How They Got Here: Provenance Tales of Three French Paintings from the National Gallery of Art 

Have you ever wondered how a work of art came to be in a museum?  Provenance--the history of ownership of an object—can offer fascinating insight into the social environment in which art is made, sold, collected, displayed, valued, and sometimes stolen. This talk by Margaret Doyle, Head of Curatorial Records at the National Gallery of Art, recounts the twists and turns in the journeys of three paintings by Renoir, Cezanne, and Matisse, currently on loan at the Whatcom Museum, from their creation in France to their final stop in Washington, DC. The provenances of these paintings include a memorable set of characters and situations, with stories encompassing artistic friendship, influential French dealers, notable women collectors, a prominent American statesman, and Nazi confiscation and postwar restitution. 

This talk is free to attend, but advance registration is required.