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The Skylight ProjectThe historic Art Gallery at the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum is temporarily closed for skylights' restoration. Tours of our building’s unique architecture, artwork from our permanent collection, and exhibits in our Upstairs Gallery are available to the public during regular hours. A specially created digital presentation of the works from our historic Art Gallery is on display in the Fiction Room. We look forward to reopening the Gallery in the Spring of 2011. See our image gallery showing the de-installation of the Art Gallery. Visit our digital art gallery and enjoy our art collection online: Hudson River School of Painting The History of the Art GalleryIn 1873, two years after the construction of the library, Governor Fairbanks added to it a small art gallery, now the oldest art gallery still in its original form in the United States. The room’s restful simplicity makes it an excellent setting for the heavy gilt-framed pictures. Its walls are sheathed in black walnut and the floor is solid black walnut; the art gallery is bathed in natural light by an arched skylight in the high ceiling. Cases on two sides of the room contain art books in elaborately tooled leather bindings. When the art gallery was built it contained about fifty paintings and a few marble sculptures, selected by Governor Horace Fairbanks. Since then, gifts from the donor’s private collection and work donated by members of his family have increased the collection to one hundred All are originals except for 15 copies of masterpieces by Van Dyck, Raphael, Dolci, Murillo, Rembrandt, Veronese, Bonheur, Fra Angelico, and Del Sarto. The major part of the collection is by American and European artists from the late eighteenth century to the middle nineteenth century. The famous Hudson River School is strongly represented by such artists as Asher B. Durand (the father of American Landscape painting), Jasper Cropsey (known for autumn landscapes), Sanford Gifford (a Luminist painter), James and William Hart (pastoral landscapes with cattle), and western views by Samuel Colman and Worthington Whittredge. Dominating the gallery from its inception has been the magnificent canvas, ten feet by fifteen feet, of the Domes of the Yosemite, by Albert Bierstadt. The St. Johnsbury Athenaeum stands as a permanent reminder of the generosity of the Fairbanks family and an invitation to temporarily reenter the gracious world of the nineteenth century. The public is cordially invited to visit the Library and Art Gallery from Monday through Saturday 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM. There are a number of ways to become an Art Gallery supporter
Art Gallery Handbook of the CollectionThe handbook of the art collection can be purchased for $19.95. Look for it in the Gifts from the Gallery area on the first floor of the Athenaeum. The St. Johnsbury Athenaeum prohibits the use of images from its collection in public exhibition, broadcast, electronic reproduction or publication in any form without prior written permission from the institution. If you would like to reproduce any of the Art Gallery images in any form, contact Irwin Gelber at 748-8291, extension 307. Docents and ToursVolunteer Docents welcome visitors Monday through Saturday. Group tours for all age groups can be arranged. Conducted by staff members and/or docents, tours last approximately 30 minutes. Audiocassettes are available for self-guided tours. Guided tours for out-of-town elementary, high school, and college groups are $25 per class. All questions regarding tours and special visitors should be addressed to:
, Executive Director (802-748-8291) Gallery AdmissionAdults - $5 All proceeds go towards the preservation and restoration of the gallery's art collection. |
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Last update: 7/20/10 |
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