OBERLIN, OH.- Beginning March 23, 2010, through early 2011, 20 works of art from the Allen Memorial Art Museum’s (AMAM) collections of 17th-19th century European art will be integrated into the galleries of the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA). The works on view include paintings by Batoni, Lawrence, Hogarth, Van de Venne, Hobbema, Chardin, Boucher, Oudry, Lagrenée, and Boilly. Two bronze statues— one by 18th-century artist Francesco Bertos and another from the 17th century after a model by Giambologna—have been on view during the past month in the CMA’s Italian Baroque court. In fall 2010, seven miniatures will also be put on display in a special case the CMA recently fabricated for the display of such works.

The last time the AMAM loaned a large group of works to the CMA was in 1975 during the addition of a new modern and contemporary art wing to the original 1917 Cass Gilbert building; the wing was designed by Robert Venturi, John Rauch, and Denise Scott Brown. Current renovation of the museum’s HVAC and associated systems—as well as the addition of new state-of-the-art compact storage furniture funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities—has provided the opportunity for works from the AMAM collections to travel widely.

The paintings and sculptures from the AMAM will be installed alongside the CMA’s works from similar periods, allowing them to been seen in a new context. The selections will also form the basis of a spring 2010 class taught byAMAM curator Andria Derstine and CMA curator Jon Seydl. Oberlin students will travel to the CMA for classes, assist in writing labels for AMAM works in the CMA galleries, and produce podcasts that will be made available to the public.