Managing Miscellanea
July 5- Sept 24, 2022
A wooden antelope, French WWI posters, nineteenth century Japanese woodblock prints, an etching of a surly one-legged hawk, and works by Roy Lichtenstein and Robert Motherwell…. for many reasons, known and unknown, these curious pieces and more are all part of the Lamont Gallery collection.
The works on view in Managing Miscellanea will allow viewers to take a deep look into what we consider to be our undefined collection. Since it’s conception in 1952, the Lamont Gallery has never officially been a collecting gallery, however like many art institutions, we have accumulated a number of prints, paintings, sculptures, and artifacts. The ethical responsibility in maintaining these works creates a constant, quiet struggle addressing concerns of safety, storage, and preservation for each piece in our care, with the larger question of how to use this collection in meaningful ways when a quarter of the works lack adequate provenance.
This exhibition is a continuation of the ongoing work we are doing to understand our collection. Managing Miscellanea will be addressing many of the same questions that we began to explore through exhibitions a decade ago such as What defines a collection? How are collections built, maintained, and shared? We will showcase some of the unseen works from our storage room, share what we know about their stories, and hope to hear in what ways these works inspire you.
Public visitors are welcome by appointment, please use the visitor reservation form to schedule an appointment.
