The Art of Collecting

COURSE INFORMATION

SGL Name: Nancy Alimansky

Course Meeting Times/Dates: Wednesday 11:10- 12:35

Contact information of SGL: nanalimansky@gmail.com 

ZOOM Link for Course Meetings: 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

In the Art of Collecting we will study the people who are responsible for some of the great American art collections. What motivated them to buy art? How did they decide what art to buy? What happened to their collections?

These are some of the questions we will answer in our course. We will deal with 4 different collections: The Cone sisters of Baltimore; the Stein family, (Gertrude, Leo, and Michael); Isabella Stewart Gardner; and Albert Barnes. In some cases, like the Steins, family relations fell apart and the siblings never reconciled.

We will discover different approaches to the art of collecting and some unbelievable coincidences. The Cone sisters basically bought work on their own without an advisor. However, both Isabella Stewart Gardner and Leo Stein were advised and influenced by Bernard Berenson. Much of the Stein collection eventually ended up in the Cone sisters’ collection. We will learn how and why that happened. In many cases the collectors formed strong friendships with the artists that they favored and helped to promote their careers.

In two cases, Barnes and Gardner, the collectors built a museum to show their collections. But each museum reflects a distinct philosophy about the purpose of a museum and how to display the works of art. As part of the course we will also study in depth some of the outstanding artworks that make up these collections.

Regular attendance is strongly encouraged. If you plan to miss more than three consecutive sessions, please consider another choice.

Welcome Letter

I am delighted to welcome you to The Art of Collecting. I am particularly looking forward to teaching this course in person at 60 Turner Street. Thank you for being adventuresome enough to return to campus for this course. I hope not to disappoint you. And don’t forget masks are always optional for this class. Our class will take place in the Gathering Space on Wednesday Second Period from 11:10 to 12:35.

I have built a google site for our course. Here is the link https://sites.google.com/view/art-of-collection

The link should take you to the home page. Please try it as soon as possible and if it doesn’t work, let me know. I will probably refer you to Dom Restivo at the BOLLI office to help you resolve any technical issues or you can call them directly.

The first book  for this class “The Cone Sisters of Baltimore-Collecting at Full Tilt” by Ellen B. Hirschland and Nancy Hirschland is a little hard to get. Students from last semester are willing to loan or sell their book to you. I am attaching the list with emails and/or phone numbers so that you can get in touch and make arrangements. Don’t wait until the last minute to get the book or you may miss out.

I have assigned two books for this class: The Cone Sisters of Baltimore- Collecting at Full Tilt by Ellen B. Hirschland and Nancy Hirschland Ramage and Isabella Stewart Gardner; A Life by Diana Greenwald and Nathaniel E. Silver. You will read the book about the Cone Sisters for the first two class meetings and the Isabella book for classes 5 and 6. For the other classes I have put extensive notes about the Stein siblings and Dr. Barnes on our google site. The site also has questions that go with all the readings. The largest number of pages for you to read is in the Cone Sisters book. By starting with that I have hoped not to burden you with too much reading during the rest of the course, although if you have been with me before you know I offer a lot of material. There are additional materials on the google site for each class, especially some really good videos that I encourage you to watch. I find the stories of these collectors to be absolutely fascinating and I hope you will, too. And I hope you will want to learn as much as possible about them and the work they collected.

Many of you have taken courses with me in the past and are probably familiar with my approach. We will study the lives of some fascinating people and look carefully at the paintings they collected. Some of the paintings will be familiar to you from previous courses but there is a lot of work you may not have seen before.

Each class builds on the previous sessions. For that reason I stipulated in the course description that you should probably NOT choose this course if you know that you will be absent for multiple sessions.

At the bottom of each week on the google site I have included images that are mentioned in the books or that we will discuss in class. It would be great if you could look them over before class so that you are familiar with them. I am looking forward to your comments and questions about the work that we will be studying.

I am also attaching a document that I like to use in thinking about works of art- The Elements of Design and the Principles of Design. Even if you’ve read them before it’s worthwhile to look at them again. The last part of the document concerns values and it didn’t reproduce very well. So you can skip it and I’ll try to find another one to send you. Dr. Barnes also had a method he taught students to use to analyze his collection and we will use that as well. You might decide to incorporate his method in your future visits to art exhibits. I have found it really helpful.

