The Members’ Magazine | Fall 2017

Chrysler

In 1971 Walter P. Chrysler Jr. and Jean Outland Chrysler made a transformational gift to the Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences and the City of Norfolk. The collections of the newly renamed Chrysler Museum of Art were immediately recognized for their quality and breadth, especially in the areas of European and American painting and Glass. Since that time, the Museum has continued to grow its collections through gifts and purchases. Simultaneously, we build on our traditional strengths and expand into new areas. For instance, in the 1990s, we began to collect photography comprehensively and more recently, we have sought to acquire more works by important but underrepresented African-American artists like Elizabeth Catlett and Beauford Delaney.

In order to maintain our position as one of the great collections of glass in America, we need to keep building. That is why the recent promised gift from Lisa and Dudley Anderson is so important. (See the article on p.10) Over several decades, the Andersons have assembled an outstanding collection of contemporary glass in the country. They have collected broadly but also in depth. For instance, early in their collecting life they recognized the importance of the Czech artists Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová and over time they acquired many of their most important works. The Andersons have already donated three monumental pieces by this influential couple to the Museum. Additionally, the Andersons acquired excellent works by most of the leading figures in the studio glass movement.

It is very gratifying to know that Lisa and Dudley have chosen the Chrysler as the eventual home for this impressive collection. I believe it speaks to the overall quality of our collection and professionalism of the institution. We will remain conscientious stewards of the art that has been entrusted to us by the Chryslers, the Andersons, and many other generous collectors. In this way, we will continue to fulfill our mission to enrich the lives of all the visitors to the Museum.

Erik H. Neil, Director

director’s note Inside Front Cover

in the galleries

2 Exhibitions on View

6 Camerawork at NASA Langley

8 Norfolk Society of Arts— Centennial Gift

10 Anderson Gift

cover story

12 Enchanted by Glass

chrysler news

16 Peers and Partners

18 Interns at the Chrysler

19 Camp Chrysler

20 Reflections from the Edge

22 For the Culturally Curious

24 Staff Notes

member exclusives

26 People, Parties, and Patriotism

28 Members’ Art Travel

last look

29 Summertime Family Fun

GRACIOUS GIFTS OF GLASS

The Members’ Magazine | Fall 2017

Chrysler board of trustees 2017–18 Thomas L. Stokes, Jr., ChairmanLelia Graham Webb, Vice ChairmanBrother Rutter, SecretaryYvonne T. AllmondDudley AndersonShirley C. BaldwinKathleen BroderickDeborah H. PainterPaul D. FraimEdith G. GrandyVirginia C. HitchJames A. HixonClaus IhlemannMarc JacobsonLinda H. KaufmanPamela C. KloeppelHarry T. LesterSuzanne MastraccoColin M. McKinnonPeter M. Meredith, Jr.Charlotte M. MinorJ. Douglas PerryC. Arthur Rutter IIIBob SasserLisa B. SmithRichard Waitzer Joseph T. WaldoWayne F. WilbanksCheryl Xystros

chrysler magazineMeredith Gray, Director of CommunicationsJane Cleary, Graphics ManagerAll photographs by Ed Pollard, Museum Photographer unless otherwise noted

Chrysler Magazine is published for and mailed to Chrysler Museum Members as a benefit of their generous support.

Update or verify your membership information at http://reservations.chrysler.org or contact Database Manager Fleater Allen at757-333-6287 | fallen@chrysler.org.

The Chrysler Museum of Art, all rights reserved © 2017

on the coverRené Lalique (French, 1860−1945) Perfume Bottle with Stopper Bouchon mûres (Berry stopper), 1920Mold-blown, mold-pressed, applied patina, acid-etched2011.3.250, gift of Elaine and Stanford Steppa,The Corning Museum of Glass

René Lalique (French, 1860−1945) Automobile Mascot on Base

Victoire (Victory), 1928Mold-pressed, assembled, acid-etched

2011.3.345, gift of Elaine and Stanford Steppa,

The Corning Museum of Glass

Joey Kirkpatrick (American, b. 1952)Flora C. Mace (American, b. 1949) Alphabet of Flowers, 2012Blown glass, crushed glass powder, glass thread drawingPhotography by Scott Leen

On view beginning November 17, in Multiple Modernisms Georgia O'Keeffe, American, 1887-1986 Black Door with Red, 1954 Oil on canvas Bequest of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.

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Thomas Hart Benton and the NavyClosing September 24 in the Focus Gallery (G. 229)

The 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor inspired American artist and Navy veteran Thomas Hart Benton to create a series of works celebrating the ships, submarines, and sailors who fought in World War II. To mark the centennial of Naval Air Station Norfolk, the Chrysler presents an exhibition of the artist’s works from the Navy Art Collection, on loan from the Naval History and Heritage Command in Washington, D.C. These 25 paintings and drawings reveal Benton’s fascination with modern military technology and his sensitivity to the rhythms of daily life below deck.

in the galleries | 3

Root and Flower: The Natural World of Joey Kirkpatrick and Flora C. MaceOn view through February 18, 2018 in the Glass Projects Space (G. 118)

Joey Kirkpatrick and Flora Mace are intimately connected to the natural world and deeply engaged with the world they study. On their farm in Washington State, they find inspiration that translates into realistic drawings of tree roots and a countless array of wildflowers that they dissect, reassemble, and preserve in a permanent state with resin and glass. As partners in life and art, Kirkpatrick and Mace began their collaboration three decades ago at Pilchuck Glass School. Their humanistic work encapsulates their personal relationship to nature through explorations with glass, wood, metal, and drawings.

René Lalique (French, 1860−1945)Illuminated Surtout de Table (Table Decoration) Oiseau de feu (Firebird), 1922 Mold-pressed, acid-etched; bronze2011.3.189, gift of Elaine and Stanford Steppa, The Corning Museum of Glass

Joey Kirkpatrick (American, b. 1952)Flora C. Mace (American, b. 1949) 3 Bloom Tazetta, 2015Flower, composite, glass, paint and steelPhotography by Ann Welch

Exhibitions Glen McClure: The Shipyard Workers of Hampton RoadsClosing September 24 in the McKinnon Wing of Modern and Contemporary Art (Gs. 226 and 227)

Over the past four years, Norfolk-based photographer Glen McClure visited nearly a dozen shipyards throughout Hampton Roads, making hundreds of portraits of the men and women who keep the region’s economy afloat. Captured on the docks and decks that line our waterways, his photographs are monumentally scaled, yet intimately detailed—celebrating the skill, knowledge, and individuality of these dedicated workers. The Chrysler proudly presents 21 of their faces and workplaces, and a searchable touch-screen of more workers’ portraits.

In The Box: Dust TailOpening September 21

Contemporary Peruvian artist Elena Damiani’s multimedia practice incorporates the disciplines of geology, geography, cartography, archeology, and astronomy in order to reinterpret the world around us. In her recent work Dust Tail (2016), the artist overlays numerous images of comets’ blazing dust tails to form a stimulating collage printed on silk chiffon. The airiness of the material causes it to ripple, suggesting the movement of the stars. The work hangs in three layers, forming a half ellipse, which is also part of the orbital trajectory of a comet.

