The Scaife Bequest: Behind the Scenes
George Inness (1825–1894), Moonrise, Alexandria Bay, 1891, Oil on canvas, 30 ¼ x 45 ¼ in., Westmoreland Museum of American Art. Bequest of Richard M. Scaife, 2015.65
Brandywine’s current exhibition American Beauty: Highlights from the Richard M. Scaife Bequest features the finest works from this long-time trustee’s art collection. Scaife left a major part of his art collection to the Brandywine River Museum of Art and Westmoreland Museum of Art following his death in 2014. The unprecedented gift of hundreds of paintings to Brandywine and Westmoreland did not specify which work of art went to what museum, but instead left it up to the representatives from the institutions to pick one piece of art each, in turn.
Join Director Thomas Padon and former director of the Westmoreland Museum of Art Judy O’Toole when they relive the fascinating, unprecedented and nerve-wracking occasion when they met to split the art collection of Richard Scaife between their two museums.
The Museum will open at 5:30 p.m. with the program at 6 p.m. and a reception to follow.
*No works of art were harmed during this battle of the wits.