Lectures and Talks
Our free Public Lecture Series takes place in the museum's Aetna Theater. Entrance for lectures is through the Avery door on Atheneum Square North.
Lecture: Renaissance Mythologies as Escape from Reality March 18, 6 pm, Aetna Theater
Special exhibition viewing hours from 5 - 6 pm
John Paoletti, Professor Emeritus, Wesleyan University Department of Art and Art History
Late fifteenth-century paintings of mythological subjects provided exquisite decoration for domestic spaces of the time and moved the viewer into another magical realm, testing the owner's ability to commission some of the most captivating images of the period from the greatest artists then working.
Talk: Arthur C. Danto on Andy WarholApril 10, 2 pm, Aetna Theater
Arthur C. Danto, Johnsonian Professor Emeritus Philosophy, Columbia University
Admisson fees apply for museum entry.
Arthur Danto, former art critic for the
Nation and author of numerous books on the philosophy of art including
After the End of Art, argues that Andy Warhol radically redefined the question of art with his Brillo Boxes and Campbell’s Soup Cans. Danto reads from his new publication,
Andy Warhol (Yale University Press, 2009), with special focus on works in the collection of the Wadsworth Atheneum. Program followed by book-signing.
Lecture: Earthly and Eternal: Life, Death, and Art in 17th century SevilleApril 29, 6 pm, Aetna Theater
Special exhibition viewing hours from 5 - 6 pm
Ronda Kasl, Senior Curator of Painting and Sculpture before 1800, Indianapolis Museum of Art
This lecture is co-sponsored by the
Friends of Art, Trinity CollegeSpanish artist Valdés Leal vividly contrasts the enjoyment of worldly things with the eternal rewards of heaven, while holding onto art’s ability to move the soul to both contemplation and creative action. Valdés Leal’s reunited paintings will be placed in the broader context of attitudes toward life, death, and art in mid-17th century Seville.
Enjoy a drink with friends, activities & art!
Angels and DemonsJanuary 7, 5-8pm
$5/Free for Members
Kitty KrausFebruary 4, 5-8pm
$5/Free for Members
March Love MadnessMarch 4, 5-8pm
$5/Free for Members
Noche CallienteApril 1, 5-8pm
$5/Free for Members
The Big EasyMay 6, 5-8pm
$5/Free for Members
Justin Lowe/MATRIX 159June 3, 5-8pm
$5/Free for Members
Music
Sunday Serenades: Chamber Music at the AtheneumSurround yourself with art and music from across the centuries! Presented in collaboration with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra under the Artistic Direction of HSO Concertmaster Leonid Sigal. Programs take inspiration from one of the museum’s special exhibitions.
Reunited Masterpieces: From Adam and Eve
to George and MarthaFebruary 21, 2pm, Morgan Great Hall
Leonid Sigal, violin
Patricia Daly Vance, viola
Peter Zay, cello
Hanns Eisler, Präludium und Fuge über B-A-C-H for String Trio, Op. 46
George Frideric Handel, Passacaglia Duo for Violin and Cello
Johann Sebastian Bach, Aria and Thirty Variations (The Goldberg Variations), BWV 988
(arr. Dmitry Sitkovetsky)
The Modern EraMay 2, 2pm, Avery Court
Tickets on sale through HSO Ticket Services, (860) 244-2999 (9 am-5 pm, Monday-Friday) or
online.
Gallery Talks and Tours
The Dana Engstrom DeLoach Friday Gallery Talk ProgramFree with museum admission. Meet in Main Lobby, 12 noon.
The Allure of LaceFebruary 26
Lynne Z. Bassett, Guest Curator
Reunited Masterpieces: From Adam and Eve to George and MarthaMarch 26
Eric Zafran, Susan Morse Hilles Curator of European Art
Art in FocusGot 20 minutes? Drop in every Thursday and Last Saturday for an investigation of one work of art.
Free with museum admission. Meet in Main Lobby, 12 noon
JanuaryJanuary 7-Luca Giordano,
The Abduction of Europa, c. 1685-90 or later
January 14-Michael Nicolas Bernard Lepicie,
The Carpenter's Family, c. 1776
January 21-Bernard van Orley,
The Crucifixion, c. 1515-20
January 28-Dutch, Delft,
Large Baluster Vase and Cover, c. 1680-86
January 30-Orazio Gentileschi,
Judith and Her Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes, c. 1610-12
FebruaryFebruary 4-Barbara Hepworth,
Talisman, 1959
February 11-Franz Kline,
Painting, 1952
February 18-Tony Smith,
Spit Ball, 1961
February 27-Marsden Hartley,
Military, 1913
MarchMarch 4-George Inness,
Etretat, 1875
March 11-Thomas Eakins,
John McLure Hamilton, 1895
March 18-Harriet Hosmer,
Zenobia in Chains, 1859
March 25-Joseph Ropes,
View of Hartford series, 1855
March 27-Hendrick Goltzius,
Adam and Eve, 1613
AprilApril 1-Duane Hanson,
Sunbather, 1971
April 8-Felix Gonzalez-Torres,
Untitled (Perfect Lovers), 1987-90
April 15-Andy Warhol,
Portrait of Artists from the Portfolio
Ten from Leo Castelli, 1967
April 22-Robert Arneson,
Jackson's Crash, 1987
April 24-Georgia O'Keeffe,
The Lawrence Tree, 1929
April 29-Bruce Conner,
Breakaway, 1966
MayMay 6-Juan de Valdes Leal,
Allegory of Vanity and
Allegory of Salvation, 1660
May 13-Piero di Cosimo,
The Finding of Vulcan and
Vulcan and the Beginnings of Civilization, c. 1490
May 20-Frans Hals,
Joseph Coymans and
Dorothea Berck, Wife of Joseph Coymans, 1644
May 27-Johannes Verkolje the Elder,
Portrait of Johan de la Faille and
Portrait of Margaretha Delff, Wife of Johan de la Faille, 1674.
May 29-Charles Willson Peale,
Laurent Clerc and
Eliza Boardman Clerc, 1822
Public ToursTours meet in the Main Lobby and are free with museum admission.
Museum Highlights ToursWednesdays through Sundays, 1pm
Special Exhibition and Collection ToursSaturdays and Sundays, 2:30pm
Through January 24th: Art in the Age of Rembrandt
January 30 - February 13: Hudson River School
February 14 - May 30: Reunited Masterpieces
Group Tours
Book a tour today! For more information and to book a tour, call 860.838.4046. Please call at least three weeks in advance to book your group’s visit.
Visit the Austin HouseThe Austin House, the former home of A. Everett “Chick” Austin, Jr., the museum’s director from 1927 to 1944, is a National Historic Landmark. The director of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art invites all who make a modest contribution to the Sarah Goodwin Austin Memorial Fund to visit the home on select Thursdays by appointment. For information, call 860.838.4046.
Verbal Imaging Tours for Blind and Low-Vision VisitorsSpecially trained docents provide tours for blind or partially-sighted adults, exploring the permanent collections and special exhibitions through detailed descriptions of works of art. Service animals are welcome. To schedule a tour, call 860.838.4046.