Picturing Innovation: The First 100 Years at NASA LangleyOpening October 7 in the Frank Photography Galleries and Focus Gallery (G. 228–229)

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, the Chrysler Museum mined the agency’s photographic archive. With more than 100 images, the exhibition depicts many of Langley’s pioneering innovations—from pilots testing experimental planes and engineers operating the facility’s famous wind tunnels to astronauts preparing to take the first steps on the moon. A tribute to Langley’s rich history, Picturing Innovation explores how photographs not only document innovations but also inspire them.

René Lalique: Enchanted by GlassOpening the evening of Thursday, September 14 in the Norfolk Southern Special Exhibitions Gallery (Gs. 101–102) and the Waitzer Community Gallery (G. 103)

Revel in the luxury of French glass, jewelry, and decorative arts created by one of the great turn-of-the-century masters of the art, René Lalique. The Chrysler’s fall keynote exhibition features more than 200 works—from vases and perfume bottles to desk sets and automotive ornaments—that highlight the artist-industrialist’s talent for design, décor, and distribution. Most of the objects in the exhibition come from the unrivaled Steppa Collection of Lalique works at The Corning Museum of Glass, complemented by stunning additions from private collectors and the Chrysler’s

own fine holdings of French art glass.

The exhibition is organized by The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York.

Member’s Exhibition Preview PartyGet the first look at our fall keynote exhibition at our special roaring twenties soiree! Enjoy a comprehensive look at one of the most influential designers of the 20th century, live jazz performances, and a speakeasy lounge. Admission is free for all Museum Members. Tickets for all others are $15. RSVP by Wednesday, September 6. https://reservations. chrysler.org

c lo c k w ise fr o m l ef t:Elena Damiani(Peruvian, b. 1979)Dust tail, 2016Digital print on silk chiffon,steelPhotographer: Carl Henrik TillbergCourtesy of the artist and Galerie Nordenhake Stockholm

Thomas Hart Benton and the Navy Gallery View

Glen McClure(American, b. 1954)David Dragon, Yard Paint Foreman, Lyon Ship Repair, Norfolk, VA, 2014Archival inkjet print (photograph)©courtesy of the artist

Langley's First Wind Tunnel, ca. 1920Courtesy NASA Langley Research Center (NASA-LaRC)

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Gifts in Honor of Jefferson Harrison Opening November 15 McKinnon Gallery (Gallery 223)

The Museum celebrates Dr. Jefferson Harrison’s incredible 33-year tenure as Curator and Chief Curator Emeritus at the Chrysler, from 1982–2015, with an exhibition of gifts donated in honor of his service. These works span all of our collection areas and include Ansel Adams’s iconic Moonrise, Hernandez, given by Selina and Tom Stokes, Chuck Close’s Phil Crosshatch, given by Susan and David Goode and Louis-Maurice Boutet de Monvel’s Portrait of a Young Girl given by the Joseph T. Waldo Family.

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Louis-Maurice Boutet de Monvel, French 1851-1913Portrait of a Young Girl, 1880Oil on canvasGift of the Joseph T. Waldo family in honor of Jeff Harrison, Chief Curator Emeritus of the Chrysler Museum of Art

Multiple ModernismsOpening November 17 McKinnon Galleries

The history of modern and contemporary art is always changing. Despite an established chronology, scholars continuously bring forth new information about well-known artists, while also introducing emerging ones or those whose careers were widely overlooked. In essence, there are numerous narratives about art and artists occurring simultaneously, consecutively, and interrelatedly. Multiple Modernisms presents works within the Chrysler’s permanent collection that have never been on view or not been seen in decades, introducing visitors to a few of these complex stories that demonstrate arts’ breadth and depth.

John Vachon (American, 1914–1975) Construction Worker and Family Living in Trailer Camp, Portsmouth, Virginia, March 1941 Gelatin silver print (photograph), printed 1984 Chrysler Museum purchase

Willoughby-Baylor House601 E. Freemason St., Norfolk

A New Deal Near HereDuring the depths of the Great Depression, the federal government created the Farm Security Administration to combat poverty. The agency deployed photographers throughout America to document Americans enduring economic deprivation, and many photographers spent time throughout Hampton Roads and along Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Their pictorial essays show everyday Americans whose lives center on family, faith, labor, and leisure. Explore the lives of our forbearers—and see how much life in our region has changed and how it remains the same.

The Norfolk Rooms Ongoing on the second floor

Moses Myers House323 E. Freemason St., Norfolk

Moses Myers: Maritime MerchantBarton Myers: Norfolk VisionaryAdeline’s Portal by Beth Lipman

These permanent installations are supported by a generous gift from the late T. Parker Host, Jr., and the Friends of Historic Houses

AT THE HISTORIC HOUSES

Now Arriving: Works from the Faculty of the Chrysler Museum of Art's Perry Glass Studio, Norfolk International Airport

IN OUR COMMUNIT Y

AT THE PERRY GLASS STUDIOOngoing Vestibule 102

Come see work by the newest generation of glassmaking professionals and artists, as well as objects by established artists, such as our Studio Team leaders and guest artists from the community. Look back (or forward) to Vestibule 102 exhibitions on our online archive at www.chrysler.org/glass-studio/vestibule-102.

Now Arriving: New Works from the Chrysler Museum Glass Studio TeamOngoing at Norfolk International Airport, 2200 Norview Avenue, Norfolk

The Chrysler Museum’s Perry Glass Studio presents a survey of imaginative works made by its diverse and talented faculty. As a reflection of the institution’s varied programs, the works range widely in technique, scale, and scope. This is a partnership exhibition with the Norfolk Airport Authority.

Nick Cave, American, b.1959 Soundsuit, 2010Mixed media Chrysler Museum of Art purchase with funds donated by the Friends of African-American Art and Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. by exchange

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Camerawork at NASA Langley

Shockwaves of X-15 Model in the National Transonic Tunnel, March 23, 1962. Courtesy NASA Langley Research Center (NASA-LaRC)

at rightLunar Surface Image Taken by theLunar Orbiter, 1967. Courtesy NASA Langley Research Center (NASA-LaRC)

The photographic archive at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, includes millions of images that document the history of aeronautic research, space exploration, and atmospheric analysis. The exhibition Picturing Innovation: The First 100 Years of NASA Langley, on view in the Frank Photography Galleries until March 11, 2018, draws from this archive, highlighting the research center’s revolutionary breakthroughs. The photographs include images of pilots testing experimental planes, engineers calibrating the facility’s famous wind tunnels, and astronauts training to take their first steps on the moon. While the exhibition richly illustrates the history of Langley to celebrate its centenary, it also highlights photography’s instrumental role in supporting aeronautical research and producing new insights. Visitors will find numerous photographs that depict scientists using cameras in their research as well as the stunning images they produced.

