The Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library recently announced it will host “Tiffany Glass: Painting with Color and Light,” a dazzling exhibition of some of the most iconic and celebrated works by artist Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933). It opens on Saturday, Sept. 5. The collection was organized by The Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass in New York City.
“Tiffany Glass” will feature celebrated windows such as “Grape Vine” and “Lemon Tree with Trellis” and “Well by the Fence,” illustrating Tiffany's mastery of painting with glass. Iconic lamp designs such as the “Dragonfly” and florals such as “Peony,” “Laburnum,” and “Clematis” will also be included. In all, the exhibition will showcase 99 objects, including five large windows, 19 lamps of various shapes and sizes, and 75 pieces of opalescent flat glass from the Tiffany Studios workshop.
"The pieces were chosen for their masterful rendering of nature in flowers or landscape scenes and for the subtle use of light and shading in decorative geometric patterns," said Lindsy Perrott, curator of the Neustadt Collection. "They exemplify the rich and varied glass palette, sensitive color selection, and intricacy of design so characteristic of Tiffany's leaded-glass objects." The Tiffany exhibition is part of a year of programming at Winterthur that celebrates color.
Catharine Dann Roeber, assistant professor, Decorative Arts and Material Culture at Winterthur, noted the exhibition will be accompanied by educational models illustrating how leaded-glass shades are fabricated as well as examples of Tiffany lamp forgeries to explore issues of authenticity and connoisseurship. Additionally, it will highlight some of the key figures at the Tiffany Studios who made essential contributions to the artistry of the windows and lamps: chemist Arthur J. Nash (1849-1934) and leading designers Agnes Northrop (1857-1953), Clara Driscoll (1861-1944), and Frederick Wilson (1858-1932).
As a painter, Tiffany was captivated by the interplay of light and color, and this fascination found its most spectacular expression in his glass paintings. Through the medium of opalescent glass, Tiffany could capture light in color and manipulate it to achieve impressionistic effects. Using new and innovative techniques and materials, Tiffany Studios created timeless leaded-glass windows and lampshades in vibrant colors and richly varied patterns, textures, and opacities.
Dr. Ergon Neustadt, the founder of The Neustadt Collection, began acquiring Tiffany lamps in 1935. He went on to amass an almost encyclopedic collection, but perhaps his most significant acquisition came in 1967 when he purchased the flat and pressed glass leftover from the closing of the Tiffany Studios in the late 1930s. This collection contains some 275,000 pieces of glass and is the only holding of its kind. With both materials and objects, The Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass is uniquely positioned to fully explore Tiffany's legacy of painting with color and light.
“Tiffany Glass: Painting with Color and Light” will be supplemented by a second, smaller exhibit, “Tiffany: The Color of Luxury,” which will present a playful, engaging look at the Tiffany name in American culture, from the iconic colors to the relationship between the retailer Tiffany & Co. and the artisanal Tiffany Studios. It will feature approximately 100 objects and graphics illustrating the relationship between the Tiffany companies and the rise of modern luxury retailing in America. Jewelry, silver wedding gifts, fine stationery, and other more whimsical objects such as silver toothpaste tube turners and silver telephone dialers will be included.
Henry Francis du Pont's own purchases from both companies as well as a painting by Louis Comfort Tiffany from a private collection will also be highlights of this small exhibit. From silver baubles to Breakfast at Tiffany's, this visually stunning exhibit offers a glimpse into the shifting material culture of elegance and refinement.
Both “Tiffany Glass: Painting with Color and Light” and “Tiffany: The Color of Luxury” will be included in the price of general admission to Winterthur. Special events and lectures for members and the public will be offered during the duration of the exhibits.
For updates and more information, visit www.winterthur.org.