Each week we will be discussing various works. Keep in mind that your reaction to any particular work is subjective. There is no right or wrong answer. I hope you will expand your appreciation and understanding of the art that these colorful individuals collected.

If possible, I would like us to take a tour of the Gardner Museum probably in the fall. It didn’t work out last year but maybe we can try again.  I think that would be a great deal of fun. We can discuss that as the course gets underway.

Finally, since I don’t want to miss a second of class time can you send me a few introductory sentences about yourself that I can post on the introductory page of our google site. Maybe you could include how long you’ve been at BOLLI, what you do or did professionally, and whether you do any art work. Please send it as soon as possible so that I can post them on the Introductory Page of our google site.

Take care and stay well.

Nancy

nanalimansky@gmail.com     617-244-2570 cell 617-320-6244

Getting to Know You

Here is the information participants wrote about themselves

My name is Barbara Friedman and I just joined BOLLI last year.  I am thrilled to be part of this vibrant learning community. 

I retired from my position as Director of Intergenerational Programs at 2Life Communities in 2012 and then founded a new organization, Boston Bridge. It is a professional development and mentoring organization for emerging professionals in the field of aging.  I took art lessons when I was young and loved painting. Alas, I only paint very occasionally now and confess to being only fair in my ability.  But my love of art continues. Living in the Berkshires during the summer months allows me to visit the Clark Museum often where the art collection of Sterling Clark is housed. I have also been to the Barnes Museum and the Gardner (often). I am eager to take this class and look forward to it. 

Margot Walthall

Most of my career was in the healthcare industry where I had a variety of roles in healthcare strategy, product marketing and communications for several companies large and small. I am starting my 4th year with BOLLI and love being part of this vibrant learning community.  I live in Swampscott and just became a new docent at Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) this Spring. (I highly recommend the special exhibit Making History: 200 Years of American Art from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts which is at PEM until Sep 21). I’ve been a docent at the Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester and have been dabbling with watercolor and sketching the past few years. 

Dorothy Anger

I have been a BOLLI  student for two years and enjoy courses on literature, history, music and the arts but have ventured occasionally outside my comfort zone into philosophy and sociology.

I am a lifelong learner and do best in in-person classes relishing the interchange that it nurtures with other BOLLI  students.  I am very grateful to have finally landed a place in "The Art of Collecting" after having tried to get in twice before and failed.  This time the algorithm must have taken pity on me!  Looking forward to a great learning experience.

Suzanne Art

I am not an artist, but I have always enjoyed studying - and savoring - the way artists interpret the world. For me, happiness is a day spent in a good art museum. I have taught quite a few art history courses at BOLLI. I am looking forward to learning more about some of the great collectors of art. And spending time with Nancy is always a joyful experience!

Joan Lemler

For background on me:

I have been a BOLLI member for three years, having joined upon retirement as a psychiatric social worker and human services administrator.  While a patron of many forms of art, I am not a practicing artist.

Dorothy Anger

I have been a BOLLI  student for two years and enjoy courses on literature, history, music and the arts but have ventured occasionally outside my comfort zone into philosophy and sociology.

I am a lifelong learner and do best in in-person classes relishing the interchange that it nurtures with other BOLLI  students.  I am very grateful to have finally landed a place in "The Art of Collecting" after having tried to get in twice before and failed.  This time the algorithm must have taken pity on me!  Looking forward to a great learning experience.

Sandra Fisher 

I was born in the great state of Brooklyn where Anthony Fauci also lived. This is my fourth year taking classes at BOLLI and my third year taking a course with Nancy. While I have no artistic talents, during my travels I have visited many museums. My favorite experience (although non-traditional) was a visit to Carrieres des Lumieres in Provence, where art is projected on the walls of a cave. Looking forward to taking your class.

Gabrielle Rhodes Handler

Looking forward to the class.

I practiced law for 37 years in NY, KS, and MO.

After retiring, I worked as a docent at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in KC and the Nerman Museum in OP,KS.

Moved to MA for a grandbaby three years ago.

