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Tiffany By Design

September 25, 2005 - January 8, 2006

 

(above: Louis Comfort Tiffany, circa 1908)

 

Tiffany By Design will be shown at the Wichita Art Museum from September 25, 2005 through January 8, 2006. This dramatic exhibition, which explores the construction, fabrication and design qualities of Tiffany lamps made between 1900 and 1925, features approximately 45 objects including more than 30 Tiffany lamps. Several hanging shades, a leaded-glass window and related materials made by Tiffany Studios complete the show. Take advantage of this opportunity to see first-hand authentic Tiffany lamps. (right: Tiffany Studios, New York, Grape Library Lamp, 1900 ­ 1910, leaded glass, bronze. © Neustadt Museum)

Louis C. Tiffany's early interest in colored glass was focused on leaded-glass windows. Following the lead of fellow artist John La Farge, Tiffany worked with local glass houses in Brooklyn to make opalescent glass. Tiffany opened his furnaces in Corona, Queens in 1892 to make his own colored, opalescent glass that he marketed under the trademarked name "Favrile." He capitalized on the increasing availability of electricity in the development of artificially-illuminated colored glass lampshades. The opalescent character of the glass diffused the light and the method of constructing the shades was derived from leaded-glass windows.

Tiffany Studios produced thousands of lamps in hundreds of designs, although many of the designs were closely related. Examining the ways in which the designs and forms were changed and adapted from object to object elucidates the design vocabulary and syntax of Tiffany Studios. The wide range of possibilities becomes evident with a comparison of a single design in different color schemes or in different shapes and sizes. (right: Tiffany Studios, New York, Grape Library Lamp, 1900 ­ 1910, leaded glass, bronze, © Neustadt Museum)

The selection of lamps and chandeliers in Tiffany by Design explores the ways in which the patterns of the shades range from deceptively simple to extraordinarily complex. While a geometrically-based pattern may appear elementary, the gradation of color or meticulous application of solder in its construction transforms the shade into a very subtle and sophisticated work of art. The repetition of motifs is another way in which Tiffany designers manipulated a decorative scheme. Sometimes patterns are repeated within the shade, and sometimes a shade has no repeats. Tiffany manipulated motifs to create a distinct dynamism. Nuance of color is another feature that distinguishes Tiffany shades. The color may shift from top to bottom in delicate progressions or around the shade as flowers are different from season to season. By looking at the many varied designs of Tiffany shades, a deeper understanding and appreciation of the quality and beauty of these objects is made possible.

The exhibition was most recently shown at the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, NY. After the Wichita Art Museum, it will travel to The Long Island Museum of American Art, History and Carriages in Stony Brook, NY (February 11, 2006 - June 11, 2006) and then on to the Pensacola Museum of Art in Pensacola, Florida (October 20, 2006 - January 13, 2007). (left: Tiffany Studios, New York, Grape Library Lamp (detail), 1900 ­ 1910, leaded glass, bronze. © Neustadt Museum)

Tiffany By Design is organized by The Neustadt Museum of Tiffany Art (NY). The Wichita venue is made possible by the Sedgwick County Government, Capitol Federal Savings, The Boeing Company, The Berry Foundation, KMUW, Wichita Public Radio and the Friends of the Wichita Art Museum, Inc.

Charles K. Steiner, director of the Wichita Art Museum, explains, "Celebrate Frank Lloyd Wright, the collaborative effort the Museum initiated last year, produced so much energy in the arts and cultural community that we decided to provide a similar programming extravaganza coinciding with Tiffany By Design. Like Frank Lloyd Wright, the name Louis Comfort Tiffany is one many are familiar with, even those not directly involved with the arts."

 

Inerview concerning the Neustadt Museum by Charles K. Steiner with its Curator Nina Gray

 
Steiner: Who were the Neustadts and how did they come to collect works of art by Tiffany?
 
Gray: Dr. Egon Neustadt (1898-1984) was an Austrian-born doctor who specialized in the jaw and orthodontia. Shortly after graduating from the University of Vienna, he immigrated to America. Dr. Neustadt and his wife Hildegard lived in New York City and first purchased a Tiffany lamp in the 1930s. Dr. Neustadt became a successful real estate entrepreneur, developing Candlewood Lake in Connecticut in the 1940s, which probably helped fund their collecting. They became serious collectors amassing hundreds of lamps, some Tiffany windows and unused sheet and pressed glass leftover from Tiffany Studios after they went out of business. Some of those objects are what make up the Neustadt's Museum's holdings and some were given to the New York Historical Society. (right: Tiffany Studios, New York, Peacock Library Lamp, 1905 ­ 1910, leaded glass, blown glass, bronze. © Neustadt Museum)
 
 
Steiner: Does the Neustadt function as an independent art Museum in New York City?
 
Gray: The Neustadt is a private museum, but it has a partnership with the Queens Museum -- a public, New York City museum -- where it houses the collection and maintains exhibition space. Dr. Neustadt actually set up the Museum in 1970, but it did not function as such until after his death in 1984. (His wife died in 1961.) The Museum has always been located in New York, although there were previous arrangements with the Benton Museum and others over the early years. The objects are owned by the Neustadt Museum. We have a conservation studio and additional storage in Long Island City, but no building of our own and no plans for one. We support educational programs and other projects at the Queens Museum.
 
