Alfred Pope: An Evolution of Ingenuity
Alfred Pope: An Evolution of Ingenuity illuminates a long-overlooked figure in the history of Hill-Stead and of American art collecting. Through this exhibition and accompanying catalog, we present Alfred Atmore Pope (1842鈥�1913) as a bold and leading collector of European modernism and position him rightfully among his peers. Further, the endeavors position Pope as a multifaceted figure and elucidate his devoted and generous service to others, indelibly influencing his only child, Theodate Pope Riddle (1867鈥�1946), in her pioneering life of creative and philanthropic work.
The research for this exhibition identified artworks previously unknown to Hill-Stead, such as Alfred Sisley鈥檚 La Serpentine 脿 Londres, and revealed significant archival information about those already documented. In particular, we focused on the rapidly growing body of evidence about the ways in which Theodate鈥檚 previously unknown activities impacted our understanding of her father鈥檚 original, and by extension, Hill-Stead鈥檚 current collection. These exciting findings present a more comprehensive and nuanced picture to explore and interpret Pope as a collector.
During his active collecting years (1889鈥�1907), Pope acquired over 40 important works of art and thoughtfully pruned his collection through sales and exchanges, retaining only those works that elicited a profound emotional response. Since Theodate, too, sold several paintings, in order to finance her own projects, only a small fraction of the original Pope collection remains intact today. Arguably, the finest examples of Pope鈥檚 turn-of-the-century connoisseurship still grace the rooms at Hill-Stead.
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Alfred Pope: An Evolution of Ingenuity illuminates a long-overlooked figure in the history of Hill-Stead and of American art collecting. Through this exhibition and accompanying catalog, we present Alfred Atmore Pope (1842鈥�1913) as a bold and leading collector of European modernism and position him rightfully among his peers. Further, the endeavors position Pope as a multifaceted figure and elucidate his devoted and generous service to others, indelibly influencing his only child, Theodate Pope Riddle (1867鈥�1946), in her pioneering life of creative and philanthropic work.
The research for this exhibition identified artworks previously unknown to Hill-Stead, such as Alfred Sisley鈥檚 La Serpentine 脿 Londres, and revealed significant archival information about those already documented. In particular, we focused on the rapidly growing body of evidence about the ways in which Theodate鈥檚 previously unknown activities impacted our understanding of her father鈥檚 original, and by extension, Hill-Stead鈥檚 current collection. These exciting findings present a more comprehensive and nuanced picture to explore and interpret Pope as a collector.
During his active collecting years (1889鈥�1907), Pope acquired over 40 important works of art and thoughtfully pruned his collection through sales and exchanges, retaining only those works that elicited a profound emotional response. Since Theodate, too, sold several paintings, in order to finance her own projects, only a small fraction of the original Pope collection remains intact today. Arguably, the finest examples of Pope鈥檚 turn-of-the-century connoisseurship still grace the rooms at Hill-Stead.
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