Detroit Institute of Arts Extends Impressionist-Era Exhibition honoring Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. | With near-record attendance, Humble and Human will remain open until January 5, 2020
Updated Oct 1, 2019
October 1, 2019 (Detroit) — In response to near-record attendance, the Detroit Institute of Arts is extending the exhibition Humble and Human: Impressionist Era Treasures from the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the Detroit Institute of Arts, an Exhibition in Honor of Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. until Sunday, January 5, 2020.
More than 100,000 people visited the exhibition in its first 13 weeks. The museum anticipates reaching 200,000 visitors by the new closing date, making it the highest-attended exhibition at the DIA in nearly 20 years.
Humble and Human is free with museum admission, which is free for residents of Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties.
“We’re delighted that the Albright-Knox Art Gallery agreed to share their treasures with our community a bit longer,” said Salvador Salort-Pons, DIA Director. “Extending this exhibition gives our audience the opportunity to enjoy these masterpieces with friends and family during the holiday season. Seeing these works in person is an experience that our visitors can’t get on television, in books or from the internet.”
The exhibition, featuring 44 works by Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and others, is comprised of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works from the collections of the DIA and the Albright-Knox. The exhibition celebrates the centenary of the birth of Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Wilson, who lived in the Detroit area for the majority of his life and was the founder and owner of the Buffalo Bills, endowed the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation at his death in 2014. Many of the paintings in the exhibition have never been shown in Detroit before.
“We’re beyond thrilled with the response to the Humble & Human exhibition,” said Mary Wilson, Life Trustee of the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. “Ralph would have been overjoyed that so many people of all ages and backgrounds have the opportunity to see so many wonderful Impressionist paintings together. He had a great admiration for the Impressionists and I know he would be so proud of this exhibition.”
Images of the French countryside, Parisian cafés, and dancers are featured in the exhibition and exemplify the simple pleasures and hard work that Mr. Wilson valued in his own life. The exhibition is also a testament to the power of collaboration among artists, museums and cities. It honors the connection between Detroit and Buffalo—two cities that were incredibly dear to Mr. Wilson and that take pride in hard work ethic and practical sensibilities. The exhibition was on view in Buffalo from February 2 through May 26, 2019.
Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. graduated from Detroit University School (now University Liggett School) and attended the University of Michigan Law School before enlisting in the Navy during World War Two. Building from his father’s insurance company, Wilson later owned several manufacturing and construction businesses along with radio and television outlets. In 1959, he founded the Buffalo Bills and remained actively committed to the team for the rest of his life.
Wilson began collecting Impressionist art in the 1990s, and he and his wife Mary enjoyed displaying it in their Grosse Pointe Shores home.
The exhibition, drawn from the collections of the two museums, includes deeply intimate works, such as Morisot’s Woman Sewing (ca. 1879) in addition to landscapes such as Renoir’s Clearing in the Woods (1865) and Van Gogh’s The Old Mill (1888). It also features several of Degas’s celebrated paintings and sculptures of dancers and performers, as well as Monet’s Towpath at Argenteuil, Winter (1875–76), and Cézanne’s Morning in Provence (1900–6). The exhibition also displays scenes of leisure and urban life, including Henri Gervex’s Café Scene in Paris (1877), on view only in Detroit, and James Tissot’s Political Woman (1883–85).
This exhibition was co-curated by Jill Shaw, Rebecca A. Boylan and Thomas W. Sidlik Curator of European Art, 1850–1970 at the DIA, and Holly E. Hughes, Godin-Spaulding Curator & Curator for the Collection at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. The Detroit presentation features 24 works from the DIA’s collection and 20 on loan from the Albright-Knox. Further information and images can be found at dia.org/humbleandhumanexhibition.
About the Exhibition
Humble and Human: Impressionist Era Treasures from the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the Detroit Institute of Arts, an Exhibition in Honor of Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. is organized by the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York. The exhibition is made possible by the generous support of the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation.
