Discoveries: A Rare Bit of Art in Wales
December 2007
The sisters purchased Turner watercolors and oil paintings, such as "The Morning after the Storm" (1840–45) and "The Beacon Light" (1834–40), and fine examples of French drawings and watercolors by Daumier, Pissarro, Puvis de Chavannes and Cézanne.
The Davies Collection is also a showcase for sculpture. Gwendoline acquired a bronze cast of Rodin’s "The Kiss" (1902) and two Degas bronze ballerinas: "Dressed Dancer, study" (1879–80) and "Dancer Looking at the Sole of her Right Foot" (c. 1890).
As part of its centennial celebrations, the museum has mounted "Industry to Impressionism: What Two Sisters Did for Wales," a major exhibition of the Davies Collection, which will be on view through January 6. The museum is currently undergoing a major refurbishment, and starting in late February, approximately 50 paintings from the collection will be on view in one gallery for one year.
If you are unable to travel to Cardiff, take heart: The Davies collection is going on the road. From March 2009 to July 2010, approximately 50 of the sisters’ beloved works will tour the United States in "From Turner to Cézanne: Masterpieces from the Davies Collection." The exhibition will be featured at institutions in South Carolina, Oklahoma, New York, Washington, D.C., New Mexico, as well as in other locations.
Viewing this superb collection will give you an appreciation of the depth of artistic understanding in the lives of these two extraordinary sisters whose art education elevated them from sheltered heiresses to well-traveled art connoisseurs. As Gwendoline noted, "The great love of collecting is to do it yourself—with expert opinion, granted, but one does like to choose for oneself." Her philosophy rings true in the unparalleled collection that she and her sister amassed and generously donated to the people of their country.
Linda Tagliaferro is a New York artist and freelance writer whose articles have appeared in publications including The New York Times and AmericanStyle.
The Davies Collection is also a showcase for sculpture. Gwendoline acquired a bronze cast of Rodin’s "The Kiss" (1902) and two Degas bronze ballerinas: "Dressed Dancer, study" (1879–80) and "Dancer Looking at the Sole of her Right Foot" (c. 1890).
As part of its centennial celebrations, the museum has mounted "Industry to Impressionism: What Two Sisters Did for Wales," a major exhibition of the Davies Collection, which will be on view through January 6. The museum is currently undergoing a major refurbishment, and starting in late February, approximately 50 paintings from the collection will be on view in one gallery for one year.
If you are unable to travel to Cardiff, take heart: The Davies collection is going on the road. From March 2009 to July 2010, approximately 50 of the sisters’ beloved works will tour the United States in "From Turner to Cézanne: Masterpieces from the Davies Collection." The exhibition will be featured at institutions in South Carolina, Oklahoma, New York, Washington, D.C., New Mexico, as well as in other locations.
Viewing this superb collection will give you an appreciation of the depth of artistic understanding in the lives of these two extraordinary sisters whose art education elevated them from sheltered heiresses to well-traveled art connoisseurs. As Gwendoline noted, "The great love of collecting is to do it yourself—with expert opinion, granted, but one does like to choose for oneself." Her philosophy rings true in the unparalleled collection that she and her sister amassed and generously donated to the people of their country.
Linda Tagliaferro is a New York artist and freelance writer whose articles have appeared in publications including The New York Times and AmericanStyle.
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