Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Equus Run

Amy and I visited Equus Run Vineyards to meet with the owner, Cynthia Bohn, who is on the Art Museum Advisory Board. Hot day, but many good ideas!

New Gifts inspired by Current Exhibition

Janie Welker, our curator, with three Navajo weavings offered as a gift to the museum by a visitor who was a nurse at the Indian Health Service in Tuba City in 1974-75.  The weavings were purchased at that time: a Coppermine weaving, a Two Gray Hills weaving and a horse saddle blanket.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Sculpture Installation Completion

The whimsical and joyous sculptures by Connecticut artist David Hayes are almost all installed. A few hanging pieces are still getting "touch up " paint by our back door. The artists sons, David from New York and John from Florida, travelled here to bring the works and install them. It's a labor of love ! The result will be enjoyed in the sculpture garden for one year. Look forward to a Sculpture Garden Family Day on October 7th!

Friday, July 13, 2012

The Famous Forger Fooled Us!

In 2007, a man named Mark Landis called the museum and wanted to donate a work of art in honor of his father, who was from Lexington. He sent us the watercolor, supposedly by Paul Signac, along with a copy of the page for the Christies' catalogue when the piece was purchased.  With this verification we accepted this gift. We later accepted a painting from him as well, at a meeting in Laurel Mississippi.

Meeting with Mark Landis, 2007
Fake catalogue page

When we saw "our" Signac pictured in another museum's newsletter as a gift from him, we knew he had swindled someone.  But what was real? Our registrar Barbara Lovejoy, who has an eye for meticulous detail, has always maintained that the one he sent us was exactly like the one in the catalogue! As more stories came out and the frauds were exposed, she kept wondering. Now she has obtained an copy of the original catalogue and can see that he faked the catalogue page as well, putting a photo of his fake copy over the real Signac.  Now we are wondering where the real one is! It's always something......

Friday, July 6, 2012

A Field of Sculptures

Twenty abstract sculptures by the artist David Hayes will be on view for the next year in our sculpture garden. Davis Hayes, son of the sculptor, is  installing and painting some of the wonderful sculptures, which are both multi-colored and black and white.