This exhibition is a part of the Bonnie Ann Larson Modern European Masters Series.
October 1, 2019 (Detroit) — In response to near-record attendance, the Detroit Institute of Arts is extending the exhibition Humble and Human: Impressionist Era Treasures from the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the Detroit Institute of Arts, an Exhibition in Honor of Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. until Sunday, January 5, 2020.
More than 100,000 people visited the exhibition in its first 13 weeks. The museum anticipates reaching 200,000 visitors by the new closing date, making it the highest-attended exhibition at the DIA in nearly 20 years.
Humble and Human is free with museum admission, which is free for residents of Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties.
“We’re delighted that the Albright-Knox Art Gallery agreed to share their treasures with our community a bit longer,” said Salvador Salort-Pons, DIA Director. “Extending this exhibition gives our audience the opportunity to enjoy these masterpieces with friends and family during the holiday season. Seeing these works in person is an experience that our visitors can’t get on television, in books or from the internet.”
The exhibition, featuring 44 works by Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and others, is comprised of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works from the collections of the DIA and the Albright-Knox. The exhibition celebrates the centenary of the birth of Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Wilson, who lived in the Detroit area for the majority of his life and was the founder and owner of the Buffalo Bills, endowed the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation at his death in 2014. Many of the paintings in the exhibition have never been shown in Detroit before.
“We’re beyond thrilled with the response to the Humble & Human exhibition,” said Mary Wilson, Life Trustee of the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. “Ralph would have been overjoyed that so many people of all ages and backgrounds have the opportunity to see so many wonderful Impressionist paintings together. He had a great admiration for the Impressionists and I know he would be so proud of this exhibition.”
Images of the French countryside, Parisian cafés, and dancers are featured in the exhibition and exemplify the simple pleasures and hard work that Mr. Wilson valued in his own life. The exhibition is also a testament to the power of collaboration among artists, museums and cities. It honors the connection between Detroit and Buffalo—two cities that were incredibly dear to Mr. Wilson and that take pride in hard work ethic and practical sensibilities. The exhibition was on view in Buffalo from February 2 through May 26, 2019.
Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. graduated from Detroit University School (now University Liggett School) and attended the University of Michigan Law School before enlisting in the Navy during World War Two. Building from his father’s insurance company, Wilson later owned several manufacturing and construction businesses along with radio and television outlets. In 1959, he founded the Buffalo Bills and remained actively committed to the team for the rest of his life.
Wilson began collecting Impressionist art in the 1990s, and he and his wife Mary enjoyed displaying it in their Grosse Pointe Shores home.
The exhibition, drawn from the collections of the two museums, includes deeply intimate works, such as Morisot’s Woman Sewing (ca. 1879) in addition to landscapes such as Renoir’s Clearing in the Woods (1865) and Van Gogh’s The Old Mill (1888). It also features several of Degas’s celebrated paintings and sculptures of dancers and performers, as well as Monet’s Towpath at Argenteuil, Winter (1875–76), and Cézanne’s Morning in Provence (1900–6). The exhibition also displays scenes of leisure and urban life, including Henri Gervex’s Café Scene in Paris (1877), on view only in Detroit, and James Tissot’s Political Woman (1883–85).
This exhibition was co-curated by Jill Shaw, Rebecca A. Boylan and Thomas W. Sidlik Curator of European Art, 1850–1970 at the DIA, and Holly E. Hughes, Godin-Spaulding Curator & Curator for the Collection at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. The Detroit presentation features 24 works from the DIA’s collection and 20 on loan from the Albright-Knox. Further information and images can be found at dia.org/humbleandhumanexhibition.
About the Exhibition
Humble and Human: Impressionist Era Treasures from the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the Detroit Institute of Arts, an Exhibition in Honor of Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. is organized by the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York. The exhibition is made possible by the generous support of the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation.
This exhibition is a part of the Bonnie Ann Larson Modern European Masters Series.