Four Exhibitions on View through July 20

July 11, 2014
crowded galleries at davis museum

Wellesley's Davis Museum has welcomed more visitors this season than in any season in the museum’s history.

Since February, we have seen the everyday from a new perspective, and discussed the role of art in our lives and on campus in ways that we never have before. We have revisited the College’s history and celebrated its rebuilding from the ashes of the Great Fire. We have explored the alleys and archways of Venice on paper, and traced the journey of Chopin’s heart from Paris to Warsaw on film. We have heard the glass bells and observed the Art of Science. Through the stories and pins of Madeleine Albright, we have learned that foreign policy isn’t so foreign after all.

Four of the major exhibitions that have attracted long-time patrons and new visitors alike are on view through July 20:

Tony Matelli: New Gravity

Matelli’s first solo exhibition at a U.S. museum highlights both recent works and work created specifically for the Davis. Lisa Fishman, Ruth G. Shapiro '37 Director of the Davis Museum, has referred to Matelli as “a trickster, a trader in combinatory illusions, a skilled manipulator of the restless mediation between metaphor, meaning, and truth.” That is reflected in this exhibition, where Matelli interprets familiar objects and ideas in unexpected ways.

“Like a Great Roman Ruin”: The College Hall Fire and Anne Whitney at 100

Composed of artifacts salvaged from the remains of College Hall after the Great Fire of 1914 and the news and correspondence that followed, the exhibition provides a glimpse into life at the College 100 years ago.

Guido van der Werve: Nummer veertien, home

When Frédéric Chopin died in Paris, his sister smuggled his heart from France into Poland to fulfill his wish that his heart be buried in his native land. Artist van der Werve retravels the path of the heart’s journey in a 1,000-mile triathlon in this multilayered film.

Read My Pins: The Madeleine Albright Collection

The popular traveling exhibition of Secretary Albright’s pin collection makes its only New England appearance at the Davis. Noted as one of Sec. Albright’s favorite installations — both for its venue and the Davis’ customized display — the exhibition tells the stories behind the pins and their role in Albright’s diplomatic career.

Friends who are interested in hearing about next season’s opening at the Davis and other arts programs on campus are invited to sign up for Wellesley’s mailing list.