalle, Germany, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin and Towner Art Gallery, Sussex.

The Fine Print: Selections from the Collection Bequest of Ann Kirk Warren ‘50

The Davis Museum at Wellesley College is pleased to announce the acquisition of more than two hundred works on paper as a bequest from Wellesley College alumna Ann Kirk Warren ’50. The quality, quantity, and breadth of this bequest add immeasurably to the Museum’s strong collection of prints and drawings. Ann Kirk Warren (1926-2016), an avid collector of works on paper, was a longtime supporter of arts institutions across the United States. Ann earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Wellesley College and master’s degrees in English literature and art history from Wayne State University. In addition to amassing a world-class collection of works on paper that spanned five centuries, she herself enjoyed painting and printmaking. To celebrate Warren’s generosity and her acumen for collecting, the Davis is highlighting this extraordinary addition to its collections through several rotations. The first rotation, The Fine Print: Selections from the Collection Bequest of Ann Kirk Warren ’50, will feature the female subject across five centuries with prints ranging from 16th-century engravings by Hendrick Goltzius to 20th-century drypoints by Max Beckmann and Lovis Corinth. The Fine Print will be on view in the Robert and Claire Freedman Lober Viewing Alcove from February 10 through July 9, 2017.

RELATED PUBLIC PROGRAMS  Opening Celebration and Keynote Lecture  Collins Cinema, Davis Lobby and Galleries Thursday, February 9, 2017 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. — Keynote Lecture 7:30 – 9 p.m. — Reception and Gallery Viewing Join the Davis to celebrate the opening of our spring 2017 special exhibitions, The Medici’s Painter: Carlo Dolci and 17th-Century Florence, Reframing the Past: Piranesi’s Vedute di Roma, On Distant Shores: Landscapes by Constable and Kensett, The Fine Print: Selections from the Collection Bequest of Ann Kirk Warren ’50, and Daphne Wright: Prayer Project. The evening kicks off with a Keynote Lecture offered by Dr. Francesca Baldassari, generously supported by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation. A festive reception follows. Performance: The Sound World of Carlo Dolci  Camilla Chandler and Dorothy Buffum Chandler Gallery Friday, March 3, 2017 6:30 – 8 p.m. Set amidst the luminous devotional works of Florentine painter Carlo Dolci, this program of 17th-century Italian song brings a sonic dimension to the experience of looking. Featuring soprano Laurie Monahan, Laura Jeppesen on viola da gamba, and Catherine Liddell on theorbo and baroque guitar, the concert includes music by Barbara Strozzi, Vincenzo Calestani, Jacopo Peri, Girolamo Frescobaldi, and early-modern composers. This event requires ticketed admission to The Medici’s Painter: Carlo Dolci and 17th-Century Florence. This event is co-sponsored by Medieval-Renaissance Studies (Moffet Fund), the Davis Museum, and the Wellesley College Music Department. Film Series: A Grand Tour  Screenings in Collins Cinema at 6:30 p.m. The Davis spring film series considers the “Grand Tour”—a rite of passage for young aristocrats (men, and some women) coming of cultural age from the mid-17th through the mid-19th century. The Grand Tour itinerary linked passion for touristic adventure to the cultural legacies of classical antiquity and the Renaissance, informed tastes in art and collecting, and reinforced notions of class status and empire. These four films vary in source material, genre, and time period, from modern psychological horror to classic romantic comedy, yet have one thing in common—a life-changing visit to Italy, though perhaps not as “grand” as expected. This film series is generously supported by the Davis Museum Film Program Gift. Death in Venice (Dir., Luchino Visconti, 1971) Thursday, February 23, 2017 Seeking respite and recovery from illness, Gustav von Aschenbach alights in Venice. Unexpectedly, he finds relief and hope in the beauty of a teenaged boy named Tadzio with whom he becomes enamored. After an outbreak of cholera, Aschenbach’s condition quickly worsens—but he feels feel the most alive he ever has, even in the city that eventually kills him. Roman Holiday (Dir., William Wyler, 1953) Thursday, March 16, 2017 In this romantic comedy, a young Princess Ann escapes her dull political duties for a day of sightseeing in Rome with an American journalist who hides his real agenda. Transformed by the city and his company, she faces uncertainty about the confines of her royal role. Starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. A Room with a View (Dir. James Ivory, 1985) Thursday, April 6, 2017 Based on the novel by E.M. Forster, this sweeping romantic drama finds young Lucy Honeychurch and her chaperone on holiday in Florence, ensconced at a small pension amidst free-thinking fellow travellers. Back at home, Lucy is wooed by an affluent and cultured suitor, and must decide whether to abide the conventions of Edwardian England or follow her heart. The Talented Mr. Ripley (Dir., Anthony Minghella, 1999) Thursday, May 11, 2017 An impulsive young “nobody” is enlisted to convince the scion of a wealthy family to return to America. Thus begins a chain of deception with dire consequences. Based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith, this psychological thriller matches Tom Ripley’s passions to the dramatic landscapes of Italy’s great tourist destinations. Family Day: A Grand Tour of Italy Davis Lobby, Plaza, and Galleries Saturday, April 29, 2017 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. The Davis welcomes visitors of all ages to participate in a day of activities inspired by Italian art and culture. This free event features a treasure hunt in the galleries, art making, and performances that will entertain the whole family. Family Day is generously supported by the Palley Endowment Fund for Davis Museum Outreach Programs. Generously supported by the Wellesley College Friends of Art at the Davis Museum, Davis World Cultures Fund, E. Franklin Robbins Art Museum Fund, National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts Museum Program Fund, Anonymous '70 Endowed Davis Museum Program Fund, The Judith Blough Wentz '57 Museum Programs Fund, the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, the Robert Lehman Foundation, Inc., and the Office of the Provost and Dean of Wellesley College. Grants were received from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, and the Robert Lehman Foundation, Inc. ABOUT THE DAVIS MUSEUM One of the oldest and most acclaimed academic fine arts museums in the United States, the Davis Museum is a vital force in the intellectual, pedagogical and social life of Wellesley College.  It seeks to create an environment that encourages visual literacy, inspires new ideas, and fosters involvement with the arts both within the College and the larger community. ABOUT WELLESLEY COLLEGE AND THE ARTS The Wellesley College arts curriculum and the highly acclaimed Davis Museum are integral components of the College’s liberal arts education. Departments and programs from across the campus enliven the community with world-class programming– classical and popular music, visual arts, theatre, dance, author readings, symposia, and lectures by some of today’s leading artists and creative thinkers–most of which are free and open to the public. Since 1875, Wellesley College has been the preeminent liberal arts college for women. Known for its intellectual rigor and its remarkable track record for the cultivation of women leaders in every arena, Wellesley—only 12 miles from Boston—is home to some 2,400 undergraduates from 49 states and 58 countries.