Friday, April 16, 1965
University Daily Kansan
Page 5
Enjoyment, Education Found in Museum of Art
By Nancy Schroeter
A softly lit room greets you. As you step through the door, paintings and sculptures attract your attention. You explore.
Your exploration leads through rooms where you can see anything from a collection of clocks to a display of silverware.
Each of these rooms is part of the KU Museum of Art. The museum was established in 1917 after Sallie Casey Thayer gave most of her personal collection of art objects to KU in memory of her husband, William Bridges Thayer. Although there was no building at the time in which the Thayer collection was to be permanently housed, it eventually made its home in Spooner Hall.
Spooner Hall originally served as the library building on the campus. The second oldest building on the hill, Spooner was named after William B. Spooner, a merchant in Boston, Mass., who left KU a sum of money which was, at the time, the largest sum ever given to a state university.
IN 1924, WHEN the library was moved to the Watson Library building, Spooner became the home of the Thayer art collection and was called the Spooner-Thayer Museum. When private donations expanded the university collection in later years, the name, in all fairness to the later donors, was changed to "The Museum of Art of the University of Kansas."
Modernization and redecoration from 1949 to 1951 have given the museum its present system of galleries. Each of the galleries is devoted to different periods and areas of art. In the large gallery on the main floor, art objects of European origin from the Middle Ages through the 18th century are housed. The main gallery on the second floor of the building contains American art. Off of this main gallery several smaller galleries display prints and examples of decorative art, such as ceramics and silver.
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Oriental and ancient art are housed the lower basement of the museum. An auditorium, which is used for classes in the History of Art, is also in the basement.
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THE MUSEUM "has one of the broadest collections in the midwest," A. Bret Waller, curator of the museum, stated. Waller pointed to the fact that the museum collection contains over 10,000 individual pieces. However, he said, the collection has quality, as well as quantity.
Claude Monet, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Winslow Homer, Edouard Manet, Gabriel Rossetti, Tilman Riemenschneider—represent a few of the artists whose work can be viewed at the museum. Riemenschneider's piece of sculpture, "Madonna and Child," is particularly valuable, Waller said, because there are very few works by this artist which exist in the United States.
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Interest in several pieces of work owned by the museum may be expressed by other museums that wish to borrow the work temporarily, Waller said. "The Musicians" by theodor Rombouts, for example, will travel to Brussels, Belgium, this fall at the request of the nation, which wishes to use the painting in a special exhibition.
WALLER EXPLAINED that the museum does not lend its works to just anyone. There are three criteria used by the KU museum in determining who shall get the work on a loan basis, Waller pointed out: the museum requesting the piece must be reputable; the museum must be doing something of scholarly value in which
the desired piece is a part; and the piece must be able to travel without any damage.
KU's museum serves a double purpose, Waller said. "We are a teaching museum, but we are also the museum of art for the state of Kansas," Waller explained. The staff at the museum attempts to cover all periods of art in its collection. In this manner, Waller said, the student and the people of Kansas can observe and learn about the various periods of art in history.
People from many walks of life are served by the museum. Students majoring in art history or the visual arts; students with other majors; faculty members; residents of Lawrence and the surrounding areas; people from Kansas City; and individuals throughout the state, compose the group which the museum serves, Waller said.
Exhibits and publications planned, sponsored, and promoted by the museum help the museum to serve the public. The exhibits usually are housed in the basement, Waller said.
AT PRESENT THE museum is showing a group of "Old Master Prints" on loan from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The exhibition, containing 50 prints, shows work by Rembrandt,
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Whistler, and Durer, who are considered three of the greatest printmakers in art. Other prints by Dutch, Italian and French artists are also included.
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cerning art. It is distributed all over the world, Waller said. Also, in connection with its exhibitions, the museum publishes exhibition catalogues. These catalogues, printed for each individual exhibition, give the public additional information concerning current exhibitions.
A new program is being instituted by the museum in order to expand its service, Waller said. Beginning next year, the museum is going to plan traveling exhibitions from its own collection which will be set up at state colleges and universities.
An "Op" art exhibit will be shown during the months of May and June. "Op" is a term which is "applied to the work of people who are interested in visual and optical illusions." Waller explained. Since "Op" art is a new movement, the museum as part of its service function feels, Waller said, that it should bring examples of this art to campus so that people may see and judge the art for themselves.
TWO TYPES OF publications serve to inform the public about the museum. "The Register," which is published twice yearly, contains scholarly articles con-
If the program proves successful, Waller said; the museum hopes to expand the traveling exhibition plan to include other state institutions, such as high schools.
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