McMaster Museum of Art

The McMaster Museum of Art is an art museum in Hamilton, Canada. It houses the art collections of the McMaster University with more than 6,000 objects. Focuses on paintings of French Impressionism and late Impressionism, graphic work of German Expressionism, as well as works of art by Canadian artists. In addition, the museum collects works by contemporary artists and has a coin collection.

History

The McMaster University collects works of art since its founding in 1887 in Toronto. At the beginning belonged to the inventory especially paintings with mostly biblical themes and portraits of dignitaries of the university. These images were used primarily for wall decoration of offices and banquet halls. After moving from Toronto to Hamilton, the university received in 1930 from the Carnegie Institute a collection of European printmaking. This stock has been continuously expanded in the 1960s and 1970s and expanded to include Canadian art to teach students in front of original works can.

The Department of Art and Art History at the University presented the collection for the first time in 1967 to its own premises for exhibition purposes. After a native of Hamilton Herman Herzog Levy (1902-1990) mid-1980s the University 's collection of 185 works by European and American artists founded in 1985 established himself for the art collection of the University the name McMaster University Art Gallery. After his death, the University beyond the Levy Bequest received an endowment that since then allows the purchase of other art works. For the collection has grown considerably now emerged as an extension to the Mills Memorial Library into its own building for the art collection, which bears in honor of former University President Alvin A. Lee the name Alvin A. Lee Building. The Art Collection of the University herein is available since 11 June 1994 now as McMaster Museum of Art, for visitors.

Collection

The foundations of Herman H. Levy have significantly contributed to transform the formerly manageable art collection, McMaster University, a public museum. From 1983 to 1985 he gave the University a number of important paintings from the 19th and early 20th century, but also some older works. These include works by Dutch artists of the Golden Age as the paintings Still Life with Oysters by Willem Claesz. Heda, The drinker of Adriaen Brouwer and head of a young man by Michiel Sweerts. The Levy Foundation is known above all for art of Impressionism and late Impressionism. As a precursor of these art forms there is the image Environs d' Ornans by Gustave Courbet in the collection, which, like Vincent van Gogh Still Life with Ginger Pot and onions rather attributable to the realism. Among the outstanding works of Impressionism include Waterloo Bridge, Effet de Soleil by Claude Monet, Voiliers au Mouillage sur la Seine à Argenteuil by Gustave Caillebotte or Pommiers en fleurs by Camille Pissarro, probably also from the private collection Levy, like the paintings River scene of Georges Lemmen and Le Bouquet Devant la Fenêtre by Henri Le Sidaner as examples of late Impressionism. As an example for the subsequent generation of artists is the portrait of the painter Richard X by Chaim Soutine. According to Levy's death could be acquired through the acquisitions budget created by him ( Levy Bequest ) more important paintings. These include Robert, 9th Baron Petre demonstrating the use of an écorché figure to his son, Robert Edward George Romney, the portrait of the Rev. William Esdaile of Thomas Lawrence and Boston in Lincolnshire by William Turner.

William Turner: Boston in Lincolnshire

Utagawa Hiroshige: Rain showers over the big bridge in Atake

Vincent van Gogh: Still life with ginger pot and onions

Claude Monet: Waterloo Bridge, Effet de Soleil

Tom Thomson: Algonquin Park

Another collection area of the McMaster Museum of Art are works on paper as prints, drawings, watercolors and photographs. In addition to individual Print by Albrecht Dürer to Utagawa Hiroshige here is mainly the foundation of Denner Wallace with print graphics of German Expressionism focus. Represented are works by artists of the group Die Brücke and Der Blaue Reiter such as Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Max Pechstein and Erich Heckel, but other painters from Germany as Max Klinger, Lovis Corinth, Otto Dix, George Grosz, Bernhard Kretzschmar and Max Beckmann. This chart stocks are supplemented by individual paintings like the portrait of Anna Green Tree by Otto Dix, a terracotta grave relief of Käthe Kollwitz or the sculpture Storming man by Wilhelm Lehmbruck.

In addition, the museum collects works by Canadian artists. These include paintings such as Algonquin Park by Tom Thomson or Call to Dinner by George Agnew Reid, as well as Inuit art sculptures and prints from Cape Dorset. In addition, the museum has built a department with works by contemporary artists, to which the 1988 resulting painting cityscape of Karl Horst Hödicke as much a part as Heady of Gilbert & George from the year 1991. Added to works of art by Antony Gormley, Ben Nicholson, Alexander Mikhailovich Rodchenko, Joseph Beuys and Anselm Kiefer. Is complemented by the modern department sculptures by Henri Gaudier- Brzeska, Andreas Gehr, David Mach and Katsura Funakoshi.

A special feature of the museum is the Coin. The collection dates back to Edward Togo Salmon, who has already donated 1946 36 ancient Roman coins of the university. Only since 1981, the museum, this collection shows the audience and in subsequent years this collection area could by further donations - even from other areas - be extended to the existing fleet.