Tiffany Studios was originally located in Corona, Queens, not far from the Queens Museum, so our association is very appropriate. We are especially interested in researching the local history of Tiffany Studios, including topics such as the craftspeople who actually made the objects. We are compiling a database of the workers, and conducting oral interviews. If any of your visitors has information pertinent to this study, we would very much like to hear from them. Our other functions, including traveling exhibitions and conservation, are independent.
 
 
Steiner: Does the Neustadt Museum address glass issues concurrent/related to Tiffany, for example the development of Steuben in Corning, New York?
 
Gray: The Neustadt Museum focuses exclusively on Tiffany. We are very interested in exploring all aspects of Tiffany's lamps, and the glass that was used in them. We have a very large quantity of glass that was leftover from Tiffany Studios that Dr. Neustadt acquired in 1967. Lindsy Parrott, the Collection Manager/Assistant Curator, and I were awarded a Rakow grant from the Corning Museum to study the glass. We are researching the other manufacturers that made glass for Tiffany including Kokomo, Heidt, and Leo Popper and its relationship to the glass that Tiffany made at his own furnaces. It seems that Tiffany did not make glass that he could acquire commercially from other manufacturers and that he concentrated on particular kinds of glass, which he could not buy. We plan to study which glass was actually used in objects made by Tiffany Studios. (left: Tiffany Studios, New York, Peacock Library Lamp (detail), 1905 ­ 1910, leaded glass, blown glass, bronze. © Neustadt Museum)
 
Steiner: The Wichita Art Museum has had extensive dealings with contemporary artist Dale Chihuly whose glass works are manufactured by a large studio of employees under his supervision, and few by Dale Chihuly himself alone. In this context, can you briefly comment on the involvement of Louis Comfort Tiffany with the works of art in Tiffany by Design?
 
Gray: Tiffany approved most designs at Tiffany Studios, but he had a large staff of designers, craftspeople, technicians, chemists, etc. who carried out the day-today operations. We are very interested in this aspect of the history of Tiffany Studios and hope to fill out this story with our research in the future.
 

 

 

(above: Tiffany Studios, New York, Dogwood Reading Lamp, 1905 ­ 1915, leaded glass, bronze. © Neustadt Museum)

 

Selected related events

Tuesday, September 20
12:30 pm
Video Break: Tiffany
Walls of Light: The History of Stained Glass [85 minutes].
Free with paid admission.
Howard E. Wooden Lecture Hall.
 
Saturday, September 24
10 am to noon
Teacher Workshop
Tiffany by Design. Preview of the exhibition, teacher packet and activity. Free, but registration required.
 
Tuesday, September 27
12:30 pm
Video Break: Tiffany
Tiffany's: Mark of Excellence [50 minutes].
Free with paid admission.
Howard E. Wooden Lecture Hall
 
Wednesday, October 5
10 am
Senior Wednesday: Tiffany by Design
Fee
 
Saturday, October 8
2 pm
Gallery Talk
"Tiffany by Design" by Eleanor Lucas
Meet at the Welcome Desk. Free.
 
Friday, October 14
2 pm to 5 pm
Glass Appraisals with Arlie Sulka
Observe Ms. Sulka, Managing Director Lillian Nassau Ltd. (New York) and frequent appraiser on Antiques Roadshow, as she gives appraisals of local glass. For more information call (316) 268-4921. All requests for appraisals must be pre-screened by the Museum. S. Jim and Darla Farha Great Hall.
7pm Cocktails/ 7:30pm Dinner
Subscription Dinner
Join the Friends of the Wichita Art Museum as they honor the three speakers for the Tiffany Symposium with a dinner. Guests will be Arlie Sulka and two other speakers who are yet to be determeind. The dinner will be held in the Beren Conference Room. Fee
 
Saturday, October 15
11am to 2pm
Stained-Glass Demonstration
Join Randy Bearden from Bearden's Stained-Glass as he constructs a beautiful stained-glass object. This demonstration is free and will be held in the S. Jim and Darla Farha Great Hall.
12:30 to 4 pm, with reception from 4 to 5 pm
Symposium on American Glass
An intensive afternoon of lectures from America's foremost authorities on Tiffany in conjunction with the exhibition Tiffany by Design. Presentations by Arlie Sulka and two additional speakers who are yet to be announced. Made possible by the Friends of the Wichita Art Museum as part of the annual Howard E. Wooden Lecture Series. The symposium is free, but reservations are required. Howard E. Wooden Lecture Hall
 
Saturday, October 22
11 am to 3 pm
Family Artventure: Light of Tiffany
Explore the many designs of Louis Comfort Tiffany in exhibition Tiffany by Design before creating a stained glass-like lamp of your own. Free, no reservation required. Meet at the Welcome Desk.
11am to 2pm
Stained-Glass Demonstration
Join Randy Bearden from Bearden's Stained-Glass as he constructs a beautiful stained-glass object. This demonstration is free and will be held in the S. Jim and Darla Farha Great Hall.
 
