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THE SYDNEY
AND FRANCES LEWIS COLLECTION OF LATE 19TH- AND EARLY 20TH-CENTURY
DECORATIVE ARTS
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Posted June 29,
2009
Importance
The
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts houses one of the most significant
public collections outside Paris of decorative arts in the Art Nouveau
and Art Deco styles, spanning the years 1890-1935. The Art Nouveau
and Art Deco styles radiated from Paris to the rest of Europe and
America. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts collection is rich in
both its scope and its depth, featuring masterpieces by key designers.
Highlights include one of the largest and finest collections of
lamps by Tiffany Studios in a U.S. museum; one of the largest collections
of works by Louis Comfort Tiffany on view in a U.S. museum; one
of the largest group of works by Charles Rennie Mackintosh in a
U.S. museum; the finest collection of American and European Arts
and Crafts and Art Nouveau belt buckles and accessories - dating
from about 1890 to 1910 - in a U.S. museum; a very fine group of
American Arts and Crafts objects by artists such as Frank Lloyd
Wright, Greene and Greene Brothers, Gustav Stickley and Roycroft
in an American museum; the largest group of objects by the great
Art Deco (and Modernist) architect-designer working in Paris, Eileen
Gray, in a U.S. museum; and one of the largest group of objects
by the great French Art Nouveau architect-designer Hector Guimard
in an American museum.
Donors
Sydney
and Frances Lewis of Richmond, the founders of Best Products Company,
amassed the majority of their collection for their personal use
between about 1970 and 1985. During this period, the museum acquired
major Art Nouveau objects with funds donated by the Lewises in 1971-72,
and the collection was enlarged through funds and gifts from other
benefactors. The Lewises gave their collection and that of the Lewis
Foundation to the museum in 1985. Prior to their gift, their paintings,
sculptures and decorative arts were housed in the Lewis's house
on Monument Avenue. The house was designed by the well-known architect
William Bottomley and was built in 1926. The entire house was furnished
in the finest examples of Art Nouveau and Art Deco objects and with
important works by Lichtenstein, Warhol, Kline, Close and other
major artists of the period from the mid 1960s to 1985.
The
2010 Installation
When the expanded museum
opens May 1, 2010, the collection will be installed in a logical,
clear fashion. Each gallery will be devoted to one country (with
the exception of one that will focus on two countries) so that visitors
may easily understand the accomplishments of artists, architects
and designers in each country. On view will be VMFA's very finest
objects, some which have not been shown before (because of space
limitations), as well as newly acquired objects. A large group of
objects by the French Art Nouveau architect and designer Hector
Guimard, telling the story of Parisian Art Nouveau, will be shown,
and many artists will be represented in depth - among them Charles
Rennie Mackintosh, Archibald Knox, Josef Hoffmann, Richard Riemerschmid
and Eileen Gray. The complete range of creativity by Louis Comfort
Tiffany will be represented by a wide selection of objects, including
a leaded-glass window and lamps, hand-blown glass, ceramics, enamels,
jewelry, wood and mosaics. Whereas in past installations space limited
the display to some 350 works, the expanded galleries will allow
for the showing of some 420 works.
Highlights
Hector
Guimard, (French, 1867-1942)
Cabinet from the apartment building Castel Béranger, Paris,
circa 1899
Pear, ash, bronze, mirrored glass, glass
Built between 1894 and 1898, Castel Béranger in Paris was
designed by Guimard. While creating the interior decoration for
the building, Guimard adapted sinuous lines found in nature. This
massive cabinet, with its curving lines and open spaces, was created
for a dining room in an apartment at the Castel Béranger.
By examining the preliminary designs of the cabinet, one can see
that Guimard originally planned a more sumptuous piece of furniture.
The cabinetry was considered part of the overall design scheme for
the dining room and would not have been viewed as a separate piece
of furniture.
Hector
Guimard (French, 1867-1942)
Office Suite (desk, file cabinets, arm and side chairs),
1909
Pearwood, mahogany, bronze, upholstery, glass, leather
Of all the French Art Nouveau artists, Guimard was the most famous
architect and designer working at the turn of the last century.
He created total environments, from the architecture of a building
to every aspect of its interior, such as furniture, metalwork and
textiles. An example of the highest achievement in cabinetry, this
office suite includes Guimard's botanical motifs based on the stem
and roots of plant life. The carved decoration in high relief appears
all over this suite.
Tiffany
Glass and Decorating Company (American-New York, 1892-1900)
Punch Bowl with Three Ladles, 1900
Favrile glass, silver, gilding, copper
This punch bowl, commissioned by one of Tiffany's most distinguished
patrons, Henry O. Havemeyer of New York City, is among the most
important works created by Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company.
The punch bowl, formed of Tiffany's hand-blown glass, called favrile
glass after the Latin word faber (meaning handmade), has an iridescent
surface reminiscent of ancient Roman glass. The gilded silver mounts
show the Art Nouveau style in its C- and S-shaped scrolls. The bowl
is visible in a photograph of the Tiffany display at the Paris Universal
Exhibition of 1900. For his contribution at the exhibition, Tiffany
won a grand prize and received the French Legion of Honor.
Tiffany
Glass and Decorating Company (American-New York, 1892-1900)
Peacock Lamp, circa 1898-1900
Favrile glass, enamel, brass, gilding
Sometime around 1898, Charles Winthrop Gould (1849-1931), a prominent
lawyer, art collector and trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of
Art in New York, asked Tiffany to provide the interior decoration
for his house. A peacock motif was a central element. Among the
objects Tiffany made for Gould was this lamp. The body is favrile
glass with a peacock-feather pattern. The shade of the lamp is a
glass globe featuring a swirling pattern. Three enameled-copper
peacock heads support the glass globe. The foot of the lamp is enameled
copper and includes glass scarabs. Additional scarabs are placed
around the birds' necks.
