Ryerson to kick off Muskegon Museum of Art centennial series

By: Brittney Schering

The Enduring Gifts of Martin Ryerson, Jr. will open the Muskegon Museum of Art centennial series from Nov. 11 to Jan. 16 at the Art Wiener Gallery.

The Muskegon Museum of Art will present a series of exhibitions highlighting many of the finest works from its permanent collection as the institution’s 2012 centennial year draws closer. The first of these, The Enduring Gifts of Martin A. Ryerson, Jr., features artwork donated by Ryerson and artifacts that share his personal history.

The beneficence of Chicago philanthropist, art collector, and Grand Rapids native Martin Ryerson, Jr. has significantly enhanced the MMA collections. On the 20th anniversary of the Hackley Art Gallery (now the MMA) in 1932, Ryerson donated six important European and American paintings to the Museum shortly before his death.

Among the paintings were works by French Impressionists Alfred Sisley, Armond Gukillaumin, and Maxime Maufra. The art represented “a field entirely untouched” in the collection at that time, according to former MMA director Frank Atwood Almy. The Ryerson estate gifted eight additional pictures to the Museum in 1938. This provided an enduring body of work that has been enjoyed by generations.

Ryerson Jr.’s father was a prominent figure during the lumber era in Muskegon, was an impeccable record keeper. Many of the original bills of sale for his art purchases are preserved in the archives of the Ryerson Library at the Art Institute of Chicago and are represented in the exhibition.

The MMA will present Pictures of the Best Kind: The Centennial Lecture Series, which features Martin Ryerson, Jr. on the evening of the exhibition’s opening day. The talk will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the Museum’s auditorium. The lecture by Sr. Curator E. Jane Connell will kick off the series of talks that provide insight into selected works acquired for the MMA’s permanent collection.

Cheese, wine, and punch will be served at the lecture. While it is free and open to the public, donations will be greatly appreciated. For more information, please visit www.muskegonartmuseum.org or call (231) 720-2570.