Humble and Human: An Exhibition in Honor of Ralph C. Wilson, Jr.

Saturday, February 2, 2019–Sunday, May 26, 2019

Treasures from the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the Detroit Institute of Arts

1905 Building, North Galleries

The Albright-Knox Art Gallery, in partnership with the Detroit Institute of Arts, is proud to present Humble and Human, an exhibition in celebration of Ralph C. Wilson, Jr., a philanthropist, business leader, and advocate for the citizens of Western New York and Southeast Michigan—regions he called home. A long-term resident of Detroit and founding owner of the Buffalo Bills, Mr. Wilson profoundly shaped the industry and commerce of these two cities during his lifetime, and today his spirit is carried on in the work of the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. His dedication to innovation and perseverance are also reflected in the collections of both museums, which have long served as cornerstones of the Great Lakes region.

Featuring more than forty paintings and sculptures from the collections of the Albright-Knox and the Detroit Institute of Arts by artists including Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Camille Pissarro, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Humble and Human has been organized in recognition of Mr. Wilson’s enduring compassion and goodwill toward others. During his lifetime, he amassed a small but impressive collection of paintings by Impressionist artists. Mr. Wilson saw in the works of these late nineteenth-century avant-gardists—especially those of Monet—reflections of the values and ideas that were close to his own heart: the celebration of simple pleasures and ordinary people.

Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853–1890). *Portrait of Postman Roulin*, 1888. Oil on canvas, 25 9/16 × 19 7/8 inches (65 × 50.5 cm). Detroit Institute of Arts, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Buhl Ford II, 1996.25. Image courtesy of the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926). *Rounded Flower Bed*, 1876. Oil on canvas, 23 3/8 x 32 inches (59.3 × 81.3 cm). Detroit Institute of Arts, City of Detroit Purchase, 21.71. Image courtesy of the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Berthe Morisot (French, 1841–1895). *Femme cousant (Woman Sewing)*, ca. 1879. Oil on canvas, 25 3/4 x 21 1/2 inches (65.4 x 54.6 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Fellows for Life Fund, 1926 (1926:1).

Georges Seurat (French, 1859-1891). *Étude pour "Le Chahut"* (*Study for "Le Chahut"*), 1889. Oil on canvas in artist frame, 26 5/8 × 23 × 1 inches (67.6 × 58.4 × 2.54 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; General Purchase Funds, 1943 (1943:10).

Paul Cézanne (French, 1839–1906). *Le matin en Provençe (Morning in Provence)*, ca. 1900–6. Oil on canvas, 32 x 24 7/8 inches (81.3 x 63.2 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Ribbel through the Frank E. Ribbel Bequest, 1936 (1936:6).

Mary Cassatt (American, 1844–1926). *In the Garden*, 1903 or 1904. Oil on canvas, 26 3/4 x 32 1/2 inches (67.9 x 82.6 cm). Detroit Institute of Arts, Gift of Dr. Ernest G. Stillman, 22.6. Image courtesy of the Detroit Institute of Arts.

In Buffalo, the installation will also spotlight works by Mary Cassatt, Childe Hassam, Winslow Homer, Willard Leroy Metcalf, John Singer Sargent, and other American artists inspired by the novel approach of the Impressionists and their expression of modern life.

The Albright-Knox will host Humble and Human, the first cultural exchange between these two museums, from February 2 to May 26, 2019, and the exhibition will be on view at the Detroit Institute of Arts from June 23 to October 13, 2019. It is accompanied by a publication, which includes an essay written by Richard R. Brettell, a leading scholar on Impressionism and French painting of the period 1830–1930 and Founding Director of The Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History and the Margaret M. McDermott Distinguished Chair of Art and Aesthetic Studies at the University of Texas at Dallas.

This exhibition is organized in Buffalo by Godin-Spaulding Curator & Curator for the Collection Holly E. Hughes and in Detroit by Jill Shaw, Rebecca A. Boylan and Thomas W. Sidlik Curator of European Art, 1850–1970.

Admission to this special exhibition is Pay What You Wish on M&T FIRST FRIDAYS @ THE GALLERY.

Exhibition Sponsors

This exhibition was co-organized by the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the Detroit Institute of Arts in honor of the hundredth anniversary of Mr. Ralph C. Wilson, Jr.’s birth. The exhibition and catalogue have been generously underwritten by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation.

Additional materials for this exhibition have been generously provided by C2 Paint.

Equipment and technical support provided by Advantage TI.