Clara
Driscoll (designer) (American, 1861-1944)
Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company (American-New York, 1892-1900)
Cobweb Lamp, circa 1902-1910
Leaded glass, bronze, mosaic-glass tiles
The lamp's large size, the sophisticated form of the octagonal shade
and support, and the glass mosaic tiles all contributed to making
this piece the second most expensive lamp made by Tiffany Glass
and Decorating Company. The complex pattern and fabrication of the
lampshade, with cobwebs and flowers, is an example of the ingenuity
and talent of the artists at the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company.
The base of the lamp, formed of bronze branches that rise to support
the shade, is decorated with narcissus in mosaic-glass tiles. Clara
Driscoll, who designed the lamp, was one of the most important and
prolific artists working for Louis Comfort Tiffany.
Eileen
Gray (Irish, active in France, 1878-1976)
Canoe Sofa, 1919-20
Lacquered wood, silver leaf
One of Eileen Gray's most successful decorations was the apartment
for Madame Mathieu Lévy, a talented Parisian fashion designer
known as Suzanne Talbot. A sofa in the shape of a dugout canoe,
inspired by Polynesian and Micronesian canoes, was among the most
unusual pieces of furniture made by Gray for Madame Lévy.
This sofa, which is lacquered and silvered, is very similar to the
one that Gray designed in 1919-20 for Madame Lévy. It is
among the most celebrated examples of furniture in the Art Deco
style.
Eileen
Gray (Irish, active in France, 1879-1976)
Screen, circa 1923
Lacquered wood, aluminum
Between 1919 and 1922, Eileen Gray decorated the Paris apartment
of Madame Mathieu Lévy, who was known as the successful French
fashion designer Suzanne Talbot. For the entrance hall, Gray created
a screen and wall treatment in 1922 that consisted of wood blocks,
each lacquered in black and textured with powdered stone. The iconic
Art Deco screen in the VMFA collection was inspired by the interior
decoration of the entrance hall at Madame Lévy's apartment.
From around 1923, after Gray opened her own Paris art gallery called
Jean Désert, several other versions of this screen in black
or white were made, including this example.
VMFA
Expansion Overview
The
VMFA expansion Grand Opening is May 1, 2010. The new James W. and
Frances G. McGlothlin Wing is now sealed and protected from the
elements, allowing interior work to proceed full speed ahead. Key
features of the expansion project:
Some 165,000 square feet will be added to the VMFA's existing 380,000
square feet.
The new Atrium in the wing, a triple-height "main street,"
will connect the new building with two existing wings and open onto
a new library, museum shop, café, and galleries. Its innovative
glass roof will deliver natural light to this central area and surrounding
spaces.
A 40-foot-high glass wall overlooking the Boulevard will signal
the purpose of the museum from the outside by showcasing works of
art and revealing public activity within.
A Glass Beacon, enclosing a stairwell on the north façade,
will draw attention to the main entrance and glow softly at night.
A new Entrance Plaza facing eastward will create a new Main Entrance
to the museum visible from the Boulevard.
The wing will provide expanded gallery space for VMFA's art collections
and major exhibitions.
A new School Tour Entrance from the Entrance Plaza will accommodate
more school groups and lead to children's studios, resource rooms
and a gallery.
At the heart of the museum's new campus, the E. Claiborne and Lora
Robins Sculpture Garden will replace 3.5 acres of parking lot with
a magnificent park including leisurely walkways, refreshing water
features, flowers, and art.
The Robins Sculpture Garden will partially cover a new, highly innovative
Parking Deck tucked beneath a terraced, landscaped slope designed
for recreation and viewing outdoor performances.
Additional
expansion information is available at www.vmfa.museum.
CONTACT:
Suzanne Hall, 804/204-2704; or Sarah Pennington, 804/204-2701; Virginia
Museum of Fine Arts, 200 N. Boulevard, Richmond VA 23220-4007; FAX
804/204-2707; e-mail suzanne.hall@vmfa.museum
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CAPTION: French
artist Hector Guimard created this Art Nouveau Cabinet of
pear and ash wood in about 1899. It was purchased by VMFA through
its Sydney and Frances Lewis Art Nouveau Fund. (Photo by Katherine
Wetzel, © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts)
CAPTION: This
Art Nouveau Punch Bowl With Three Ladles was made by the
Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company in 1900. It was purchased by
VMFA through its Sydney and Frances Lewis Art Nouveau Fund. (Photo
© Virginia Museum of Fine Arts)
CAPTION: Louis
Comfort Tiffany created this Art Nouveau Peacock Lamp of
leaded glass, bronze and enamel circa 1898-1899. It was given to
VMFA by the Sydney and Frances Lewis Foundation. (Photo by Katherine
Wetzel, © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts)
CAPTION:
Cobweb Lamp, circa 1902-1910; Clara Driscoll (designer) (American,
1861-1944); Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company (American-New York,
1892-1900); Leaded glass, bronze, mosaic-glass tiles. (Photo by
Katherine Wetzel, © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts)
CAPTION: This
circa-1923 Art Deco Screen by artist Eileen Gray is made
of lacquered wood and aluminum. It was given to VMFA by Sydney and
Frances Lewis. (Photo © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts)
CAPTION: Canoe
Sofa, 1919-20, by
Eileen Gray (French, 1879-1976); lacquered wood, silver leaf; 23-3/8
by 106-5/16 by 29-9/16 inches. (Photo © Virginia Museum
of Fine Arts)
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