Polk Museum of Art Opens Smithsonian American Art Museum Exhibition of Romaine Brooks

The Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College presents “The Art of Romaine Brooks,” an exhibition on loan from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, which opens Sept. 28.

At a time when women around the Western world were beginning to break conventions and rules, Brooks crafted an androgynous appearance and a unique artistic voice that challenged beliefs of how women should look and behave. This exhibition includes 18 paintings and 32 drawings, some of which have not been seen in decades.

As an expatriate living in Paris, Brooks was a pioneering artist — in subject matter and in style — adopting in her paintings of women a muted color palette consisting primarily of black, white and various subtle shades of gray, ochre, umber or red, reminiscent of fellow American expatriate master James McNeill Whistler, whose paintings she admired, said Dr. Alex Rich, PMA’s curator and director of galleries and exhibitions. Rich also is an art history professor at Florida Southern.

“On one level, these works provide a glimpse into what people might envision when they think of the increasing independence of women in the 1920s,” Rich said. “The show reflects a time when many women of all classes and nationalities, especially American women who had the freedom to live abroad, were finding ways to break free of their traditional roles. On a deeper level, though, Brooks’ portrait subjects also reflect a lesser-known subculture of outliers and bohemians, many of whom were artists and, like Brooks, many of whom were gay.”

Born in Rome, Italy to wealthy American parents in 1874, Brooks spent most of her life in Paris. She focused on portraiture, which reflected Modernist elements in many ways, and her subjects frequently were her circle of strong, independent female friends. 

Included in this exhibition is Brooks’ 1917 portrait of Russian dancer, actress and art patron Ida Rubinstein. Another exhibition highlight is her 1923 self-portrait. Set against a gray sky above and seaside townscape below, the portrait depicts Brooks in a man’s hat, black coat and gloves. Her pale, gray skin is warmed only by the pop of red in her lips and a faint hint of blush on her cheeks. 

The exhibition runs through Dec. 9, and the museum is hosting several related events. Art historian and critic Cassandra Langer, who became Brooks’ accidental biographer through her search to uncover the artist’s aesthetics, will give a free lecture Oct. 13 at noon.

The Members Reception is scheduled for Sept. 28 at 6:30 p.m. It is free for PMA members and $10 for nonmembers.

“The Art of Romaine Brooks” is organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The C.F. Foundation in Atlanta supports the museum's traveling exhibition program, “Treasures to Go.”

Polk Museum of Art Receives Bank of America Grant for New Teen Scholarships

The Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College is pleased to announce that it has received a $2,500 Bank of America grant to help fund a scholarship program geared toward teens.

The Building Vibrant Communities Through Teen Art Class Scholarships program will enable eight Polk County students ages 14-18 from low- to moderate-income level families the opportunity to each take a six-week, tuition-free art class of their choice at the museum and obtain required art supplies at no charge.

“We are honored to receive this critical, groundbreaking grant award,” said Education Manager Ellen Chastain. “The Polk Museum has a long, successful history of raising funds and awarding Art Camp Scholarships to disadvantaged youth ages 7-13, but this is the first time the department has the means to support the older students who are passionate about pursuing higher education art programs to prepare them for art-related careers like graphic design, photography and printmaking.” 

The scholarships will help the museum bridge an economic gap by providing cultural services to under-served high school students who cannot afford to participate in the fee-based programs and purchase their own art supplies, said Executive Director Claire Orologas. 

“We are grateful for Bank of America’s support to enhance the vitality and livability of our entire Polk County community, especially for teens who face financial barriers,” Orologas said.   

PMA offers a series of six-week, small-group Adult and Teen Art Classes in the fall, spring and summer each year. Classes are taught by certified art teachers or art professionals for three hours per session on Monday and Tuesday evenings. Students are instructed in a variety of mediums such as drawing, painting and sculpture, and learn invaluable problem-solving and critical thinking skills that are transferable to any subject. Fall classes begin Oct. 8 and end Nov.13. 

To learn more about the fall schedule and how to apply for a financial-need and merit-based Teen Art Class Scholarship, visit https://polkmuseumofart.org/adultclasses; or contact Ellen Chastain at 863-688-7743 ext. 227 or echastain@polkmuseumofart.org. 

Another Chapter in “The Von Wagner Code”

There has been another discovery since last we wrote about “The Von Wagner Code” and posed the question of whether a masterwork had been discovered in a storage closet at Florida Southern College.

