W&L Professor Curates “Modern Patrons” Exhibit
Modern Patrons: Donations of Twentieth Century Art to the University Collection opens on Sept. 1 in Staniar Gallery in Wilson Hall on the campus of Washington and Lee University.
Curated by W&L Art History Professor Pamela H. Simpson, the exhibition focuses on significant donors by examining the nature of their collections, their connection to Washington and Lee and the historical context of their gifts.
Modern Patrons: Donations of Twentieth Century Art to the University Collection will be on view in Staniar Gallery through Oct. 2. Simpson will be giving a curator’s talk on Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 6 p.m. in the Concert Hall of Wilson Hall. The lecture will be followed by a reception in the atrium outside the Concert Hall and is free and open to the public.
Washington and Lee has received many generous donations of art over the years and this exhibit showcases important 20th-century artwork presented to the University. Shown together for the first time, the paintings, photographs, prints and sculptures representing these important gifts offer a glimpse into the history of W&L’s unique art collection. Sydney and Frances Lewis, Euchlin and Louise Herreshoff Reeves, Jacob and Bernice Weinstein, John Poynor, Stan Kamen and Keith Shillington are among those whose donations will be featured.
“The paintings and sculpture they contributed constitute a fine teaching collection,” says Simpson. “Together they tell a story about the love of art and the love of this university.”
Staniar Gallery is located on the second floor of Wilson Hall, in Washington and Lee University’s Lenfest Center for the Arts. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, please call 540-458-8861.
