November 14, 1935
In his report to the Governing Committee of the Brooklyn Museums meeting November 13, the Director, Mr. Philip N. Youtz emphasized three aspects of current activity at the Brooklyn Central Museum; an unusual series of exhibitions; further progress in the reconditioning and remodeling of the building and grounds, and public interest in the new educational program.
An exhibition of mediaeval objects will open on December 6 inaugurating the Museum’s new Gallery of Mediaeval Art. One entire gallery will be devoted to Byzantine art. Approximately 100,000 persons visited the exhibition of Spanish paintings installed by the Department of Renaissance Art. The Department of Contemporary Art has installed an exhibition throughout November. In the some department the exhibition of oil paintings by living artists has been followed by a collection of paintings and drawings of natural history objects, demonstrating the artistic and exhibition value of scientific illustration. This in turn will be followed by an exhibition of humor in art. The Curator of Prints, Mr. Carl O. Schniewind, who recently succeeded Miss Susan A. Hutchinson, has arranged the first comprehensive; exhibition of the prints of Henri Matisse, now on view.
The Education Office of the Museum reports can attendance of 11,320, in eight classes and an attendance of 25,680 at showings of moving pictures. There has been an unusually heavy demand this year for loan of films. The educational work for adults including discussion groups, work with teachers, and talks on the Spanish exhibition. Total attendance during October 91,013.
The new entrance and entrance hall have proved a hospitable and practical improvement. Large crowds can be handled without congestion and the hall makes a first impression of dignity. It is well adapted for exhibition material. Trustees and members of the staff of other museums have commented on the wel1 diffused light and the simplicity and restraint of the entire treatment. The public has made heavy use of the new information and sales desk. The edition of the catalogue of Spanish paintings has been practically exhausted. The October Quarterly, designed as an informal handbook of the Galleries of Prehistoric and Primitive art, sold out in on edition larger than usual and has been reprinted. Orders for photographs of objects in the museum collection have been heavy.
Brooklyn Museum Archives. Records of the Department of Public Information. Press releases, 1931 - 1936. 10-12_1935, 113. View Original
October 16, 1935
The Brooklyn Museum will open an Exhibition of Original Paintings and Drawings of Natural History Subjects in the Gallery for Living Artists on Friday afternoon October 25 at 3 o'clock to run through November 17.
This exhibition will consist of drawings made to illustrate scientific publications. In the field of Natural History an important part of the work of the scientist is taken care of by illustration. Drawings made for purely scientific purposes are often in themselves beautiful and of exhibition value. It is primarily the object of this exhibition to show drawings and paintings which while scientifically correct, have also pictorial and artistic interest. Because of the vast range of subjects treated by Natural History artists, only a few divisions have been covered, laying especial stress on Seashore and Ocean Life.
The exhibition will include a group of drawings, by Howard J. Shannon illustrating "Long Island Seashore Life" to be published by Doubleday Doran; a series of original paintings made to illustrate "Records of Changes in Color among Fishes,” written by Charles Haskins Townsend, Director of the New York Aquarium, and published in “Zoologica,” the organ of the New York Zoological Society; drawings by Maud Purdy, Staff Artist of the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens; paintings and drawings by several Staff Artists of the American Museum of Natural History; and drawings of herbs and vegetables by Louise Mansfield.
Brooklyn Museum Archives. Records of the Department of Public Information. Press releases, 1931 - 1936. 10-12_1935, 104. View Original
October 25, 1935
The Exhibition of Original Drawings and Paintings of Natural History Subjects opened today, October 25, at 3 P.M. at the Brooklyn Museum in the Gallery for Living Artists. This exhibition will run through November 17.
This exhibition is of special interest because not only are the drawings and paintings in it of artistic merit, but in addition as a group they serve to emphasize one of the practical Uses of art, namely the approach to Natural History science through pictorial illustration.
Included are wash drawings of marine life by Dudley M. Blakeley reproduced in NATURAL HISTORY and lent by the American Museum of Natural History; sculpture representing sea life by Ludovico Ferraglio, a member of the staff of the American Museum or Natural History; oil paintings of sea birds by Francis L. Jaques; oil paintings of undersea life by Chris E. H. Olsen, one of the artists now engaged in creating the setting for the Great Coral Reef Group at the American Museum of Natural History water color drawings of turtles by Eva Carrington, lent by the New York Aquarium; and watercolor drawings made by Olive Earle, Charles R. Knight, Hashime Murayama, and Herbert B. Tschudy for illustrating RECORDS OF CHANGES IN COLOR AMONG FISHES by Charles Haskins Townsend. Some of these were later reproduced in the LONDON ILLUSTRATED NEWS.
Clearly illustrating the distribution of birds in South American and showing their vivid plumage is on immense map by Elie Cheverlange lent to the Museum by the National Zoological Park Washington, D. C.
Louise Mansfield is representod by a series of pencil drawings of herbs, water color drawings of vegetables used as illustrations in THE COUNTRY HOME published by Crowell Publishing Company, and pen drawings of herbs for illustrating GARDENING WITH HERBS by Helen Morganthal Fox published by the Macmillan Company.
Brooklyn Museum Archives. Records of the Department of Public Information. Press releases, 1931 - 1936. 10-12_1935, 107. View Original