Although the discovery doesn’t officially confirm that the work upon which “The Von Wagner Code” exhibition is centered is a verifiable work of Alexander von Wagner, it adds another piece of evidence to suggest that this could be true. 

In August, Diane Baires – who is the curator of Florida Southern’s Melvin Gallery and works as the Art and Art History Department assistant at the college – located an inventory and an article from 1951 about the college’s art collection that listed a painting in the student lounge called “Claudius Triumph” by “Alexander Wagner.”

“Upon its rediscovery in 2016, it was initially believed that the painting was gifted to the college in 1953 as a 17th century Italian Baroque painting by Domenico Fetti, based on a letter that was believed to relate to the painting,” said Dr. Alex Rich, the Polk Museum of Art’s curator and director of galleries and exhibitions. Rich also is an art history professor at Florida Southern. 

Instead, research confirmed it to be a variant of von Wagner’s 19th century “The Chariot Race.” 

Based on this inventory and newspaper article discovery, however, “we now know the college knew it was by von Wagner way back when after all and that it was on campus as early as 1951, nearly two years before the questionable ‘Fetti’ gift of 1953,” Rich said. “But the college was not aware that the von Wagner was a masterwork, obviously, given what happened to it.”

Sometime in the 1950s or early 1960s, the painting was cut out of its frame, replaced by a mirror, and rolled up in a closet. 

And over the 60 years it was stowed away, what it actually was — a von Wagner — was forgotten. 

“No evidence suggested its provenance, apart from our knowledge of who gifted it,” Rich said. “Upon its rediscovery, it was thus mistaken as the ‘Fetti’ gifted by the same donor in 1953. The confusion stemmed from the fact that both gifts — the von Wagner and the Fetti — were from the same donor but for two entirely different paintings.”

The 1953 letter that offered the gift of the Fetti work and that was thought to concern the rediscovered “Chariot Race” painting was written by Emile E. Watson. But as it turns out, Watson gifted the von Wagner before 1951, and the Fetti in 1953. Excitingly, we know the college once believed it had both a von Wagner and a Fetti.  We have the presumed von Wagner on display at the Museum, but now there’s another thrilling mystery: Where is the Fetti painting?

Learn More

Want to hear more about this exhibition? Watch the Aug. 16 episode of WEDU’s “Arts Plus.”

Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College Receives National Endowment for the Arts Grant

The Polk Museum of Art and Florida Southern College are pleased to announce they have received an Arts Engagement in American Communities Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. 

The grant will help support the “Sad Tropics: Visiting Artists’ Exhibition & Education Project” that will take place at FSC’s Melvin and Burks Galleries. Sad Tropics is a large, site-specific installation piece designed by artists Cristina Molina and Jonathan Traviesa, who will be in Lakeland to install the work on view Sept. 21 through Nov. 2.  

As Florida natives and New Orleans residents, Molina and Traviesa were inspired to create their multimedia exhibition by reflecting on their Florida roots, observing images along their roundtrip drives to visit family in Lakeland, researching Florida’s history and tropical paradise mythology, and naming their project in homage to Claude Levi-Strauss’ book title “Tristes Tropiques.” Through photographic murals, videos and a gift shop installation, the artists’ work celebrates and critiques the eccentricities of the Floridian aspiration.   

Multiple education programs are planned to coincide with the exhibition that will engage FSC art students in the installation process. Programs include a gallery talk and tour for Polk County sixth-12 grade students and parents led by Dr. Alex Rich on Oct. 5; Sad Tropics Artists’ Talk on Nov. 1; and an artists Sseminar for FSC students and faculty on Nov. 2. All programs will be open to the public free-of-charge and will be held at the FSC Melvin and Burks Galleries. 

“We are very excited about receiving national recognition and grant support from the NEA for our Florida Southern College collaborative Sad Tropics project,” said PMA Executive Director Claire Orologas. “It has been quite some time since the Polk Museum of Art has been awarded an NEA grant and it makes it even more special that these funds are supporting an exhibition designed by two Florida-born artists.”  

According to FSC President Dr. Anne Kerr, “Our students and faculty are looking forward to participating in this NEA grant-funded exhibition and education project. It will enrich our entire Florida Southern College and Polk County community, and raise our Polk Museum of Art affiliation to a higher level of nationwide recognition.”      

PMA Thanks MIDFLORIDA for Sponsorship

It is with sincere gratitude that the Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College thanks MIDFLORIDA Credit Union for 10 years as the title sponsor of Mayfaire by-the-Lake, presented each Mother’s Day weekend by the PMA.

MIDFLORIDA’s financial support of Mayfaire by-the-Lake, along with all of the Mayfaire sponsorships, not only have made the event possible, but they also support the general work of the museum all year long. 

“Those ten years of support were critical because those were the ten years that Mayfaire was climbing in the rankings of Sunshine Artist magazine’s prestigious ‘Best 200 Art Shows’ list,” said PMA Executive Director Claire Orologas. “Without the support of all of our sponsors, we would not have been able to achieve this stature. We are deeply grateful to MIDFLORIDA for their role in this endeavor.”

In 2016, Mayfaire by-the-Lake reached the top 20 on the “Best 200 Art Shows” list.

A new Mayfaire by-the-Lake title sponsor will be announced in the fall.

Polk Museum of Art Receives National Endowment for the Arts Grant

The Polk Museum of Art and Florida Southern College are pleased to announce they have received a National Endowment for the Arts Arts Engagement in American Communities Grant. 

The grant will help support the “Sad Tropics: Visiting Artists’ Exhibition & Education Project” that will take place at FSC’s Melvin and Burks Galleries. Sad Tropics is a large, site-specific installation piece designed by artists Cristina Molina and Jonathan Traviesa, who will be in Lakeland to install the work on view Sept. 21 through Nov. 2.  

As Florida natives and New Orleans residents, Molina and Traviesa were inspired to create their multimedia exhibition by reflecting on their Florida roots, observing images along their roundtrip drives to visit family in Lakeland, researching Florida’s history and tropical paradise mythology, and naming their project in homage to Claude Levi-Strauss’ book title “Tristes Tropiques.” Through photographic murals, videos and a gift shop installation, the artists’ work celebrates and critiques the eccentricities of the Floridian aspiration.   

Multiple education programs are planned to coincide with the exhibition that will engage FSC art students in the installation process. Programs include a gallery talk and tour for Polk County sixth-12 grade students and parents led by Dr. Alex Rich on Oct. 5; Sad Tropics Artists’ Talk on Nov. 1; and an artists Sseminar for FSC students and faculty on Nov. 2. All programs will be open to the public free-of-charge and will be held at the FSC Melvin and Burks Galleries. 

“We are very excited about receiving national recognition and grant support from the NEA for our Florida Southern College collaborative Sad Tropics project,” said PMA Executive Director Claire Orologas. “It has been quite some time since the Polk Museum of Art has been awarded an NEA grant and it makes it even more special that these funds are supporting an exhibition designed by two Florida-born artists.”  

According to FSC President Dr. Anne Kerr, “Our students and faculty are looking forward to participating in this NEA grant-funded exhibition and education project. It will enrich our entire Florida Southern College and Polk County community, and raise our Polk Museum of Art affiliation to a higher level of nationwide recognition.”      

To learn more about this PMA NEA grant, contact Director of Arts Advancement Suzanne Grossberg at 863-688-7743 x298 or sgrossberg@polkmuseumofart.org.

Polk Museum of Art Receives Artwork in John Rodda’s Memory

The Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College announces the donation of a Yousuf Karsh photograph of British author and playwright George Bernard Shaw.

Robert and Malena Puterbaugh donated the photograph in memory of John A. Rodda, who passed away on April 30. It will be displayed in the museum in the fall.

The Puterbaughs selected the Shaw portrait taken in 1943 because it is one of Karsh’s most important and detailed photographs, Robert Puterbaugh wrote in a memo included with the donation.

Karsh said the following about the photograph:

“He said I might make a good picture of him – but none as good as the picture he had seen at a recent dinner party where he glimpsed, over the shoulder of his hostess, a perfect portrait of himself. He pushed by the lady, approaching the living image, and found he was looking in a mirror! The old man peered at me quizzically to see if I appreciated his little joke. It was then that I caught him in my portrait.”

The museum has built a collection through the years of important photographs Its collection includes other works by Karsh, as well as photographs by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Ansel Adams, Jerry Uelsmann, Elliott Erwitt and Herman Leonard.

“We are honored to receive this generous gift in John’s memory,” PMA Executive Director Claire Orologas said. “The quality of this work is apt for the man he was.”

Rodda, founder of Rodda Construction, Inc., lent his operations expertise to the museum through the years, and as a Florida Southern College trustee, he played an instrumental role in helping the museum’s affiliation with Florida Southern become reality in 2017. He also served on the inaugural Board of Trustees of the Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College.