Among the most innovative photographic projects developed at Langley was the Lunar Orbiter mission, which created photographic maps of the lunar surface in order to identify potential landing sites for Apollo astronauts. In the mid-1960s, researchers at Langley developed the Lunar Orbiter satellite—in essence, an extraterrestrial camera outfitted with an ingenious dual-lens camera, an on-board film processor and optical scanner, and a data transmitter. While hurtling around the moon, the satellite captured detailed imagery of the lunar surface frame by frame, thanks to an advanced optical sensor and a dynamic roller system that compensated for the satellite’s velocity relative to the moon’s surface. Once processed, scanned, and transmitted, the Orbiter’s images were received by Langley, recorded onto magnetic tape, and transposed to 35-mm film. Researchers then assembled the filmstrips like a mosaic and rephotographed the composition, resulting in the most detailed lunar maps of the day.

Langley has also made extensive use of schlieren (German for “streak”) photography. The technology, developed in 1864, enables the visualization of density changes in the flow of air. As early as 1939, Langley scientists began using this technique in wind tunnels to understand the shock waves that create power-sucking drag, degrade airfoil performance, and destabilize aircraft as they approach the speed of sound—commonly known as the sound barrier. To travel faster at higher speeds, planes had to overcome these shock waves, and schlieren photography not only helped envision the waves, but also led researchers to discover that narrowing a plane’s fuselage at the wing junction could minimize them, a major breakthrough in supersonic flight. More recently, Langley scientist Leonard Weinstein advanced the technology when he discovered how to make schlieren photographs of full-sized aircraft flying in the sky, rather than scale models in wind tunnels. In 1993 he used an eight-inch diameter telescope with a special optical system pointed toward the edge of the sun to capture a T-38 Talon flying at supersonic speeds above Virginia’s Wallops Island. This imaging technique is now being used to help design quieter and more efficient supersonic aircraft.

—Seth Feman, Curator of Exhibitions, Acting Curator of Photography

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American Art, Gallery 211. Jacob Caleb Ward (American, 1809-1891)View of Natural Bridge, Virginiaca. 1835Oil on wood panelGift of the Norfolk Society of Arts in commemoration of its 100th anniversary and Museum Purchase, 2017

NSA Gift Brings Major Work to the Chrysler

When Alex Mann became the Chrysler’s Brock Curator of American Art in 2011, he was surprised that the Museum’s outstanding collection lacked a major American romantic landscape painting.

“Where’s our Niagara?” he asked, referring to Frederic Edwin Church’s famous masterpiece of Niagara Falls. “Why don’t we have a world- class picture of Virginia’s own great wonder, Natural Bridge?”

A recent generous gift from the Norfolk Society of Arts (NSA) put his concerns to rest. The NSA promotes and enhances the cultural life of the South Hampton Roads community through lectures, special events, and financial support to the Chrysler Museum of Art. This year, in honor of the NSA’s 100th anniversary, its members proudly presented the Museum with a remarkable American artwork, Natural Bridge, by Hudson River school artist Jacob Caleb Ward. The Norfolk Society of Arts formally conferred the painting to the Museum at its annual meeting on May 1, 2017.

When considering their special centennial gift to the Museum, the group’s leadership collaborated with Chrysler curators to determine possible new accessions. In addition to Natural Bridge, they examined a ca. 1520 composite suit of Maximillian Field Armor made in Nuremburg, Germany; a five-foot-diameter bronze sphere sculpted by

Egyptian-born artist Ghada Amer; a selection of three mid-19th-century albumen prints by (and one of) pioneering British photographer Julia Margaret Cameron; and a rearrangeable mosaic mirror work and drawing by Iranian artist Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian. Ultimately, Natural Bridge won the NSA’s vote. The Museum contributed matching funds toward the purchase.

Long held in private hands, Ward’s painting of the remarkable rock formation is a museum-worthy treasure. In 1835, the artist traveled to study Natural Bridge firsthand. With cows in the foreground, the work presents Natural Bridge as a portal between civilization and wilderness, connecting Virginia’s orderly agrarian society to the dangers and riches of the frontier. Thomas Jefferson once called Natural Bridge “the most sublime of Nature’s works.” In 1774 he actually purchased the land to preserve this divine monument for future generations.

Director Erik H. Neil is proud to see Natural Bridge on the walls of the Chrysler. “We are pleased to have partnered with the NSA to bring in such a rare and early Virginia landscape. It fills a gap in our collection and allows us to tell a fuller story of the history of landscape painting in America.” The work is currently on view in the Meredith Gallery (G.211).

The Norfolk Society of Arts is pleased to announce its slate of distinguished speakers for the year. Each month’s event begins with a coffee reception in Huber Court at 10:30 a.m., followed by the free lecture in the Museum’s Kaufman Theater at 11 a.m.

Wednesday, September 13, 2017 Colette LollFounder and Director of Art Fraud Insights, LLC, and co-curator of Treasures on Trial: The Art and Science of Detecting Fakes, Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library

“Grand Tales behind Winterthur’s Exhibit of Treasures on Trial”

Wednesday, October 25, 2017Barry Bergdoll (Mabel Brown Lecture) Meyer Schapiro Professor of Art History and Archaeology, Columbia UniversityCurator, Department of Architecture and Design, The Museum of Modern Art

"Unpacking the Archive: Frank Lloyd Wright at 150"

Wednesday, November 29, 2017Graham C. Boettcher, PhDDeputy Director and The William Cary Hulsey Curator of American ArtBirmingham Museum of Art

“Tiffany’s Dragons: The Viking Revival in American Art”

Wednesday, January 24, 2018Jeff Harrison, PhDChief Curator Emeritus Chrysler Museum of Art

"American Maverick: The Extraordinary Life and Collecting Career of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr."The Chrysler's Chief Curator Emeritus, Jeff Harrison, invites you to join him as he reminisces about Mr. Chrysler and offers insights into his legacy as one of 20th-century America's most adventurous art collectors.

Wednesday, February 28, 2018Lisa Freiman, PhD, DirectorInstitute for Contemporary Art, Virginia Commonwealth University

“Making History: The 2011 Venice Biennial and the ICA”

Wednesday, March 28, 2018Kathleen A. Foster (Mary Ellis Jarvie Lecture)The Robert L. McNeil, Jr., Senior Curator of American Art, and Director, Center for American ArtPhiladelphia Museum of Art

“American Watercolor in the Age of Homer and Sargent”

Monday, May 7, 2018 Annual Luncheon and MeetingMeryl Gordon Meryl Gordon is the author of three biographies: Bunny Mellon: The Life of an American Style Legend, Mrs. Astor Regrets, about the philanthropist Brooke Astor, and The Phantom of Fifth Avenue, a biography of copper heiress Huguette Clark. Gordon is the Director of Magazine Writing at New York University’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute.