Tuesday, November 8
12:30 pm
Video Break: Tiffany
The Restoration: Kneeling Angel with Cherubim [50 minutes.]
Free with paid admission.
Howard E. Wooden Lecture Hall.
 
Saturday, November 12
11am to 2pm
Stained-Glass Demonstration
Join Randy Bearden from Bearden's Stained-Glass as he constructs a beautiful stained-glass object. This demonstration is free and will be held in the S. Jim and Darla Farha Great Hall.
 
Saturday, November 19
2 pm
Gallery Talk
"Tiffany by Design" by Judy Armstrong
Meet at the Welcome Desk. Free.
 
Tuesday, November 22
12:30 pm
Video Break: Tiffany
Louis Comfort Tiffany Remembered [58 minutes].
Free with paid admission.
Howard E. Wooden Lecture Hall.
 
Saturday, December 10
11 am to 3 pm
Family Artventure: Tiffany Holiday Ornaments
Learn about the lamps of Louis Comfort Tiffany and then make a holiday ornament. Free, no reservation required.
Meet at the Welcome Desk
11am to 2pm
Stained-Glass Demonstration
Join Randy Bearden from Bearden's Stained-Glass as he constructs a beautiful stained-glass object. This demonstration is free and will be held in the S. Jim and Darla Farha Great Hall.
 
Saturday, December 10
2 pm
Gallery Talk
"Tiffany by Design" by Fran Casperson
Meet at the Welcome Desk. Free.
 
Tuesday, December 13
12:30 pm
Video Break: Tiffany
Tiffany: Magic in Glass [18 min.], additional titles to be announced.
Free with paid admission.
Howard E. Wooden Lecture Hall.

 

The Wichita Art Museum is partnering with several other arts institutions to provide a wide array of programming this fall. This collaborative effort is focusing on the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany in connection with Tiffany By Design.

 

(above: Tiffany Studios, New York, Lotus Library Lamp, 1900 ­ 1910, leaded glass, glazed earthenware. © Neustadt Museum)

 

Related community programming

 
City Arts
334 North Mead
Wichita, KS 67202
316-462-2787
http://www.wichitaarts.com/
 
Silversmithing ­ Tiffany Inspired Jewelry Design
A Master class taught by Kim Lister for experienced metalsmiths, in conjunction with the Wichita Art Museum's exhibition Tiffany By Design will be held September 7 through November 30 from 6:30 to 9pm at City Arts. Students will learn to stylize and personalize contemporary designs from historical references and then produce silver and enamel work. Fee.
 
Glass Ornament Fest
In honor of the Wichita Art Museum's exhibition Tiffany By Design, and to celebrate the glass blowing program at City Arts, a two-day festival will be held about glass ornaments. Friday September 16, join City Arts for a preview party from 6 ­ 8pm. Fee. On Saturday, September 17, everyone is invited free of charge to view the beautiful glass ornaments that will be on display and for sale.
 
 
KPTS
320 W. 21st Street North
Wichita, KS 67203
316-838-3090
http://www.kpts.org/
 
Arlie Sulka, Managing Director Lillian Nassau (New York) and Tiffany glass expert appraiser on PBS's "Antiques Roadshow," will be in Wichita the weekend of October 15. Ms. Sulka will provide an informative and entertaining appraisal performance on Friday, October 14 from 2 ­ 5pm at the Wichita Art Museum. She'll also appear as a panel speaker for KPTS' fall premier party on Saturday, October 15 (time and location are to be determined). Both events are free and open to the public. For more information about submitting a work for appraisal, call 316-268-4921.
 
 
Newman University ­ Steckline Gallery
3100 McCormick Avenue
Wichita, KS 67213
316-942-4291
http://www.newmanu.edu/
 
Enjoy "The Colors of Tiffany" September 30 through October 21 at Newman University. This exhibition of glass, ceramic, fiber and paintings created by local artists is influenced by the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany whose life was "a quest for beauty." An opening reception will be held Friday, September 30 from 5 to 7pm. It's free and open to the public.
 
 
Wichita Center for the Arts
9112 E. Central
Wichita, KS 67206
316-634-2787
http://www.wcfta.com/
 
Wichita Collects Tiffany
September 30 ­ October 30, 2005
See a breathtaking selection of Tiffany glass from Wichita collections on display in the Hurst Gallery, and exquisite Schneider glass from The Wichita Center for the Arts' permanent collection on view in the Watkins Cases. While at the Center for the Arts, take in The Wichita National All Media Craft Exhibit 2005, which celebrates the achievement of American craft, its trends and traditions. Admission: Free
 
 
The Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum
204 S. Main
Wichita, KS 67202
316-265-9314
http://www.wichitahistory.org/
 
Tiffany Glass
Items from the museum's permanent collection and loaned collections will display the artistry of Louis Comfort Tiffany and the Tiffany Studio. Fee.
 
 

(above: Tiffany Studios, New York, Lotus Bell Reading Lamp, 1900 ­ 1910, leaded glass, bronze. © Neustadt Museum)

 

Edior's note: RL readers may also enjoy:


rev. 8/19/05

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