Messenger - Vol. 1, No. 1, Page 10 Fall 1991 Gallery opening gem of a show Ninety-seven works of art from nearby private collections will be available for public perusal -- most for the first time-- when a new major exhibit opens Oct. 4 at the University Gallery in Old College. "Brandywine Valley to the Bay: Art from Private Collections" will include paintings, sculpture, drawings and original graphics by artists of all nationalities and all periods. Among the well-known artists represented will be Peter Paul Rubens, Raoul Dufy, Alfred Sisley, Auguste Renoir, John Constable, Charles Sheeler, Winslow Homer, Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall. William I. Homer, professor and chairperson of the Department of Art History, served as guest curator of the show, working with Belena Chapp, director and curator of the gallery. The exhibit, which continues through Nov. 3, includes a 180-page catalog edited by Homer, with contributions by graduate and undergraduate students in art history, gallery staff and several faculty members. Each item in the show will be represented by a full-page photograph and a page of commentary. Students also participated in the organization of the exhibit and helped hang the show. Gallery talks by University faculty and staff will be offered on Saturday afternoons during the exhibition, and all public and private schools in the state will be invited to tour the exhibit. "These are truly diamonds in our own backyard," Homer said. "All the artists are notable and some are very important. And to find such fine works of art in Delaware and surrounding Pennsylvania is truly newsworthy. All of the art pieces, with the exception of several from the southern counties, are in private collections within a 15-mile radius of the University. "An exhibition of this type, complete with catalog and research, represents a true contribution to knowledge," Homer said, adding that the importance of the works will make it one of the most spectacular shows held to date in the University Gallery.