“Bunny Mellon: The Pursuit of Perfection”

Norfolk Society of ArtsLecture Series 2017–2018

Frank Lloyd Wright, Designer American (1867-1959) Linden Glass Company, Manufacturer, Chicago, Illinois Window from Darwin D. Martin House, ca. 1903–1909 Glass and Brass Museum purchase and gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., by exchange

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Stanislav Libenský, (Czech, 1921-2002) Jaroslava Brychtová, (Czech, b. 1924) clockwise from top left:Astronomical Calendar Sphere, 1994Cast glass Gift of Lisa Shaffer Anderson and Dudley Buist Anderson

3V Victory Column, 1997Cast glass with Formica baseGift of Lisa Shaffer Anderson and Dudley Buist Anderson, in honor of Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová

Modern & Contemporary Galleries with Green Eye of the Pyramid.

The Lisa and Dudley Anderson Collection at the Chrysler Museum of Art

For Lisa and Dudley Anderson, collecting art is a passion that has taken them around the world. While their interests include drawings, prints, and ceramics, their primary focus is on studio and contemporary

glass from the 1970s to the present. Dedicated and knowledgeable collectors, the Andersons enjoy the excitement of discovering new artists and museums; the connections built through long-term friendships; and the joy of exploring new places, both in the United States and abroad.

In seeking a permanent home for their collection, the Andersons turned to the Chrysler Museum of Art. In December 2016, they promised 96 works to the Chrysler, establishing a legacy that will complement and greatly advance the already outstanding glass collection. This bequest constitutes the Museum’s largest single gift of works in glass since the arrival of Walter Chrysler’s artworks in 1971.

The diversity and depth of the Anderson gift is represented through 40 artists from seven countries. Significantly, 47 works are by the pioneering Czech couple Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová, whose light-filled sculptures are at the apex of technically mastery. Previously, the Andersons donated the artists’ Green Eye of the Pyramid (1993–97), Astronomical Calendar Sphere (1994), and 3V Victory Column (1997); each is monumental in scale and a major contribution to the field of glass sculpture. The new gift also includes work by Ivan Mareš, Dana Zámečníková, Marion Karel, Václav Cigler, Vladimira Klumpar, Pavel Tomecko, and Václav Machač, further cementing the Chrysler as a noteworthy repository for contemporary Czech glass. The promised gift also includes a ceramic sculpture by the California artist Robert Arneson, as well as 10 prints and drawings by Dale Chihuly, Italo Scanga, Ann Wolff, Harvey Littleton, Erwin Eisch, and Ulrica Hydman-Vallien.

With the successful completion of the 2017 Glass Art Society Conference and the publication of the new glass collection catalogue, the renown for the Chrysler’s collection and studio is growing exponentially. This glass collection, so thoughtfully assembled by the Andersons, will enable us to explore new ideas and themes in exhibitions and permanent displays, as we juxtapose glass from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries with the rich historic glass collection, as well as integrate it into galleries throughout the Museum. The Chrysler is an enthusiastic and extremely grateful recipient of this generous donation. Thank you, Lisa and Dudley, for your ongoing commitment and tremendous support to glass and the Chrysler Museum of Art.

Our annual Major Donor Dinner celebrates the Chrysler’s most beneficent contributors to express our gratitude for their generosity. This September, the Museum will honor Lisa and Dudley Anderson in recognition of the 96 works from their personal collection donated to the Chrysler Museum of Art.

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The career of René Lalique (1860–1945) began during France’s Belle Époque (“beautiful era”), a relatively peaceful time between the Franco-Prussian War and World War I, when creativity in French visual arts flourished. He came of age at the time of the artistic genius of William-Adolphe Bouguereau and Auguste Rodin, the scientific advancements of Louis Pasteur, and the technical achievements of the Lumière brothers. During this same period, a host of world’s fairs and international expositions brought France the Eiffel Tower and the rest of the world Art Deco.

A designer and craftsman, Lalique achieved success early on with his designs for jewelry, which were exhibited at the Musée du Louvre in 1884, and maintained it throughout his career, ending with the decorative glass objects made at his factory at Wingen-sur-Moder in the 1940s. An entrepreneur and industrialist, Lalique produced visually stunning and technically challenging work, initially in the style of Art Nouveau and later in that of Art Deco, for both the wealthy and middle class. His name is synonymous with exceptional quality and novel design, and his legacy in glass continues today at the Lalique factory, which is still in operation.

Lalique’s work is the focus of the extraordinary exhibition René Lalique: Enchanted by Glass, on view at the Chrysler Museum through January 21, 2018. His innovative approach is revealed in more than 200 creative designs in a broad range of forms across the color spectrum. The glass objects, captivating as singular works, are contextualized by period advertisements and photographs that convey the stimulating visual world of his day, that of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century France.

Organized by The Corning Museum of Glass (May 17, 2014–January 4, 2015), René Lalique: Enchanted by Glass was inspired by a major gift of Lalique’s work to that museum by Stanford and Elaine Steppa. Their bequest of 385 objects, representing nearly the entire range of production of the Lalique factories, became the basis for this remarkable exhibition.

The story of Lalique is told in eight major sections: jewelry, perfume bottles and dressing table accessories, smoking accessories, lighting and desk accessories, statuettes, tableware, vases, automobile mascots (hood ornaments), and architectural glass for luxury railcars and ocean liners. Woven into the exhibition is the narrative of Lalique’s life and career, his stylistic evolution, and the progression of his technological achievements. The show culminates with a look at the fascinating and often mysterious process of glassmaking, and includes wax models and plaster molds as well as a short film about the Lalique factory.

Few individuals manage to forge not one but two artistic careers in their lifetime, as did Lalique. He mastered both the creation of fine jewelry and glass production. Seeking work after the death of his father, René

René Lalique in his studio at 40 Cour-la-Reine, Paris, n.d.Image courtesy of Musée Lalique, Wingen-sur-Moder

apprenticed to the Parisian jeweler Louis Aucoc when he was just sixteen. He attended art school in Sydenham, near London, for several years, but by 1880 he had returned to France and was working as a freelance illustrator and jewelry designer in Paris. Lalique enjoyed success in the jewelry business, securing such clients as Cartier and Boucheron, and eventually established his own atelier. By 1890, Lalique’s workshop employed several dozen people, and he had settled into a new space at 20 Rue Thérèse. By 1902 he purchased property at 40 Cour-la-Reine, which functioned as studio, exhibition gallery, and residence. That building, where he moved

with his new wife, Alice Ledru (with whom he would have two children, Marc and Suzanne), remained his home until his death in 1945.

Working in the emerging Art Nouveau style, which was especially popular in the decorative arts at the time, Lalique began to deviate from the traditional approach to fine jewelry making, incorporating semi-precious stones, enamels, glass, and other inexpensive materials into his de luxe pieces. He boldly combined elements of cast glass and pâte de verre (glass paste) with gold, diamonds, and other precious gems, selling his one-of-a-kind examples to a wealthy clientele

that included Alice Roosevelt, Helen Gould, Sarah Bernhardt, and Calouste Gulbenkian. His jewelry was first exhibited in the United States in 1904 at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (often called the St. Louis World’s Fair), where Henry Walters, founder of the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, acquired nine pieces.

