Muses of the Avant Garde: Gerald and Sara Murphy and Their Circle

FAIN: GM-50450-05

Presidents and Trustees of Williams College (Williamstown, MA 01267-2600)
Deborah M. Rothschild (Project Director: September 2004 to August 2006)

Planning of a traveling exhibition with related public programs about the influence that an American couple, Gerald and Sara Murphy, had on the transatlantic exchange of ideas about modern art in the 1920s and 1930s.

"Muses of the Avant Garde" will be the first exhibition to explore the pivotal contribution of the Murphys to 20th century arts and letters. The interdisciplinary exhibition will convey the Murphy's gift for weaving brilliant innovators of diverse backgrounds and talents into the fabric of their everyday life, promoting one of the most important Euro-American dialogues in modern culture. During the planning year, WCMA will convene a team of seven advisors, including noted scholars, a museum educator, and an exhibition designer, to help shape the concepts into a compelling interpretive approach. The curator will also complete her research, secure a publisher for the catalogue, and finalize loans and venues for the exhibition.