Reading Public Museum members selected the newest work of art to add to the museum's ever-growing permanent collection at its Spring Purchase Party. "This year our goal was to add a new piece of American Modernism," shared museum curator, Scott Schweigert. "And I am pleased to announce that ‘The Bridge’ by Ernest Fiene was the winner."
Ernest Fiene was a German-born American artist (1894-1965) who painted “The Bridge” circa 1960. It is an oil-on-canvas and was purchased from the Caldwell Gallery in Manlius, N.Y. This is the fourth year that the Reading Public Museum (RPM) has hosted a Purchase Party as a way to involve its membership in selecting works of art to fill gaps in its collection.
During an evening event, Curator Schweigert, collections committee members and curatorial staff presented five selections of oil paintings and museum members voted for their favorite with Mengel Dollars. The other works on display were “A Cool Drink” by Robert Gwathmey, “The Fortune (Solitaire)” by Kenneth Hayes Miller, “The White Pitcher” by Henry Lee McFee and “Sailboats” by Bror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt.
This latest addition is currently on display in the museum’s Cohen Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art.

The Reading Public Museum is supported in part by grants from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and is located at 500 Museum Road, Reading, Pa. The museum is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
To learn more or to become a member, visit www.readingpublicmuseum.org.