Lalique’s use of vitreous enamels and small castings in his jewelry led him to more significant experiments in glass. One of his earliest vessels, a small perfume vial made with the cire perdue or lost-wax casting process, was an ambitious move to a three-dimensional form.

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It was not until the first decade of the twentieth century though that Lalique abandoned the art of joallerie (jewelry made with precious materials) to devote himself solely to glass. Throughout the 1890s and into the 1900s, Lalique grew more adventuresome, casting shallow relief panels, investigating the use of mechanical molds, blowing glass into metal armatures, and creating new glass recipes. To facilitate this work, he set up a new shop at Clairefontaine, near Paris, in 1898. The most decisive factor in his move to all-glass production, however, was his relationship with his neighbor on the fashionable Place Vendôme: the perfume entrepreneur François Coty. In 1905, Lalique, now 45 years old, opened his first retail space at 24 Place Vendôme. Coty, who had established the House of Coty in 1904, was located at 26–28 Place Vendôme.

With the death of maître verrier Émile Gallé in 1904, there was a void in the art-glass market, Lalique was unofficially hailed as his successor and France’s new master glassmaker. Gallé had championed Lalique and his work, pronouncing him “the supreme exponent of the Beaux Arts.” Before the turn of the century, perfume in France was purchased at the pharmacy. The scents were often created by the druggist and sold in plain, unassuming glass bottles wrapped in wax paper. Struggling to sustain his business in 1907, Coty approached Lalique to design a paper label for his perfume bottle or flacon. An ambitious artist, Lalique suggested a more comprehensive approach; he would design the bottle as well as its packaging. With this new venture secure, Lalique quickly set up a glass press. A year later, he rented and subsequently purchased the glassworks at Combs-la-Ville, near Fontainebleau. In 1909, Cyclamen, a new flacon for Coty, was illustrated in the Gazette des Beaux-Arts. It was made by blowing compressed air into a mold. That same year, Lalique applied for patents for glass-molding processes to make decanters, bottles, and vases. The French perfume industry saw tremendous growth in the next decade and so, too, did Lalique’s business. From 1913 to 1920, the value of French perfume exports increased from 60 million to 700 million francs, with a large percentage of it sold to customers in the United States.

Lalique continued to expand his new designs for decorative and utilitarian glass objects, which garnered the attention of popular magazines like Art et Décoration and were exhibited in fashionable art galleries alongside work by Claude Monet, Auguste Rodin, and Édouard Vuillard. He continued to focus his attention on techniques that would improve semi-mechanical production. Although never made in large

quantities because of the complexity of the process, his body of work in the cire perdue method was refined. These cire perdues require a high-level of craftsmanship and are thought to be studies that resulted in a large production series.

The outbreak of World War I interrupted Lalique’s rapid rise in the world of glass design. During the war, he turned to the production of laboratory and hospital glass, offering supplies that previously had been imported from Germany. He also designed war medals and souvenir medallions that were sold to benefit orphans and widows. At the end of the war, Lalique was commissioned to design gifts for the French government to bestow on visiting dignitaries at the Paris Peace Conference. An elegant brooch with doves resting on olive branches, presented in a Lalique-designed box, is one such gift and was given to Edith Bolling Wilson, wife of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. It now resides in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution.

After the war, Lalique was encouraged by French President Alexandre Millerand to rebuild his glassmaking business in Alsace, a German-occupied region returned to France under the Treaty of Versailles. Lalique took over the glass factory at Wingen-sur-Moder and resumed his pre-war work in 1921. Excellent raw materials were available for glassmaking in the Alsace region: potash was used for the glass batch and pine forests provided wood for the furnaces. In addition, the railways could transport merchandise to Paris quickly and efficiently. The factory used machine presses and other mechanized processes to produce tableware, vases, and other works in series. The perfume industry recovered, and Lalique created new designs for Coty and other perfume manufacturers. Thousands of American soldiers returning home from France brought perfume with them, and Lalique used such opportunities to develop new marketing strategies.

Although the glass coming out of the Wingen factory was produced in multiples, Lalique asserted a great deal of quality control over his products and limited them to small runs. The contemporary art critic Nilsen Lauvrik praised Lalique’s ability to maintain creative integrity while making use of modern technology:

[His] accomplished craftsmanship has enabled him to utilize the services of the machine without in the least affecting the artistic quality of his productions. In his hands, it is no longer mechanically meaningless; it has become a tool of the artist wherewith he may communicate his ideas to a greater number than was ever possible to the craftsmen of old.

caption

Continued on page 28

opposite page clock wise top lef tA 1928 advertisement for the French perfumer, Worth, showing two Lalique designs, Vers le jour, Dans la nuit (For the day, For the night).Collection of the Rakow Research Library, The Corning Museum of Glass

René LaliqueFrench, 1860-1945Vase, Martins-pêcheurs sur fond de roseaux (Kingfishers on a background of reeds), 1930Mold-blown using a cire perdue (lost wax) mold2011.3.188, gift of Elaine and Stanford Steppa, The Corning Museum of Glass

A postcard from the 1925 Paris Exposition depicting a night view of Lalique’s monumental fountain, Les Sources de France (Springs of France).Collection of the Rakow Research Library, The Corning Museum of Glass

René LaliqueFrench, 1860-1945Perfume bottle, Worth, Vers le jour (Daybreak), designed 1926Mold-blown bottle and mold-pressed stopper, acid-etched2011.3.289, gift of Elaine and Stanford Steppa, The Corning Museum of Glass

16 | fall 2017 chrysler news | 17

ARTMatters: Peers and Partners, 2017. A social and cultural gathering for families who have a loved one diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s participating with the Alzheimer’s Association Southeastern Virginia Chapter.

ARTMatters | Peers and Partners

The Chrysler’s mission statement, …“The Chrysler Museum of Art is a catalyst. We bring art and people together to enrich and transform lives.” This is a fitting motto for our Museum program ARTMatters: Peers and Partners. Through this very special collaboration with the Alzheimer’s Association Southeastern Virginia Chapter, we come closer to fulfilling our inspiring mission.

Most second Fridays of the month you will find a small group of family members enjoying a docent-led tour of one of the Museum’s many galleries. At first glance, this group may not seem particularly different from many that visit the museum daily. However, if you stop to talk to any member, you will quickly learn that each has something in common with the others—they are all living with a diagnosis of early stage Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia.

Last year, the Alzheimer’s Association Southeastern Virginia Chapter partnered with the Museum to provide a specially designed arts engagement program for those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and dementia. The program includes a monthly gallery tour and lunch at the Museum.

Museum staff recruited interested docents, and Alzheimer’s Association staff briefed them on the basics of Alzheimer’s disease. They were trained on effective communication and teaching approaches that enhance learning for those with a diagnosis.

The Museum and the Alzheimer’s Association both promote the program, which has not only provided involvement from the local chapter’s existing early stage community, but has also appealed to those who have not yet connected with the Association or visited the Museum.

