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Collection Hours
Open Tuesday-Friday 10am-4pm --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
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Exhibit Schedule 2009-2010 Opening Reception Wednesday, December 2nd from 3:00-5:30pm Exhibit Closes Friday, February 26th, 2010 “The Inheritance of Rome: Returning to the Eternal City” will open December 2, 2009 and continue through February 26, 2010 in the Gallery at Festival at James Madison University. The exhibition features paintings, sculpture and prints that document artists, collectors and travelers’ responses to Rome and its art. Rome is nicknamed the “Eternal City” because of its long history of global influence, and has been a magnet for tourists and inspiration for artists since the Renaissance. Sixteenth century prints reflect the admiration of artists and collectors for Raphael’s depictions of religious and mythological subjects in the Vatican and the Villa Farnesina. Before the invention of photography, reproductive prints were the medium of transmission for famous artworks. An illustrated page from Vitruvius’ book on Roman Architecture, which was translated into French and German in 1548, demonstrates how the study of antiquity spread north of the Alps to a wider European audience. In the seventeenth century French, Flemish, and North Italian artists came to Rome in search of wealthy patrons and a lively art market. They produced portable altarpieces and cabinet pictures for collectors and the numerous pilgrims visiting the city. A special focus of the exhibit is the painting of Diana the Huntress, after the Bolognese artist Domenichino. Eighteenth and nineteenth century prints exemplify the view paintings, or “vedute,” made popular by Piranesi. Engravings of the antique ruins, churches, and piazzas of Rome were typical artworks collected by noblemen on the Grand Tour. A print after Titian’s Venus and Adonis by Sir Robert Strange shows how the Old Masters were transmitted to a British and Scottish audience. The exhibit also illuminates Italian-American connections, as seen in a sculpture by Vincent Miserendino, who was a popular presidential portraitist in the early twentieth century. Most artworks
come from the collection of Dr. John A. Sawhill, a Classics professor at
James Madison University from 1927-57. This is the first time they have been
shown in public. Dr. Kathleen G. Arthur and students in the School of Art
and Art History Museum Studies Exhibition Seminar organized the exhibition
and wrote the catalogue. Life and Death in Ancient Egypt Opens 3/17/10 from 3:30-5:30pm Closes 6/18/10 Ever wanted to be Indiana Jones or Laura Croft? Here’s your chance! Come learn about life and death in ancient Egypt through objects drawn from the Madison Art Collection. Yes, we’ll even have a tomb for you to explore! This exhibit is interactive, fun, and child-friendly! While you're at JMU, consider planning a visit to the Planetarium to see the Stars of the Pharaohs. Through the use of virtual reality, travel back in time to ancient Egypt to see how science was used to tell time, make a workable calendar, and align huge buildings. Learn about the connection that the ancient Egyptians felt with the stars and various astronomical phenomena. This 40 minute film uses photographs of the most spectacular temples and tombs and recreates them in their original splendor.
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| PUBLISHER: stevenke@jmu.edu |
