W ADSWORTH A THENEUM M USEUM OF A RT 2009 A NNUAL R EPORT Hartford, Connecticut R EPORT from the President In 1932, in the midst of the Great Depression, A Everett Austin, Jr. opined that All tenses of time conjoin at the Wadsworth Atheneum, an institution “…the appreciation of works of art serves…to allay for some moments the which continuously honors its historic past, while living in the present and worry and anxiety in which we all share.” It is uplifting to know that over the planning for the future. As we continue to devise both short and long term strate - past twelve months, when the world experienced a challenging financial collapse, gies to preserve our financial stability and enhance the museum’s position as a the gravity of which has not been witnessed since the 1930s, the Wadsworth cultural leader both locally and internationally, we remain fully committed to Atheneum continued as a thriving and stable institution, ensuring that the the constituents who help make our visions a reality through their unwavering lega cy we leave to future generations will be a strong one. support. At the outset of the crisis, the museum implemented swift budgetary To all of the members, friends, patrons, and devotees of this museum— measures in a determined effort to reduce costs. Despite these difficult meas - you have my sincere gratitude. I encourage you to maintain your vital support ures, we remained committed to our artistic mission and to upholding the trust —particularly now, as institutions like ours play a critical role as a place of per - placed in us by our community. We continued to pursue a high caliber exhibi - manence, encouragement, enlightenment, escape and enjoyment during these tion program, added new art work to our extensive permanent collection and uncertain times. expanded our programming to include free admissions the last Saturday of Susan A. Rottner every month. One of my main goals as the incoming Board President was to motivate deeper involvement by the museum’s Trustees and auxiliary groups. The Atheneum family responded energetically and faithfully to the call for engagement. Nowhere was this renewed spirit of service more evident than in the responses to the dete - riorating economic climate. The results of this broad display of commitment were Susan A. Rottner, President evident in the events, programs and exhibitions that met or sur passed revenue goals and engaged new visitors with the museum. At a time when many museums canceled planned building projects, the Wadsworth began a much needed renovation of our historic campus, funded through the generosity of the state of Connecticut’s Department of Economic and Community Development and through a grant from the William and Alice Mortensen Foundation. This renovation is an important first step in our strate - gy of preserving and conserving the museum’s renowned collections and ensur - The Ballets Russes: ing that we continue to be a good steward of our existing facilities. Celebrating the Centennial 4 5 After analyzing more than 250 surveys, 900 lines of comments, and R EPORT hundreds of pages of notes—we invited all of our constituents to one last ChatBack where we presented a summary of what we heard and our plans to from the Director address key issues. M ore than 100 people attended this ChatBack recap and we will continue to provide updates as we implement new programs and projects in this critically important area. To help spearhead many of these efforts, I appointed a number of new senior staff members, including Directors of Development, Education, and Communications, a new Contemporary Art Curator, and Chief Curator. In last year’s report I noted that the Wadsworth Atheneum had laid the foun - We have an exciting future, filled with opportunity, and we have you— dation for a new beginning, and I’m pleased to report that we have seen tremen - our members, supporters, partners, volunteers, and colleagues—to thank for it. dous progress towards many of our transformative goals. What follows on these pages represents the dedicated work of hundreds of The Wadsworth is indeed poised for great things, which is particularly peo ple who help make the Wadsworth Atheneum thrive. I am extremely grate - remarkable given these economically troubled times. Over the past year, the ful to each of you. Board, staff, and our dedicated volunteers have worked tirelessly to enhance our offerings, and present dynamic exhibitions and programs that bring fresh insight Susan L. Talbott to the Wadsworth’s permanent collection. For example, the museum presented highlights from its unrivalled collec - tion of costume and set designs in the exhibition, The Ballets Russes: Celebrating the Centennial , which corresponded with the 100th anniversary of one of the most significant artistic and cultural movements of the twentieth century. The museum also presented Hidden Treasures , which spanned more than 2,000 years of art and highlighted fragile or light-sensitive pieces that are rarely