“One of the great things about this program is that we don’t talk about the diagnosis,” says Katie McDonough, LCSW and Director of Programs and Public Policy for the Southeastern Virginia Chapter. “When an individual is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia, it often takes over one’s entire identity. This program allows folks to participate in a safe, caring environment while learning something new.”

Care partner and participant Ann Bolen is enthusiastic about the joint venture, “This program is something to look forward to. It is something to talk about with our care partner both before and after, and then we also have a little time to socialize with others who share our journey. It is a blessing to all who are able to attend.”

The program continues monthly at the Museum from September through June. Facilitator-led arts classes will be a new feature of the program this year. Funding for the coming year’s program is generously provided by a grant from the Altria Companies Employee Community Fund.

—Jonathan Markham, Manager of Curriculum, Chrysler Museum of Art and Gallery Programs,

Chrysler Museum of Art —Katie McDonough, LCSW,

Director of Programs & Public Policy, Alzheimer’s Association Southeastern Virginia Chapter

chrysler news | 19

clock wise from top right:Interns at the Hermitage(l-r): Marina Maye, Rachel Ciampoli, Jacqueline Lucente, Rachel Owens, Delaney Mitchell, Sarah Frost, James Stewart; Rachel Owens, Design Intern; James Stewart, Curatorial Intern; Victoria Blow, Communications Intern, Jacqueline Lucente, Director Intern; Hermitage Museum visit; Sarah Frost, Development Intern

Photos by Marina Maye

Chrysler Summer Interns

For some, summer is a time of relaxation and fun-in-the-sun. But for eight bright, young college students and recent college graduates the summer provided an opportunity to work in their chosen fields

of study at the Chrysler. A variety of departments welcomed interns, from Education and Development to Curatorial and Communications. Our interns hit the ground running. Some spent their first week visiting other institutions, researching upcoming exhibitions, or re-thinking website design. Others tagged along for TV interviews or created outreach kits for public schools. Each intern kept a blog that chronicled his or her summer experiences.

This summer Delaney Mithcell and James Stewart were able to work with the Curatorial department. They spent their days translating Chinese propaganda posters and learning as much as possible about NASA. James, a recent graduate of the University of Mary Washington wrote on his blog, “This research has allowed me to use the tools of visual analysis that I learned in college.”

Rachel Owens worked with the Design staff this summer to create digital materials for various projects and departments. She designed a promotional sign and advertising for the exhibition René Lalique: Enchanted Glass. On her blog she shared her experiences, saying,

“It meant a lot to me that they were willing to trust me to create actual promotional materials.”

Victoria Blow drew on her course experience in Strategic Communications to work with the Communications department. She enjoyed attending meetings, seeing how the different departments worked together, and learning about the Chrysler collection. After observing a monthly exhibitions review meeting, she posted her reflections on her blog, declaring, “The collections were all so captivating and creative. It would be hard for me to decide on an exhibition as well!”

Internships are important experiences. We at the Chrysler can see the wonder and excitement in these interns’ eyes as they go from learning in a classroom to working in the field. Ultimately, some of our interns loved the department they chose and felt even more assured that they had found their calling. Others decided it might take longer to realize where their true passions lie. Either way, this experience has shaped their futures.

—Maegan Douglas, Public Programs Coordinator

Summer Camp Success

Fun was had by all this summer! For the first time we offered a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) Camp. This camp aimed to show middle schoolers the connections among art, science, and mathematics. Campers participated in robotics workshops, glass science demonstrations, and art-making with an engineering focus. This week-long camp not only reinforces what the campers are currently learning in school, but also prepares them for their upcoming years in high school.

Back by popular demand, Camp Chrysler, for kids aged 8 to 12, returned in August. Campers spent a week creating art, exploring our collection, and inventing their own designs, drawings, and sculptures. We capped off the week with an art show, where campers shared their work and experiences with adults and peers.

Photo by Marina Maye

18 | fall 2017

20 | fall 2017 chrysler news | 21

lef t to rightBurnt Asphalt performance

Hannah Kirkpatrick performance

John Miller demonstration

Phot

os by

: Ech

ard W

heele

r

Reflections from the Edge: Glass, Art, and Performance

IN EARLY JUNE THE CHRYSLER MUSEUM OF ART AND THE

CHRYSLER MUSEUM GLASS STUDIO WERE THE PROUD HOSTS

OF THE GLASS ART SOCIETY’S 46TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE,

ENTITLED “REFLECTIONS FROM THE EDGE: GLASS, ART, AND

PERFORMANCE." FOR THREE DAYS ATTENDEES AND THE

LOCAL COMMUNITY PARTICIPATED IN A VARIETY OF GLASS

DEMONSTRATIONS, LECTURES, TECHNICAL DISPLAYS, AND

EVENING ACTIVITIES. THE MAGNIFICENT EVENT WAS DUE IN

LARGE PART TO THE INCREDIBLE DEDICATION BY THIS YEAR’S

CONFERENCE CO-CHAIRS, VIRGINIA HITCH, COLIN MCKINNON,

CHARLOTTE POTTER, ROBIN ROGERS, AND DIANE WRIGHT.

GAYLE FORMAN SAT DOWN WITH COLIN MCKINNON TO DISCUSS

HIS REFLECTIONS ON THIS SPECIAL WEEKEND.

gayle forman: One major element of this conference was the addition of evening performances, thanks in large part to the contributions of the Chrysler Museum Glass Studio (CMGS) performance series, Third Thursdays. Did this make the Norfolk conference feel different from others?

colin mckinnon: Yes. I think the addition of evening performance art programming gave conference attendees a chance to see in person why the CMGS Third Thursdays have been receiving such widespread acclaim. It also added an additional activity for attendees, who have otherwise had few organized arts activities in the evenings.

gf: Did you have any favorite performances?

cm: I liked Hannah Kirkpatrick’s performance for the ethereal feel it created and because it was homegrown by one of the Chrysler’s own. And I found Eddie Bernard's bumbling glass magic show very entertaining.

gf: Another important facet of each GAS conference is the connection to the host community. You and your co-chairs worked with the neighboring businesses and community organizations. How do you think the community responded to the conference guests and attendees?

cm: Everyone we talked with in the local arts, government, and business organizations was extremely supportive of having the GAS conference

in Norfolk, beginning with the early planning stages nearly two years before the conference. Glass Art Society Staff, GAS Committee Members, and local organizations coordinated additional programming to offer conference attendees a multitude of arts events beyond the regular glass activities offered at the conference.

gf: Similarly, what did you feel was the biggest takeaway for an attendee of the conference, especially one who had never been to Norfolk before?

cm: All the feedback I've received indicates that attendees from out of our area were really impressed, maybe pleasantly surprised, with Norfolk, the Chrysler Museum, the Glass Studio, and the treatment artists received from the studio team. Go team!

gf: Finally, among all of the incredible demonstrations, lectures, performances, and displays, what was a highlight moment?

cm: As with all GAS conferences, there were so many competing activities that you couldn't take it all in, but I particularly enjoyed John Miller’s crazy huge glass demo and listening to Nobel Prize laureate and NASA astrophysicist John Mather describe the many ways glass is used in space exploration—that was a hidden gem.

