Have a Memorable Memorial Day Weekend at the Brandywine River Museum of Art Antiques Show
Visitors will discover a treasure trove of decorative and visual art along with outstanding 17th-, 18th-, and 19th-century antiques at the Brandywine River Museum of Art Antiques Show on Memorial Day weekend, May 28-30. Twenty-six of the country's most distinguished dealers will offer American country and formal furniture, folk art, jewelry, folk art, glass, quilts, clock cases, accessories and much more.
During the Antiques Show, visitors will be able to see the special exhibition The Poetry of Nature: A Golden Age of American Landscape Painting, as well as the museum's renowned holdings of the Wyeth family of artists, with galleries dedicated to the works of N.C., Andrew and Jamie Wyeth, as well as dozens of other artists.
Volunteers Make the Show Possible
The energetic and dedicate involvement and hard work of more than 100 volunteers makes the Show, now in its 45th year, a success. Proceeds from the Antiques Show benefit the Museum Volunteers' Art Purchase Fund, and Art and Education Programming.
Special Decorative Arts Exhibition: Flowery Thoughts: Ceramic Vases & Floral Ornament at Winterthur
Since antiquity, humans have been fascinated by the beauty of flowers. They created special containers to hold the blooms, reproduced flat images of flora on surfaces or, alternatively, modeled flowers in three dimensions. This exhibition presents a selection from the vast collection of ceramic vases and floral-decorated wares in the Winterthur Museum collection. These eye-catching objects primarily date from the 1700s and 1800s and were produced in America, Europe and Asia. The high-fashion wares among these ceramics originally found homes in elegant settings, while other objects reflect what was enjoyed by those of lesser means. Some of the featured floral designs studiously imitate imagery from botanical publications, while others display a freedom and originality not expressed in Nature. The exhibition will be on view through September 5.
Special Events
Tickets for the events listed beloW may be purchased online at brandywine.org or by calling 610.388.8318.
Preview Party
Friday, May 27, 6-9 p.m., $125 per person
Enjoy a delicious array of passed hors d'oeuvres along with many other culinary creations prepared and presented by Chef MacGregor Mann of Blanch & Shock, Brandywine's new on-site caterers. Blanch & Shock serve locally sourced, farm-to-table cuisine. Tickets include valet parking and abundant hors d'oeuvres.
Breakfast and Lecture
Saturday, May 28, 9-10:30 a.m. $30 per person (includes Show admission)
Join Leslie B. Grigsby, Winterthur's senior curator of ceramics & glass and curator of Flowery Thoughts: Ceramic Vases & Floral Ornament at Winterthur for a tour of the exhibition. Her presentation will begin at 9:30 a.m. following a continental breakfast in the museum café at 9 a.m. Space is limited, and reservations are required.
A Passion for Collecting: Dealer Talks
Sunday, May 29 and Monday, May 30 - 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 1:30 p.m., free with Show admission
Learn from the experts in these talks, which take place on the Show floor on Sunday and Monday. Topics are:
"The Complete Garden by Aileen Minor, American Furniture with Influences from Great Britain" by Jerry Brill;
"The Pottery called Delftware" by Mark Allen;
"Decorated Furniture: Making Bland Beautiful" by Joseph Lodge;
"Canary, not a bird! by Lisa McAllister;
"American Furniture" by Bob Haneberg;
"Chinese Export Porcelain in the Home" by Phil Dubey; and
"English Pottery: Creamware, Pearlware & Staffordshire" by Peg Sutor.
Admission & Hours
Show admission: $18 per day. The show is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sponsors
Antiques Show sponsors are J.P. Morgan Private Bank, The Pearl Group at CRW Graphics, The Inn and Spa at Montchanin Village, The Kitchen Sink, and Back Burner Restaurant and Tavern. Media sponsors are Delaware Today and Main Line Today.
The Brandywine River Museum of Art is located on U.S. Route 1 in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. For further information, please call 610.388.2700 or visit brandywinemuseum.org.
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