From October 29 to December 9, 1916, the Albright Art Gallery hosted a loaned exhibition of works from the Luxembourg Museum in Paris, France, titled Retrospective Collection of French Art, 1870–1910. Sarah Bernhardt, a French film and stage actress known as “perhaps the most famous actress of all time,”* was in attendance at the opening celebration on October 29, 1916. 

Cornelia B. Sage, Art Director of the Albright Art Gallery, wrote the following in the exhibition catalogue:

“The Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, Albright Art Gallery, feels especially honored by the French Government, and M. Léonce Bénédite the able Director of the Luxembourg Museum, in the loan of the exhibition which is entrusted to its care. May it be hoped that its visit to Buffalo will not only awaken new interest in French Art but also strengthen the bonds of friendship between the two republics.”

The International Studio, Volume 61 (March–June 1917), describes the opening event on October 29, 1916:

“The final exhibition of the year [at the Albright Art Gallery] was a fitting climax. Through the courtesy of the French Government and M. Léonce Bénédite, the Director of the Luxembourg Museum, the collection of works of art from the Luxembourg Museum, which formed part of the French Fine Arts Exhibit at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, was presented in the Albright Art Gallery. The exhibition opened Sunday, the twenty-ninth of October, Madame Sarah Bernhardt graciously being present upon the occasion and adding her words of appreciation and praise in a short address to the assembled audience. The attendance for the opening day, estimated approximately, was 25,000, exceeding the largest previous record by nearly 10,000 persons.”

*http://www.biography.com/people/sarah-bernhardt-9210057

Content from The International Studio retrieved via Google Books, courtesy University of Michigan College of Architecture Library.