—Gayle Forman, Program Assistant and Staff Instructor

22 | fall 2017

For the Culturally Curious

chrysler news | 23

opposite page clockwise from top leftArt Camera capture by the Google Cultural Institute

Streetview capture by the Google Cultural Institute

Art Camera capture by the Google Cultural Institute

EXPLORE THE CHRYSLER

COLLECTION IN EXTRAORDINARY

DETAIL AND SHARE IT EASILY WITH

YOUR FRIENDS FAR AND WIDE.

Have you ever wished you could see the minute detail of a painting, down to the smallest brush stroke? Or look closer at that section the wall label says is a dog? Beginning this fall, you will be able to view some of your Chrysler favorites in extraordinary detail online.

Last year, the Museum partnered with Google to expand our worldwide reach. Founded in 2011, the Google Cultural Institute has collaborated with hundreds of museums, cultural institutes, and archives to host the world’s cultural treasures online. You can explore the project here: www.google.com/culturalinstitute.

The Chrysler has been a leader in the field when it comes to sharing our collection online. Our entire collection has been searchable on Chrysler.org since 2007. Google’s two programs— Art Camera and Museum View—take us to the next level digitally.

Using Google Museum View, online visitors can explore the Chrysler’s diverse galleries and objects that span more than 5,000 years of history. Virtual guests are able to walk through the ancient and non-western galleries taking in 360-degree views. They can then head upstairs and explore the contemporary or Baroque galleries. The Chrysler joins more than 440 leading museums from around the world, including the British Museum in London, the Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands, and the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, that participate in Museum View.

The Art Camera takes thousands of ultra-high-resolution close-ups of a single work of art. It uses a laser and sonar system (like a bat!) to measure the distance from the artwork’s surface, ensuring

perfect focus. Then the camera robotically steers to exactly where it needs to be to capture every detail close-up. Finally, software stitches the images together, creating a single, and wondrously detailed, composite image. The Art Camera has captured 58 paintings from the Chrysler collection. When our virtual visitors tour the galleries in Museum View, an icon will alert them to the paintings that have been captured with the Art Camera. The zoom capability shows more detail than you can see with the naked eye.

Madison Whitesell, the Communications Department’s 2016 Summer Intern, spent hours uploading metadata to make the Chrysler’s Google Project searchable. Each object record includes a basic description of the work, the name of the artist, the title, medium, etc. Going a step further, Madison uploaded the complete wall label text and additional descriptions, which not only provides more information to online visitors, but helps refine their searches. In May of this year, Google expanded their general search function to include the Cultural Institute, so now every time someone searches Google for an artist whose work is in the Chrysler collection, the Chrysler’s art will appear in the results. This allows not only the general public, but also scholars and researchers, to access the Chrysler collection in a new way.

Our partnership with the Google Cultural Institute allows us to take our mission “to bring art and people together in ways that enrich and transform lives” into the 21st Century. We look forward to partnering with other institutions, expanding our relationship with Google, and bringing our collections to the public in interesting ways.

24 | fall 2017 chrysler news | 25

Mirna BlairHuman Resources ManagerMirna Blair joined the Museum as Human Resources Manager in July. Most recently, she worked in Human Resources for CMA CGM, a large shipping company, and previously worked for Norfolk Southern. She is currently working on a Master’s Degree in Human Resources and Employment Relations at Penn State University and holds a degree in Business from Old Dominion University. Blair brings to the Chrysler experience in conducing full cycle recruitment, performance coaching and counseling, and developing diversity and inclusion training.

Amber LoMeleSpecial Events CoordinatorAmber LoMele joined our team in May as Special Events Coordinator. Born and raised in Hampton Roads, LoMele has deep roots in the area and the event industry. Amber graduated from Christopher Newport University with degrees in Communication Studies and Political Science. While at CNU, she worked in Special Events for the Office of Admission. Before joining the Chrysler, Amber worked at Antonia Christianson Events and was an intern at Walt Disney World in Orlando, where she developed keen customer service and sales skills.

As a leader in her field, Wilson presented at The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s Philanthropy NEXT conference in 2016 and is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. At the Chrysler Museum, she will oversee gift cultivation, project fundraising, grant writing, board engagement, special events, and donor relations.

Wilson graduated from the University of Virginia in 1995 with a degree in Art History. She attended Norfolk Academy and recently served as president of the Norfolk Academy Alumni Association. She is a member of the CIVIC Executive Leadership Institute Class of 2018, and also also serves on the board of the Irene Leache Memorial Foundation, an organization with longstanding ties to the Chrysler Museum.

Tim MenzieFacilities ManagerTim Menzie recently joined our team as the Museum’s new Facilities Manager. Menzie has over 25 years of project management and field experience in facility management, and civil and general construction. He served in the U.S. Navy and has worked as a construction contractor, with an emphasis on facility upgrades and waterfront and electrical construction. Menzie offers the Museum expertise in the areas of quality assurance, safety standards, project management, and emergency management. He studied Business at Fort Hays State University and has OSHA certifications.

Kate WilsonDevelopment DirectorWe are pleased to announce the appointment of Kate Hofheimer Wilson as Director of

Development. Kate brings over 13 years of nonprofit development experience in Hampton Roads to the Museum, where she will set fundraising goals and develop strategies to secure support.

“I am thrilled to join the talented staff of the Chrysler Museum to bring even more amazing art and creative opportunities to the greater Hampton Roads community,” Wilson said. “Art, and especially the Chrysler Museum, have played important roles in my life,

and I look forward to sharing that passion to engage benefactors and inspire robust support for the Museum.”

Museum Director Erik Neil feels Wilson is uniquely qualified to lead development at the Chrysler. “Kate has a wealth of experience sustaining and growing nonprofit institutions, and a deep knowledge of the philanthropic landscape in Virginia, both of which will support the Museum’s goals,” he said.

Most recently, Wilson served with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation as the Director of Principal and Major Giving in Virginia. She managed, and completed the $21 million comprehensive campaign to build the Brock Environmental Center in Virginia Beach. Previously, she held development positions with WHRO Public Media and the Virginia Opera Association in Norfolk.

New Colleagues

THE BIRDSONG FAMILY has long been known for

making smart philanthropic

investments in institutions

that make a difference in

countless lives; including

recently the Chrysler Museum

of Art. In gratitude for their

philanthropy, the Museum

is pleased to recognize

their contributions to the

Chrysler by renaming one

of our European galleries as

The Birdsong Family Gallery.

The gallery is home to some

of our best examples of

European romantic painting

and sculpture, including

works by Doré and Delacroix.

We thank the Birdsong

Family for their dedicated

support and generosity

to the Museum.

