A GREAT EUROPE TRIP PLANNER: Ailsa Mellon Bruce

Showing posts with label Ailsa Mellon Bruce. Show all posts

7.16.2017

PIERRE BONNARD IN THE EAST BUILDING

Continuing on with my tour of the National Gallery of Art's East building, I exited the room with the Modigliani paintings and entered a room filled with paintings by two of my favorite painters: Pierre Bonnard and Henri Matisse.

Both artists began their careers in Paris but later they were drawn to the light and color of southern France. I love color in paintings; that's why I love the paintings of the Fauvists and Nabis; Matisse was associated with the Fauvists; Bonnard was associated with the Nabis. These two artists' work really show how color was important to them in their works. See for yourselves...

Many of Bonnard's paintings simply focus on the everyday life around him.

Work Table (1926/1937):

This painting was confiscated by the Nazi ERR during WWII, and selected by Herman Goering during one of his *tours* of the Jeu de Paume. It was recovered after the war and returned to France.

The Green Table (1910)

Nude in an Interior (1935):
The detailing in this painting is remarkable: in the patterns in the wallpaper, the carpeting and the sofa.

Stairs in the Artist's Garden (1942/1944):
This painting shows the brilliant color Bonnard found while living in the South of France.

A Spring Landscape (1935)

In the next post I will show the brilliant colors of Matisse's masterpieces.

The National Gallery of Art is located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets NW along Constitution Avenue. The entrance to the East Building is on 4th Street NW.

Admission is always FREE.
Open Monday-Saturday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Open Sunday: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Closed on December 25 and January 1.

All photos in this blog post were taken by me during my visit in June, 2017. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

8.16.2014

THE ONLY DA VINCI IN THE AMERICAS

As I discussed in my last post, the philanthropy of the Mellon family continued with both of Andrew Mellon's children donating both works of art and funds to purchase art for the museum.

Ailsa Mellon Bruce's financial contributions allowed the museum to purchase many Old Masters, including what is currently the only painting by Leonardo da Vinci on display outside Europe. The painting was purchased for the museum from Prince Franz Joseph II of Liechtenstein in 1967.

Ginevra de’ Benci (1474/1478) by Leonardo da Vinci

Other masterpieces purchased directly by the museum thanks to the generosity of Ailsa Mellon Bruce include:

Portrait of a Merchant (1530) by Jan Gossaert

Works of art that she donated to the museum include:

The Artist's Garden at Vétheuil (1880) by Claude Monet

The Artist's Garden at Eragny (1898) by Camille Pissarro

Pont Neuf, Paris (1872) by Auguste Renoir

Riverbank (1895) by Paul Cézanne

Young Spanish Woman with a Guitar (1898) by Auguste Renoir

The National Gallery of Art is located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets along Constitution Avenue.

Admission is always FREE.
Open Monday-Saturday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Open Sunday: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Closed on December 25 and January 1.

All photos in this blog post were taken by me during my visit in September, 2013.

8.06.2014

THE MELLON FAMILY PHILANTHROPY CONTINUED...

When Andrew Mellon decided to create the National Gallery of Art, he used the same "model" he used for business, but this time he used it for culture. He hired the architect to design the building, he supplied the monies to construct the building and a sizable endowment to maintain the museum, and he gave his own personal collection as the museum's founding gift. He supplied the resources for the museum to "get off the ground" and then left it for others to make it grow and get bigger. Two of those "others" were Mellon's children, Paul Mellon and Ailsa Mellon Bruce.

In addition to generous funding, Paul Mellon gave the National Gallery more than 1,000 works of art over the course of his life, including masterpieces by:

Cézanne...

Boy in a Red Waistcoat (1888-1890) by Paul Cézanne