National Museum of American Illustration: video must see!
on February 18th, 2011The National Museum of American Illustration claims to be the first U.S. museum devoted solely to the illustrative arts. While there is a Society of Illustrators museum and headquarters in New York City, it has nothing to compare to the works here, nor to NMAI’s magnificent setting.
The museum is the work of Laurence Cutler and Judy Goffman Cutler, famed for their extraordinary collection of imagist art. The couple penned this recent book about Golden Age superstar J.C. Leyendecker. I loved the book, but some reviewers did not believe the catalogue of Leyendecker’s works were accurate, and others believed that Leyendecker’s personal life as a closeted gay man was not handled well. I don’t know enough about the subject to add to that, except to offer that the book is the best collection of Leyendecker’s work ever published, and everyone who appreciates illustrative art and classic skills will want this in their library.
This ten minute video is a wonderful visit to the museum.
Seeing those Maxfield Parrish pieces in that setting makes me drool.
The only museum that comes close to touching that collection is the Delaware Art Museum, or, perhaps, the Brandywine River Museum. If you have a few days to indulge yourself with an eye feast, this is the place to go. Nearby, you’ll enjoy the Dupont Estates of Winterthur and Longwood, and there are many absolutely wonderful hotels in the area, as well as terrific little diners and restaurants. I highly recommend the bed and breakfast experience at the Inn at Whitewing Farm. Get the room by the lake and enjoy the swans. Breakfast and afternoon tea included.
The Longwood estate gardens are so magnificent, it will take at least a day to enjoy them. I’ve been back to the Brandywine Valley many times. It is my favorite vacation place, and a shrine to great illustrators. The Delaware museum also has an extraordinary collection of Pre-Raphaelite art. You’ll find Howard Pyle to Dante Gabriel Rossetti in one gorgeous place!
My first visit to the Brandywine area was as the guest of a small comic book convention. I am very embarrassed to say that I cannot remember the names of my kind hosts, but I have rarely enjoyed such hospitality when I have been honored to be a guest at a convention. These kind people gave me a wonderful experience. I remain very grateful. The Brandywine Valley remains with me among my happiest memories. I sent my parents there as a gift, and they also thoroughly enjoyed every moment.
Here is an interview with the curator of the Delware art museum about Howard Pyle:
The next time I make the long drive to Delaware, I’ll be taking a longer drive to Rhode Island to see the National Museum of American Illustration.
Thanks for this, Colleen. Interesting video. How did I not know the Cutler’s had a museum housing their collection in RI?! Yes, this is a must-see one of these days. I must have had the Leyendecker book on pre-order for months; one of my favorite illustrators ever. Like Sargent: every confident brushstroke is *perfectly* formed and placed. Prior to the Cutler book the only thing available on JCL for years was that thin, large-format poster-book.
Speaking of can’t miss museums, I once dragged a reluctant friend away from most of Friday’s art track programming (“But we’ll miss the ASFA reception!” “So?”) at the 2001 PhilCon in order to sneak out to see the Brandywine and Delaware museums. We walked to some seedy Alamo rental near the convention hotel to get a car for the day and spent the afternoon making the round-trip. No way was I going to get *that* close to Delaware and miss out. (We did the same thing, bailing out of the Baltimore WorldCon for a day in ’98 in order to take a train to NYC to see the once-in-a-lifetime Burne-Jones exhibit at the Metropolitan.)
As it happened in 2001, the Delaware Art Museum was getting ready to close for a 2-yr. expansion and renovation project and had pulled everything out of storage for a massive Pre-Raphaelite exhibit. Wonderful! The Brandywine also had the terrific “Pirates and Patriots” exhibit going on at the same time. Would love to get back to both museums again soon — maybe part of an east coast roadtrip from FL to see the NMAI, the Society of Illustrators and the Boston Art Museum someday.
(Come to think of it, we made it back in time for at least part of the Philcon ASFA reception that evening — and I think you were there…!)
Delightful to hear from you, Holly!
Yep, not only was I there, but I took that exact same trip to Delaware that same year to see that same exhibit! DROOLworthy eye goods! So glad you got to see it, too!
I took my mom and dad and picked up a terrific little book on Rose O’Neill while I was there, and had a lovely weekend with the folks at Longwood. Took hundreds of photos.
I’ll bet your friend was very happy you dragged her away after she got a look at the Brandywine treasures!
That place is the illustrator’s Mecca. Every imagist and admirer must make the trip!
My dreamiest dream: to make a book signing tour for my upcoming GN’s with schedule to path the trail of the great illustrators. I’m hoping – especially for Gone to Amerikay – to arrange signings and tours at Irish immigration related locations, and Boston would be on that list. Hoping to arrange exhibits at some galleries and museums along the way.
I’m especially proud of the work we are doing on this book. I think it an important book, and hope others appreciate it. I hope hope hope.
If I could arrange a tour along these lines, my life is complete. I could get hit by a meteor and die happy.
Not really, but there are worse ways to go.