Margie Arons-Barron

My name is Margie Arons-Barron. I have been a BOLLI member for nine years. I am heavily involved in the Distinguished Speakers Series. I spent most of my career in journalism, both in print and in broadcasting.  I worked as a reporter back when WGBH-TV had a nightly new show and later, for 20 years, as editorial director at WCVB-TV, Channel 5.  My  deepest cultural passion is the Boston Symphony, where I’ve been on the advisory board for more than 30 years.  I took art lessons as a child at the MFA but never really got into it. My brother-in-law Tom Barron is an artist who painted for years with a group called The Direct Vision. I have no talent at creating art, but I love to look at art, to learn about the lives of artists, their techniques, to visit art museums here and abroad, and I’m eagerly anticipating learning about how the great collections were put together.

Tom Elkind

I am looking forward to taking this course with you. I love getting to know more about great paintings.

I am a retired lawyer, I have been at BOLLI for 5 years, and I stopped trying to be an artist after my second grade art teacher ridiculed my work.

Beth Davis

A hilarious coincidence led me to learn about BOLLI.  This will be my 4th term.  I’m a “textile person” - sometimes producing handwoven textile art but these days more focused on promoting interest in ethnic textiles, helping to preserve traditional textile techniques, and supporting global textile artisans.  This class will be a bit of a transition for me - from a weaving loom to a gallery wall, but I’m up for it!   In particular, I’ve long been interested in Isabella Stewart Gardner.  I’m very happy that this will be an in-person class and look forward to meeting all of you.  

Marsha Semuels

I’ve been at BOLLI for six years, during which I have tried to take every class that Nancy has taught, including the one on drawing. I’ve dabbled in drawing and watercolors but not much lately. During my time at BOLLI, I co-chaired and chaired the Study Group Support Committee. I currently co-chair the Arts and Culture Special Interest Group and the BOLLI Strategic Planning Process. I’m a member of the Barnes and have visited the Cone sisters’ collection in Baltimore, and, of course, the Gardner.

Linnea Olsson

I’ve been involved with BOLLI for about 9 years -enjoying a wide variety of classes.   I spent my professional career in health care administration, primarily in the Boston teaching hospitals.

My personal creative art form is nature photography.  I’ve tried to develop my knowledge of art by visiting art museums and taking tours wherever I travel.  The BOLLI art appreciation classes have greatly enhanced my understanding and enjoyment of what I’m looking at.

Jeff Kellar

I am retired from the federal government where I worked as an Economist and in IT.   My undergraduate degree was in Economics and my MBA in Applied Economics.  

My wife was an Art Historian.  After she completed her Masters thesis on ancient synagogue architecture she realized she was in the doctoral program and only expected  to teach art history.  She decided to go for an MBA.   We were married in 1980 and our honeymoon included visits to Pompeii and Herculaneum.   She taught me to enjoy art history and a bit about how to actually see the art and its history that we encountered.  She was a docent at the textile museum in Washington, DC.

Our son married a Brandeis graduate and her father who teaches at Brandeis suggested I might enjoy BOLLI after my wife died.   The course on Pompeii and the Romans around the Bay of Naples jumped out at me when I first encountered BOLLI in the spring of 2024. I am also taking the course that Steven Ostrow is leading this fall.  

I would be happy to join any possible visits to the Gardner Museum. 

Looking forward to seeing you in September,

David Moskowitz

I grew up in Fair Lawn, NJ. I graduated in 1971 from Penn (Wharton) with a concentration in accounting. Got married in August 1971 to Ellen who is also a longtime BOLLI member although not nearly as long as me. We moved to Boston directly thereafter so I could attend Harvard Law School and we have stayed here ever since. After just 2 years with a large Boston firm I became Brandeis’ original university counsel, a position I held for 11 years. After that I remained a general counsel at 3 other places and ceased working in 2005; I joined BOLLI in 2006 and have been leading courses since 2008. I have lived in Needham since 1976 and raised two sons there. Both are married and the older one has two sons. They live in Brookline so we are able to see them regularly. I have a second home in Williamstown, MA very near Williams College where my younger son attended, declining Penn where his father and older brother went.