| For more information about this article or gallery, please call the gallery phone number listed in the last line of the article, "For more info..." |
June Issue 2010
University of
North Carolina in Chapel Hill, NC, Features Tyche Foundation Gift
The University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, NC, is presenting the exhibit, Fortune Smiles: The Tyche Foundation Gift, featuring a collection of works which represents one of the most significant contributions in the history of the Ackland Art Museum, on view through Aug. 29, 2010.
Museums rely on the
generosity of donors and the Tyche Foundation gift represents
a collection of fifty-one works of art. These works of art add
new depth to the Ackland Collection. Accompanying the exhibition
is an illustrated catalogue featuring art historical commentary
on each piece, as well as nine original works of fiction by acclaimed
author Allan Gurganus written in response to selected pieces.
"The collection of the Ackland Art Museum has been decisively,
permanently, enriched and strengthened by this unprecedented act
of generosity," said Ackland Chief Curator Peter Nisbet.
Named for the Greek goddess of fortune, the Tyche Foundation was
founded by former Ackland director Charles Millard after a serendipitous
and dramatic encounter with a mysterious work of art. For years,
Millard kept a small sculpture that he had purchased at auction
on a coffee table in his home. He knew little about the object's
history or creator. By happenstance, an article about the sale
of a similar piece piqued his curiosity, and, to his surprise,
his own sculpture was soon identified as a valuable and highly
sought after work of art.
Instead of simply gifting this one piece to the Ackland, Millard
opted to sell it and take the proceeds to establish a foundation
with the explicit goal of acquiring multiple works. After a career
that included positions at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, in addition to
directing the Ackland, Millard is a celebrated connoisseur and
patron whose acuity and generosity has benefited cultural institutions
across the country. The works of art included in the Tyche Foundation
gift are tailored to fit the Ackland Collection specifically -
enhancing areas, adding luster to others - guided by the uniqueinstitutional
knowledge and celebrated eye of Millard.
"Charlie knows this collection intimately - our strengths
and our gaps - but he also has his own very particular tastes
and interests," said Ackland Director Emily Kass. "Because
of this rare combination, each of the works included in this amazing
gift enriches and adds an important aspect to the permanent collection
and reflects the singular vision of this donor."
Distinguished by its impressive diversity, the Tyche Foundation
gift includes drawings, paintings, prints, sculpture, calligraphy,
and photographs. When viewed as a whole, the collection encompasses
a wide stylistic range. Among the pieces included are a sensuous
Greek head dating from 500 BCE, an exquisite and minutely-detailed
Indian watercolor from the seventeenth century, and Édouard
Manet's first published etching (The Gypsies, 1862). Including
nine examples of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century photography,
twelve pieces of Asian art, and nine works by "old masters,"
the Tyche Foundation gift is an astonishing collection of works
marked by an uncompromising aesthetic quality.
Published in conjunction with the exhibition, the catalogue includes
fifty-two full color images, foreword by Ackland Director Emily
Kass, introduction and art historical commentaries by Ackland
Chief Curator Peter Nisbet, and a special section of fictional
narrative responses by Allan Gurganus, acclaimed author of Oldest
Living Confederate Widow Tells All, White People, Plays Well With
Others, and The Practical Heart.
For further information
check our NC Institutional Gallery listings, call the Museum at
919/966-5736 or visit (www.ackland.org).
Carolina Arts is published monthly by Shoestring Publishing Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc. Copyright© 2010 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston Arts from July 1987 - Dec. 1994 and South Carolina Arts from Jan. 1995 - Dec. 1996. It also publishes Carolina Arts Online, Copyright© 2010 by PSMG, Inc. All rights reserved by PSMG, Inc. or by the authors of articles. Reproduction or use without written permission is strictly prohibited. Carolina Arts is available throughout North & South Carolina.