Exhibition Focuses on Mystery of Possible Masterwork Discovery

A large-scale painting of a Roman chariot race found in a closet on the Florida Southern College campus unearthed a mystery and became the impetus for a home-grown exhibition opening June 23 at the Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College.  

“The Von Wagner Code” is a curated exhibition centered on the rediscovered painting that appears to be an early, lost version of Hungarian artist Alexander von Wagner’s acclaimed masterpiece, “The Chariot Race” of 1882, now in the Manchester Art Gallery.  Several early versions are known to have been painted originally in the 1870s but have vanished. 

This exhibition is also believed to be the first-ever museum show focused on von Wagner and his work, said Dr. Alex Rich, PMA curator and director of galleries and exhibitions.

The fragile but newly-conserved painting measures 52 inches by 72 inches and was gifted to Florida Southern in 1953 as a 17thcentury Italian Baroque painting by Domenico Fetti. In 2016, it was discovered in a storage closet, along with paperwork that documented it as a Fetti painting of the 1600s. Rich had his doubts.

A bit of research confirmed it to be instead a variant of von Wagner’s 19thcentury “The Chariot Race,” which was wildly popular in its day and is a staple of art history textbooks. His painting heavily influenced Lew Wallace's popular 1880 novel, “Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ,” which went on to be adapted to the stage and screen.

Von Wagner’s painting was commercially reproduced within years of its first U.S. exhibition in the 1870s, and it was common for American families to have a print of the painting in their homes.

Works that speak to the painting’s popularity that are part of this exhibition include:

·      From the Smithsonian National Museum of American History’s collection, an 1875 copperplate etching made after the painting, which was heralded as the largest in the U.S. at the time. 

·      From the Library of Congress, the 1896 original sheet music of John Philip Sousa’s battle piece “The Chariot Race,” which von Wagner’s painting inspired.

·      Also from the Library of Congress, original posters from a 1901 “Ben-Hur” stage play and the 1925 film of the same name. Von Wagner’s painting inspired the imagery and cinematography for these productions.

·      From the collection of a Paris art gallery, the only locatable original study for the painting. It was purchased at auction in 2013 by a private buyer in Denmark.

“The Chariot Race” was so popular that the San Francisco Weekly Examiner placed advertisements in many Mid-western newspapers — including the Kansas Agitator as early as 1892 — offering a print of “The Chariot Race” as an enticement to those who subscribed to it. 

“All of these cultural artifacts are evidence of this painting’s impact,” Rich said. “Part of the story we wish to convey in the exhibition is the popularity and legacy of this painting and of von Wagner, and the fact that we may have uncovered an important missing piece of this complex history.” 

An opening reception for “The Von Wagner Code” is scheduled for June 29, 6-8:30 p.m., and the exhibition runs through Sept. 16. Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. The Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College is located at 800 E. Palmetto St. Visit www.polkmuseumofart.orgfor more information, and to RSVP for the reception. 

Polk Museum of Art Hosts Coffee with Artist Beth Ford

The Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College will host Coffee with the Artist: Beth Ford on June 9 at 10:30 a.m.

Ford has taught thousands of students since she started teaching college-level art classes more than 50 years ago.

This Mississippi native who holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in fine arts and art education from the University of South Florida taught at Polk Community College (now Polk State College) prior to joining the Florida Southern College faculty in 1968. She formally retired from Florida Southern after teaching 38 years, but missed the students so much that she returned as an adjunct professor four years later to teach courses in printmaking. She also has taught drawing as an adjunct at USF.

Her exhibition, “Beth Ford: A Selective Retrospective,” opened in May and runs through Sept. 23. During Coffee with the Artist, Ford will discuss her body of work and the various mediums she has worked in and taught throughout her career.

A variety of mediums are represented in her show, including drawings, mixed media drawings, paintings, intaglio printmaking and silkscreens.

Ford, who turns 88 on June 10, has been featured in group and solo museum exhibitions throughout her career, and her work is in the permanent collections of the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art at St. Petersburg College in Tarpon Springs, the University of Tampa, and the law firm Holland & Knight.

Admission to Coffee with the Artist is free, but registration is requested: https://polkmuseumofart.org/upcoming-events/coffeeford

Exhibition Invites Guests to Crack the von Wagner Code

A painting of a chariot race found tucked away on the Florida Southern College campus unearthed a mystery and sent Dr. Alex Rich, PMA curator and director of galleries and exhibitions, on a quest to discover the story behind the work. 

The painting in question appears to be an early version of Hungarian artist Alexander von Wagner’s “The Chariot Race,” which is believed to have been painted originally in the 1870s. For all of the answers Rich has unearthed in his search for information on the painting, many questions remain. 

“The Von Wagner Code” is a curated exhibition that poses those questions about the mysteries of the painting’s history to the public. It is believed to be the only exhibition of von Wagner’s work ever held in the United States, Rich said.

In the Closet

The work in question measures 52 inches by 72 inches and was gifted to Florida Southern in 1953 as a 17thcentury Italian Baroque painting by Domenico Fetti. At some point, the work was admired more for its frame than the painting itself, so the canvas was removed, rolled up and replaced with a mirror.

In 2016, the tattered painting was discovered in a storage closet, along with paperwork that documented it as a Fetti painting. Rich had his doubts. The painting of horses and a chariot in a Roman forum arena simply didn’t look like an Italian Baroque painting, he said.

After performing initial conservation work to the damaged canvas in February 2017, art conservationist Rustin Levinson confirmed Rich and other PMA staffers’ suspicions when she determined the painting couldn’t be older than a 19thcentury work, based on the materials used. 

Rich researched further and confirmed that it appeared to be a variant of von Wagner’s famous “The Chariot Race.” Although von Wagner was known to have painted several versions on the theme, Rich located the only presumably extant version of the work in the Manchester Art Gallery in England dated 1882. 

Commercial Popularity

In its various early versions, “The Chariot Race” was wildly popular in its day. It was commercially reproduced, and it was common for American families to have a print of the painting in their homes.

In 1875, the largest copperplate etching in the U.S. at that time was made after this painting. It is in the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s collection. The Smithsonian has loaned the work to PMA as part of the upcoming exhibition. That black and white image measures 18 1/8 inches by 28 1/8 inches. 

Proof of the painting’s popularity is seen in various art forms. Von Wagner’s painting inspired John Philip Sousa to write the battle piece “The Chariot Race” in 1888. The Museum has secured the original sheet music from the Library of Congress to be part of the PMA’s exhibition, and an orchestral recording of the march will play alongside it.

Von Wagner’s painting also inspired many of the literary and film depictions we associate today with Roman chariot racing, including the cinematography for “Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ” in 1925. The movie was based on Lew Wallace's popular 1880 novel of the same name, which was influenced heavily by von Wagner’s paintings on the theme from the previous decade. Prior to the movie, a theatrical adaptation of Wallace’s novel was produced first in 1899, and the commercial advertising for the play replicates von Wagner’s painting.

The Museum has secured from the Library of Congress original posters from a 1901 “Ben-Hur” stage play and from the 1925 film for “The Von Wagner Code” exhibition. Rich also discovered 1916 silent movie playing cards with images of von Wagner’s painting on the cards. A deck of the cards is among the several dozen objects that illustrate the widespread popularity of the painting as part of the exhibition.

“The Chariot Race” was so popular that the San Francisco Weekly Examiner placed advertisements in many Mid-western newspapers — including the Kansas Agitator as early as 1892 — offering a print of “The Chariot Race” as an enticement to those who subscribed to it.  

“All of these cultural artifacts are evidence of this painting’s impact,” Rich said. “Part of the story we wish to convey in the exhibition is the popularity and legacy of this painting and of von Wagner, and the fact that we may have uncovered an important missing piece of this complex history.” 

Clues in the Painting

The reason behind the exhibition’s name is because the Museum is looking for evidence that the featured painting is definitively by von Wagner, Rich said.  

As part of the search for answers, Rich located the original study for the painting, discovering that it had been sold at auction to a private buyer in Denmark in 2013. Now held in the collection of a Paris gallery, the original study is on its way to Lakeland, on loan to the PMA exhibition. The Museum hopes it could yield a host of answers.

The painting upon which “The Von Wagner Code” exhibition is built is only the left half of the scene in von Wagner’s finalized and best-known Manchester version. Guests will be invited to examine elements of the painting for clues to its authenticity. For example, the lower left corner of the painting features a chariot wheel that has spun off. On the wheel is a symbol. Does it read “VW” for Von Wagner, or something else?

Come see for yourself when the exhibition opens June 23. It runs through Sept. 16. Admission to the Museum is free daily.