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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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