displayed, including a large scale painting by Japanese artist Kitagawa Utamaro, entitled Cherry Blossoms at Yoshiwara , which is regarded as one of the most important Japanese paintings outside of Japan. Susan L. Talbott, In addition to permanent collection exhibitions, the museum solidified Director and CEO plans for its Masterpiece Series, which will take place over the next two years and consist of small dossier exhibitions that will bring some of the world’s greatest art to Hartford, including works by Rembrandt, Wyeth and Monet. We have also made great strides in our efforts to expand the impact of our work and engage new, larger and more diverse audiences—goals which are Michaël Borremans central to our ongoing Community Engagement Initiative. Belgian, b. 1963 Many of you will have heard about, or were invited to, one of our eight The Prospect , 2008 ChatBack sessions, which were held over the course of this past year to solicit Oil on canvas The Ella Gallup Sumner and feedback on how to make the museum more accessible and welcoming to the Mary Catlin Sumner Collection Fund, entire community. 2008.13.1 6 7 E XHIBITIONS at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art This year’s calendar included focused exhibitions highlighting the Wadsworth Atheneum’s permanent collection. These exhibitions spanned a wide range of art history and included works by some of the world’s most celebrated artists. Director’s Choice: Abstract Expressionism to Color Field Painting featured masterworks previously unseen for almost a decade, including renowned paint - ings by Jackson Pollack, Willem de Kooning and Robert Motherwell. The Ballets Russes: Celebrating the Centennial provided visitors the opportunity to view costume and set designs from one of the most significant artistic and cultural movements of the twentieth century—in tandem with world wide celebrations honoring the 1909 founding of the Ballets Russes. Those who attended What Lies Beneath: Revealing Painters’ Secrets expe - rienced the rare chance to look beneath the painted surface and gain deeper insight into the artistic process of geniuses such as Monet, van Gogh and Renoir. The museum also presented At Home with Gustav Stickley: Arts & Crafts from the Stephen Gray Collection , which offered a unique opportunity to show - case Stephen Gray’s distinguished collection of Arts and Crafts furniture by Gustav Stickley and his designers. This special exhibition also included pictori - al photographs, Edward Curtis photogravures, and Native American baskets from the Wadsworth’s own collection. The Amistad Center for Art & Culture organized three exhibitions that continued the conversation about race and identity in the context of history and the present day. These included; Bare Walls, No Boundaries, Young Americans: Photographs by Sheila Pree Bright , and Lincoln: Man, Myth, and Memory . Faith and Fortune: Five Centuries Boundless Beauty of European Masterworks Closed September 21, 2008 Willem de Kooning Through October 18, 2009 American, born in Rotterdam, 1904 – 1997 Pop to the Present: Presented by the Beatrice Fox Auerbach Foundation Fund at the Hartford New Questions, New Responses Montauk I , 1969 Foundation for Public Giving. Closed November 9, 2008 Oil on canvas The Ella Gallup Sumner and Lead Sponsorship provided by the Larsen Fund, Mary Catlin Sumner Collection Fund, the Decorative Arts Council of the Wadsworth 1973.46 Atheneum Museum of Art, Genomas, Inc., and the David T. Langrock Foundation. 9 What Lies Beneath: Who was Anna Tuels? Revealing Painters’ Secrets Quilt Stories, 175 0–1900 November 6, 200 8–March 29, 2009 August 30, 200 8–February 22, 2009 Lead sponsorship provided by With support from J. Namnoun Oriental The Edward C. & Ann T. Roberts Rug Gallery. Foundation. Additional support provided by Valassis, Foreign Accents: The Ballets Russes and Sovereign Bank, Anita and Anthony Western Couture Ferrante, Cheryl Chase and Stuart Bear March 2 1–August 2, 2009 Pop to the Present: Family Foundation, Emilie and Raul de New Questions, New Responses Brigard, and the NewAlliance Foundation. In-kind support provided by Dr. Harold Additional Exhibitions Moskowitz. Hartford Youth Art Renaissance May 9—June 7, 2009 Director’s Choice: Abstract Expressionism to Color Field Painting The Amistad Center for Art & Culture January 2–May 24, 2009 Bare Walls, No Boundaries Folkert de Jong: Closed August 17, 2008 The Shooting...At Watou With support from the Connecticut Boundless Beauty January 3 1–June 28, 2009 Commission on Culture & Tourism. Made possible by the current and founding Young Americans: members of the Contemporary Coalition. Photographs by Sheila Pree Bright The Ballets Russes: September 19, 200 8–January 19, 2009 Celebrating the Centennial Sponsored by Aetna. February 1 9–July 12, 2009 With additional support from the Made possible with generous support Connecticut Commission on Culture from Linda Cheverton Wick and & Tourism. Walter Wick, David T. Langrock Foundation, Mary P.