Berman Adds to Vast Collection of Art
The Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art at Ursinus College has announced the recent acquisition of several important prints, photographs, and sculpture in support of permanent collection priorities through the generosity of donors invested in the museum’s mission and growth.
The new acquisitions are as follows:
Original Artist Donations
Chuck Kelton (American, b. 1952), gifted View Not From a Window #261, gelatin silver chemogram, photogram on photo paper, 2018. The piece was featured in the exhibition “Folds” at the Berman Museum in Spring 2021.
Barbara J. Zucker, UC’66 (American, b. 1940) gifted Western Island: Early Morning Clouds, triptych, acrylic on three canvases, 2008; and Topiaries: Form and Shadow, Diptych, diptych, acrylic on two canvases, 1999. The two paintings add to the Berman’s over 40 works by Zucker, an emeritus faculty member of Ursinus College.
Katie Merz (American, b. 1961) gifted Ursinus, oil stick on paper, 2020; and Read, oil stick on paper, 2020. The two drawings relate to the execution of a major painting on the Ursinus College smokestack, a chronicle of symbols and images garnered from conversations with members of the Ursinus class of 2020. The smokestack serves as an homage to students’ resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it will be used as a text for the interdisciplinary course taught under the college’s Common Intellectual Experience program.
Czubaroff Donation
A prized collection of over 120 Old Master prints was gifted by Jeanine and Val Czubaroff in December 2021, featuring work by Albrecht Dürer, Giovani Battista Piranesi, Hendrik Goltzius, Eugene Delacroix, and Francesco Goya, among many other major figures in 17-19th century printmaking. Jeanine Czubaroff is Professor Emerita of Communications at Ursinus College and valued the opportunity to use Berman Museum of Art collection resources to enhance her teaching and curriculum throughout her career as an educator. She and her husband Val built their collection over 40 years of research and exploration. Their gift will ensure the objects they prized will continue to be studied, exhibited, and utilized as a vital educational tool.
Gordon Donation
Mark W. Gordon ’64 and his wife, SandiJo Gordon, Miami-based collectors of contemporary American art, Latin American prints, and Artist books, gifted Untitled, a bold and colorful sculpture by Dorothy Gillespie (American, 1920-2012). This work adds to a growing presence of women artists represented in the museum’s holdings.
Jones Donation
A rare drypoint etching by Mary Cassatt (American, 1844-1926) was gifted by Michael Jones. The Mirror, c. 1891, is a rendering of a mother and child, a consistent motif for Cassatt. The poignant depiction of a protective embrace is captured as a front and verso reflection.
Rishel/d’Harnoncourt Estate Donation
The Berman Museum of Art has enjoyed a close working relationship with the Philadelphia Museum of Art because of the tremendous efforts of our founders, Philip and Muriel Berman, who served both museums in leadership and philanthropic roles. The estate of Joseph J. Rishel (1940-2020), Senior Curator of European Art at the PMA from 1971-2016, and Anne d’Harnoncourt (1943-2008), Director/CEO of the PMA from 1982-2008, has gifted seventeen original lithographs, etchings, and signed fine art posters from the Rishel/d’Harnoncourt personal collection. Artists represented include Claes Oldenburg (Swedish/American, b. 1929), Jasper Johns (American, b. 1930), Elizabeth Murray (American, 1940-2007), Alex Katz (American, b. 1927), and Red Grooms (American, b. 1937).
Williams Donation
Photographer and collector William E. Williams, Professor of Humanities and Curator of Photography at Haverford College, has donated a substantial series of photographs to the museum over the past 20 years. His most recent contributions include Early Morn, photogravure, c. 1900, by Alfred Stieglitz; and Portrait of Paul Henreid, tri-carbro color print, c. 1940s, by Lee Elkins and Cline.
Yoakum Donation
Mel Yoakum, Ph.D. continues to direct original prints and preparatory materials by renowned artist Françoise Gilot (French/American, b. 1921) to the Berman’s extensive holdings of Gilot’s work. With this most recent donation, Yoakum gifted rare photographs by Jacques Beurdeley (French, 1874-1934), Geof Kern (American, b. 1950), and Edmond Gilot (French, 1856-1911), and a photorealist canvas entitled Lost Buttons by Antonios Aspromourgos (Greek, b. 1968).