Exhibition includes Muscarelle's first Rembrandt, other new acquisitions

New acquisitions An engraving by Albrecht Durer, "The Sudarium Displayed By Two Angels," 1513 Acquired with funds from the Gene A. and Mary A. Burns Bequest

New acquisitions An etching by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, "The Strolling Musicians," 17th century Bequest of Vernon Phillips Weaver

New acquisitions An inkjet printed computer drawing and photo collage collage by David Hockney, "The Atelier March 17th 2009," 2009 Acquired with funds from the Gene A. and Mary A. Burns Bequest

by Staff | November 5, 2010

William & Mary’s Muscarelle Museum of Art will open a new exhibition Saturday which showcases some of the 600 new pieces it has acquired over the past five years.

The exhibition, “Dürer, “Rembrandt, Picasso, Hockney and More New Acquisitions 2005-2010,” will be on view at the museum from Nov. 6 through Dec. 31. It will include 80 recently acquired art pieces, including an etching by Rembrandt, which is first piece by the artist in the museum’s collection.

The 600 new acquisitions are thanks to gifts from numerous foundations and individuals, including William & Mary alumni. The museum’s vast collection now includes 4,500 paintings, drawings, prints, and photographs. Recent acquisitions to the collection include: 195 works on paper by master artist from the Bauhaus, German Expressionist Hans Grohs; 55 Japanese woodblock prints; 153 works from The Andy Warhol Foundation of Visual Arts; and works by Albrecht Dürer, Rembrandt, Pablo Picasso, Käthe Kollwitz, Georges Rouault, Samuel F.B. Morse, Ludovico Cigoli and David Hockney.

According to a press release from the museum, “the works by Rembrandt, Dürer, and Hockney represent some of the most important additions to the Museum collection.”

Many of the works that will be on display during the upcoming event have never been exhibited before. The exhibition consists of the largest portion of the museum’s collection ever on display at one time.

The new acquisitions reflect an effort by the museum to create a more well-rounded collection.

“The professional staff of the Museum has focused on building the collection by diversifying our holdings of several key genres and key works by master artists,” Aaron De Groft, director of the Muscarelle Museum of Art. “The recent acquisitions reflect a mission driven approach to be a leader in art exploration at William & Mary and the surrounding community, and to support the teaching areas in the breadth of what is offered at William & Mary in not just the department of Art and Art History, but across all the arts and sciences.”

For more information on the exhibit or the museum, call 757-221-2700 or visit www.wm.edu/muscarelle.