This quarter, Professor of Art History, Annette Stott, is teaching a graduate seminar on the History of Collecting in the United States. The graduate seminar studies the history of art collecting in the United States from the colonial era to the present. Since September, the students have been learning about theories and philosophies of collecting, some important private and corporate collectors, issues in museum collections, dealers and auction houses, artists’ relations with collectors, the wide variety of types of art collected in the USA, and trends in contemporary global art collecting.
Last Monday, the class culminated with this visit to the University’s art collection at the Hampden Art Study Center (HASC) to consider it from multiple points of view, including connoisseurship, education, historical development, management, and financial appraisal. Students had the chance to listen to and interact with guest speakers, Catherine Chauvin, Associate Professor of Studio Art at DU, who teaches courses in Printmaking, Dan Jacobs, Director of the Victoria Myhren Gallery and Curator of the University Art Collections, and Julie Seagraves, head of the Asian Art Coordinating Council. This exciting chance for students to interact with the artwork and hear from knowledgeable speakers is just a glimpse into wonderful programming that is happening at the HASC.
DU Photographer Wayne Armstrong captured the class visit with some wonderful photos. Below are a few to give you a taste of the atmosphere in this exciting new art study space!
*Course summary provided by Annette Stott
*Class photos by Wayne Armstrong
