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AMAM Curator Looks to the Past
for a Novel Way to Exhibit
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by Anne C. Paine | photos by Al Fuchs
January 31, 2003 |
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Today's AMAM visitors are definitely
seeing more art—some of it monumental. One painting —Portrait
of Eleanor, Lady Wigram, executed in 1815-16 by the
British painter Sir Thomas Lawrence—has been exhibited
only once since it was acquired in 1986. The work, which
measures 6 feet by 9 feet, is installed on the east wall
of the Stern Gallery.
"It's so large that it is difficult to install—you
need to be able to get far enough away to view it,"
Borys explained. The removal of temporary interior walls
in the Stern Gallery during the AMAM's recent reinstallation
returned the gallery to its original size and layout,
allowing larger works to be exhibited.
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| In a salon-style
hang, works are grouped and hung side by side and
above one another, as shown in this view of the
Stern Gallery. |
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Another large work now on exhibit, Decorative Panel with
a Musical Party, painted around 1697 by the Dutch artist
Jan Weenix the Younger, hasn't been seen in many years.
It is hanging on the east wall of the Willard-Newell Gallery.
"It has all these wonderful references for Conservatory
students," Borys said.
"We've also installed more sculpture—every gallery
has several important pieces. The students and other museum
visitors are really enjoying it," Borys added. "In
addition, three large late-medieval tapestries have been
hung in the Nord Gallery."
Borys is particularly proud of the group of 10 Impressionist
paintings, including Claude Monet's 1867 Garden of
the Princess, installed on the south wall of the Stern
Gallery.
"This work was recently in storage, and it is one
of the most important early works by Monet in the U.S.,"
Borys said. "It's good to see it in the context of
the development of Impressionist painting, from the 1860s
to the 1880s, and with Monet's later work, Wisteria,
which was painted in 1919."
Hanging in the salon style poses challenges above and
beyond those of a modern-style exhibition, in which works
of art are arrayed in a single line, with plenty of space
around each artwork. Borys had to consider not only whether
each work fit the individual exhibition theme, but also
how each work would relate to others within its grouping.
The Stern Gallery, devoted to 19th- and early-20th-century
art, proved particularly difficult.
"It's always a challenge to hang modern pictures
in groups. There were so many major developments from
1830 to 1950, so many artistic movements and changes.
It was very difficult to give a sense of continuity, visually,"
Borys said.
To achieve perfect positioning for each picture, Borys
laid out 8-by-10 inch photos of each work on the floor.
Once he had an idea of the direction he wanted to head,
he began working with actual pieces of art.
"We had a large staging area in the Ellen Johnson
Gallery. The works were brought in from storage and laid
out on thick carpeting. I'd arrange them, leave them there
for a day, think about it, come back, and rearrange,"
he said. In his final configuration, Borys placed small
or very detailed works at eye level and larger works depicting
landscapes or people up higher.
In addition to its pedagogical advantages, the salon style
can be a historically authentic way to exhibit works,
Borys said.
"Many baroque pictures were meant to be viewed up
high, so for 17th- and 18th-century pictures, this positioning
is very appropriate. Another example is the Hudson River
School paintings in the Stern Gallery, most of which are
from the collection of Charles Olney. They're hung three
high; that's exactly how he would have hung them in his
home. These are mainly small-scale works, and they carry
more visual weight in their current arrangement."
Many museum curators are becoming interested in historically
authentic exhibitions, striving to ensure that even the
picture frames are contemporary with the pieces they hold,
Borys noted.
"More and more in the fields of art history and museum
work, they're trying to reassemble historical hangs and
exhibitions," he said. "For example, museums
have attempted to present Impressionist exhibitions as
they were hung in the 1870s and 1880s. These efforts help
people understand how works were installed and viewed
at the time they were produced."
Despite its many advantages, the salon style has its critics.
"Not everyone likes this style of hanging. Some want
to isolate the images. And some people will complain that
they can't see every picture perfectly. But you can see
them a lot better than when they were in storage!"
Borys laughed.
"I think change is good. I've had so many comments
from people in town, from students, from faculty members
who didn't know we had all these works. Attendance is
up from a year ago, and word is getting out," he
said.
Related Links:
Art
Museum Gets a New Look, Inside and Out
Allen
Memorial Art Museum: Exhibitions Index
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