Delights for the Senses [antikvár]

Foreword Delights for the Senses: Dutch and Flemish Still-Life Paintings from Budapest is an especially significant exhibition for both the Budapest Museum of Fine Arts and the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art IWuseum: it is the first exhibition of paintings drawn solely from the vast collections in Budapest to travel to the United States. The exhibition has brought together two museums quite different in origin and character. The Budapest IVIuseum of Fine Arts, though young in terms of European museum standards, opened its doors to the public in 1906; the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art IVIuseum opened only in 1976. The former united several large national art collections; the latter was created for the enrichment of the community and to honor an important figure in Wausau's history as a tribute by her daughters. However, both museums strive to collect, preserve, educate, and exhibit the finest works of art. This exhibition makes the works in the collection in Budapest available to a broad audience as well as provides the opportunity to present new ideas. Delights for the Senses has been an enormous undertaking on the part of both museums. Its realization is the result of happy coincidences, great effort, and dedicated work by the museums" staffs. The initial idea for the exhibition must be credited to the forward thinking of Deborah Dawson Wolff, then with Kunsttrans (Austria's leading art handler). David J. Wagner, former director in Wausau. and István Barkóczi. curator in Budapest. These individuals explored the many possibilities for a collaborative project, deciding on the subject of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Dutch and Flemish still-life paintings in the summer of 1986. with the willing support of Dr. Ildikó Ember, curator of Dutch and Flemish painting. Many international exhibitions of Dutch and Flemish genre and landscape painting have recently been organized. With a heightened interest in still lifes currently underway, there was reason to devote an exhibition to the development of still-life painting in the Netheriands. The collection in Budapest is eminently suited to the project as it encompasses a great range of Dutch and Flemish still-life paintings. Delights for the Senses exhibits forty paintings; the catalogue documents not only works in the exhibition but also the entire collection of Dutch and Flemish still-life paintings in Budapest. Thus, the catalogue serves as both a record of the exhibition and a significant reference to an important collection. It is further enhanced by Dr. Ember's Insightful essay on the history and interpretation of sUll life. IMuseum-goers in eight diverse communities of the United States will have an opportunity to view Delights for the Senses. Special thanks are due to the directors and staffs of the following museums; Rochester Museum & Science Center. Richard C. Shultz; The Dixon Gallery and Gardens, John E. Buchanan. Jr.; The J. B. Speed Art Museum. Peter Morrin; Bayly Art Museum of the University of Virginia, David B. Lawall; Cummer Gallery of Art, Robert W. Schlageter; Tampa Museum of Art, R. Andrew Maass; and The Arkansas Arts Center. Townsend Wolfe. Without the funding and support of various agencies. foundations, corporations, and individuals, this project would not be a reality. It is a special pleasure to thank the National Endowment for the Arts; GTE Wisconsin; and the Nan Schaffer Fund. Additional funding for educational programming was provided by a Wisconsin Humanities Committee grant and by the Clyde F. Schlueter Foundation; a grant from the Gannett Foundation supported public relations efforts. Graebel Van Lines. Wausau, Wisconsin, generously provided in-kind support for the domestic transportation of the exhibition. An indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities was also received. To these contributors and their staffs, we offer our sincere appreciation. Many individuals on both sides of the Atlantic labored long and hard on behalf of this project. From conservators to photographers, from packers and handlers to researchers and editorial assistants, our heartfelt thanks are extended. Ildikó Ember and István Barkóczi are to be commended for their untiring efforts and commitment evident in the stunning exhibition and thorough catalogue. The Department of Public Collections of the Hungarian Ministry of Culture is recognized for its assistance and support of this project. Special thanks are due Robert M. Tilendis and Terry A. Neff of T. A. Neff Associates. Chicago, for their editing skill and to Carolyn Logan of New York University's Institute of Fine Arts for her substantial art historical contributions. The dedication of Shari Schroeder. Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum administrative assistant, deserves special mention. Our hope is that everyone—especially those too numerous to name—will be proud of the part they played to make possible the exhibition and the accompanying publication. With great pride we present Delights Jor the Senses: Dutch and Flemish Still-UJe Paintings from Budapest to American audiences. Look, contemplate, absorb, and learn. Above all, let these magnificent works of art delight your senses! Ferenc Merényi, Director Szépmijvészeti Múzeum/Museum of Fine Arts Kathy Kelsey Foley, Director Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum