Friday, September 03, 2010
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Frederick William MacMonnies (American, 1863-1937)
Bacchante with Infant Faun, 1893
BronzeTampa Museum of Art. Gift of Joseph Veach Noble in honor of Lois C. Noble 1997.10
Bacchante with Infant Faun, 1893
BronzeTampa Museum of Art. Gift of Joseph Veach Noble in honor of Lois C. Noble 1997.10
Frederick MacMonnies developed his skills while an apprentice to famed sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens and by his subsequent study at the National Academy of Design. As a result of MacMonnies’ friendship with prominent architect Charles F. McKim, a life-size version of Bacchante with Infant Faun was donated to the courtyard of McKim’s recently completed building, the Boston Public Library. When installed in 1896 its naturalistic figure, sensual exuberance, and its perceived reference to inebriation resulted in it being deemed inappropriate and offensive, causing it to be withdrawn and subsequently given to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. MacMonnies often cast his bronzes in various sizes to make the works available to a larger audience. In addition to the full-scale version, three smaller sizes of the subject were also cast. The sculpture provides a valuable link between the work of Hiram Powers and C. Paul Jennewein, both represented in TMA’s collection.
Greek & Roman Antiquities
The Tampa Museum of Art houses one of the finest selections of Greek and Roman antiquities in the southeastern United States. The Joseph Veach Noble Collection, purchased in 1986 from an important scholar and collector, forms the core of this collection. Known for its outstanding selection of painted Greek and south Italian pottery, Tampa’s holdings survey the material culture of the Mediterranean region from the Bronze Age to the Roman Imperial period.
With over 500 objects, the collection illustrates the types of artwork characteristic of ancient Greece, Italy and beyond: painted pottery; sculpture in marble, bronze, and terra cotta; personal ornaments of bronze and gold; struck bronze and silver coins; and a variety of ancient glass vessels as well as other items that illuminate interesting aspects of daily life. These works of art offer valuable insights into the societies that produced them. They vividly depict a complex interplay of beliefs and lifestyles, spanning thousands of years and forming the foundations of Western civilization.
Paintings
The museum's painting collection includes approximately 393 works by noted artists such as Willie Cole, Alma Thomas, Rockwell Kent, Abraham Walkowitz, Ralph Goings, Sylvia Plimack Mangold, and Purvis Young.
The painting collection has been assembled over the years largely through individual gifts. Because of this, there is thematic and stylistic diversity that reflects the individual tastes and interests of the donors. Work by influential regional artists, including Edgar Sanchez Cumbas, Leslie Lerner, William Pachner, Jon Corbino, Syd Solomon, Mernet Larsen, Jeff Kronsnoble, and Theo Wujcik, are a significant component of the painting collection.