Gift of Books by Bill and Leslie HennesseyThe Drs. Hennessey enhanced the holdings

of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library with

an extraordinary donation of books and

research materials. Bill, Director of the Chrysler

from 1997 to 2014, and Leslie, a longtime art

historian, educator, and lecturer, relocated

to Manhattan in 2016. As they planned their

move, they selected books and papers

from their vast personal collection, which

lined the walls of nearly every room of their

beautiful West Ghent home. Amassed over

two lifetimes of scholarship, the volumes

cover the history and teaching of fine art,

architecture, specific artists and exhibitions,

historic houses, and their own personal art

and education research. Among the 110

boxes of their valuable contribution are rare

volumes and tomes of scholarly materials not

previously included in the JOCL collection.

Thank you, Bill and Leslie, for your generosity!

26 | fall 2017 member events | 27

People, Parties, and Patriotism

Members of the Masterpiece Society gathered in May for their annual spring program. Tina Oldknow, former senior curator of modern and contemporary glass at The Corning Museum of Glass, spoke on sources of inspiration in contemporary art in glass. clockwise from left: Ron Reamer, Barbara Gornto, Staci and John Katsias; Carol Anne Kent, Tom Kent, John Cameron; Linda Kaufman, Tom Hubbard, Linda Dickens, Christy Hamlin; Erik Neil, Tina Oldknow, Virginia Hitch; Henry Garrity, Ina Levy, Dick Staub

Photos by Eleise Theuer

In March, the Chrysler Museum was proud to host the second annual Corporate Leadership Alliance (CLA) luncheon recognizing the significant financial support the Museum receives from area businesses. Bob Sasser, CEO of Dollar Tree, Inc. and Chair of the Museum’s Development Committee served as the speaker. Nearly 200 people attended representing 42 businesses that contributed to the Museum last year. Bryan Campell, BCAS; George Faatz, Virginia Natural Gas; Mark Johnson, SunTrust Bank; Lisa Wigginton Doud, BCAS; Bob Carter, Joe Waldo, Bob Sasser, Erik Neil; Bob and Pam Sasser, Dollar Tree; The Honorable Alan Krasnoff, City of ChesapeakePhotos by Glenn Bashaw, Images in Light

Luke Jerram’s Play Me, I'm Yours exhibition launched with an opening reception at the Glass Studio in May. Jerram played a tune on the Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian inspired piano, designed by Glass Studio staff.

Photos by Gary Marshall

In May, we celebrated our Military and Shipyard Workers with the opening of Thomas Hart Benton and the Navy and Glen McClure: The Shipyard Workers of Hampton Roads. We turned back the clock to the 1940’s, a time of rations and patriotism. Huber Court was filled with the boogie-woogie musical notes of America’s Sweethearts, an Andrews Sisters style act. Guests danced the night away, made their own vintage-inspired tie clips, and toured the exhibitions.

Photos by Eleise Theuer

28 | winter 2017 last look | 29

Summer Family Fun

Mark your calendars for Out of This World Family Day on October 28 from 10 a.m.–3 p.m.!

The Chrysler ushered in the summer with Triple Play Family Day, an event related to three summer exhibitions, Having a Ball: George Sosnak’s Striking Portraits from America’s Pastime, Thomas Hart Benton and the Navy, and Glen McClure: The Shipyard Workers of Hampton Roads. Over 1,000 people joined in the day’s activities, which included face painting, nautical crafts, a talk on the history of the Negro Baseball League by Derrick Jones, lawn games, and more.

Photos by Glen Bashaw

Art Travel

River Life along the Dutch WaterwaysApril 18–26, 2018

Cruise for seven nights through Holland and Flanders aboard the exclusively chartered, deluxe AMADEUS river ship. See the picturesque Dutch tulip fields in bloom, and meet local residents during the enriching RIVER LIFE FORUM®. Tour the Kröller-Müller Museum. Visit Amsterdam, Bruges, Hoorn, Maastricht, Antwerp, and Keukenhof Gardens.

Circumnavigation of Iceland July 25–August 2, 2018

Discover Iceland on this seven night circumnavigation aboard the Five-Star, small ship M.V. STAR PRIDE. See ancient Viking ruins and glittering glaciers atop simmering volcanoes. Cross the Arctic Circle and cruise along Surtsey. Includes round-trip airfare and attractively priced air add-ons from select cities.

In 1919, the Brooklyn Museum hosted Lalique’s first post-war glass exhibition. A few years later, in 1925, he installed a magnificent display at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris, presented throughout multiple building across the fairgrounds. This was a triumphal moment in his career, showcasing his modern luxury products that were accessible to the middle class at relatively affordable prices. Such objects were seen by visitors in Lalique’s own pavilion and in an elegant dining room at the Sèvres pavilion. Welcoming visitors to the Lalique pavilion was the magnificent 40-foot-high fountain Les Sources de France (Springs of France), which was illuminated at night by electricity. As a critical voice and major contributor to the decorative arts field, Lalique was invited to write the introduction to the exposition catalogue, in which he applauded the organizers for recognizing the importance of glass.

Loan exhibitions on glass come along infrequently. The Chrysler is thrilled to present this show that looks deeply at the work of a French master glassmaker and connects seamlessly to one of our collection specialties. Walter Chrysler’s encyclopedic collection is particularly strong in European nineteenth-century—especially French—glass. Visitors are met at the beginning of the exhibition with the Chrysler’s own exceptionally crafted Grafton Gallery Vitrine, an ornate wooden cabinet designed by Lalique in about 1903. The cabinet boasts thistle-patterned cast-glass inlays and bronze fittings, and was once used to display fine objects at London’s premier Art Nouveau gallery. On view currently in the Chrysler’s permanent glass galleries are Lalique favorites, such as the mold-pressed vases Tourbillons (“whirlwind”) and Bacchantes, both designed in 1927. Nearby are excellent examples in glass by Lalique’s French contemporaries: Émile Gallé, Amalric Walter, François-Émile Décorchemont, and Maurice Marinot, among others. Galleries adjacent to the French works showcase the Chrysler’s fine collection of nineteenth-century American glassmakers, Louis C. Tiffany and Frederick Carder, both of whom are inextricably linked to the progress and success of European glass production and design. Lalique’s brilliance shines equally alongside his fellow glassmakers and as highlighted in this monographic exhibition. We invite you to enjoy the experience with Lalique and be enchanted by his glass.

Writings on René Lalique by Kelley Elliot, Nicholas Dawes, and Lennart Booij were consulted for this article.

—Diane Wright, Carolyn and Richard Barry Curator of Glass

Continued from page 15

Photos by Gohagen and Company

The Lalique factory at Wingen-sur-Moder, 1922. © Musée Lalique Collection, Wingen-sur-Moder, France.

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The Chrysler Museum of Art is partially supported by grants from the City of Norfolk, the Virginia Commission for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Business Consortium for Arts Support, the Hampton Roads Community Foundation and the Helen G. Gifford Foundation.

The Annual Museum Members’ Appreciation SaleNovember 26–December 3rd

One Week Only!Starting on Museum Store Sunday, save 20% on all your purchases during our Museum Members Appreciation Sale. We have gifts for all your friends and family, including items from our Glass Studio and artisans from around the globe. Look for your Holiday Gift Guide in mailboxes early November.

Shipping and phone orders by credit card are available by calling 757-333-6297.