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.