Press Releases

Details of a major tour that is set to raise the profile of Wales's outstanding national art collection will be announced at National Museum Cardiff on 4 November 2008.

Turner to Cézanne: Masterpieces from the Davies Collection will travel to five venues altogether and will open at the Columbia Museum of Art on 6 March 2009. The other venues include Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Oklahoma City; Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, New York; Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; and Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The exhibition features 58 oil paintings and watercolours, some of which have never been seen in the United States of America before. This exhibition is organized by the American Federation of Arts (AFA) and Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales. The AFA is a non-profit institution that organizes art exhibitions for presentation in museums around the world, publishes exhibition catalogues and develops education programmes.

The Welsh sisters Gwendoline and Margaret Davies were avid collectors of art, and they assembled a collection which ranged from Old Master paintings to the work of contemporary British artists. This they later bequeathed in 1952 and 1963 to the National Museum of Wales. At the core of their collection, and acquired mainly between 1908 and 1923, is an exceptional group of French paintings of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The sisters were among the most important British collectors of progressive French art at this date, with a particular fondness for the late work of Monet. They were also among the earliest British patrons to buy the mature work of Cézanne and Van Gogh.

This exhibition comprises oil paintings and watercolours from Amgueddfa Cymru, drawn exclusively from the Davies collection. Opening with an introductory group of works by JMW Turner, it provides a fascinating, and deeply, personal vision of French painting from the Realists to the Post-Impressionists, and finishes with a small section on avant garde British art immediately prior to the First World War. The Davies sisters believed passionately in social and cultural improvement, as well as the spiritual value of art. They were generous lenders to exhibitions in their lifetime. Works from their collection were first seen in an exhibition in Cardiff in 1913.

"We are delighted to be able to present this important exhibition to five different venues in the US, offering visitors the chance to see incredibly beautiful works of art by some of the world's greatest Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists for the first time", says Oliver Fairclough, guest curator of the exhibition, and Keeper of Art at Amgueddfa Cymru.

Alun Ffred Jones, Welsh Assembly Government Minister for Heritage, said "These paintings will not only put Wales on the map at an international level, but will inspire, entertain and educate millions in the future. This exciting and powerful exhibition will capture the public imagination and will tell one of the greatest stories ever told by Wales. I am hopeful that having highlights from our national collection on display further afield will have a direct impact on Wales as well as the tourism industry."

During the tour, National Museum Cardiff will have an exciting and varied programme on offer for visitors to enjoy.

Sisely in England and Wales will also open at National Museum Cardiff in March 2009. Alfred Sisley (1839-1899) was born in Paris to English parents. He remained a British subject throughout his life. However, he only took on two painting campaigns in the UK - once in 1874, and again in 1897. This exhibition will bring together these two groups of paintings for the first time. Executed almost a quarter of a century apart, they reveal Sisley at two of the most creative moments of his life.

As well as this exhibition, visitors to National Museum Cardiff will be able to enjoy a series of exhibitions concentrating on contemporary art in 2009. Green Drops and Moonsquirters - The Utterly Imaginative World of Lauren Child (21 November 2009-24 January 2010) is an exhibition dedicated to the work of award-winning children's author and illustrator Lauren Child.

Michael Houlihan, Director General, Amgueddfa Cymru said: "Improvements are being made to the way in which the nation's art collection is being displayed at National Museum Cardiff, and 2009 will offer more contemporary art on display than ever before. We're looking at how we can show more art, present popular works in fresh ways and explore new ideas. "

National Museum Cardiff is one of Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales's seven national museums. The others are St Fagans: National History Museum, the National Roman Legionary Museum, Big Pit: National Coal Museum, the National Wool Museum, the National Slate Museum and the National Waterfront Museum.

Entry to each Museum is free thanks to the support of the Welsh Assembly Government.

Ends

For further information, please contact Sian James, Corporate, Communications Officer on (029) 2057 3175 / 07812 801356 or email sian.james@museumwales.ac.uk or Catrin Mears, Communications Officer on (029) 2057 3185 / 07920 027067 or email catrin.mears@museumwales.ac.uk.

Notes to Editors

Tour schedule:

Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, South Carolina 6 March - 7June 2009

Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Oklahoma City 25 June - 20 September 2009

Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, New York 8 October 2009 - 2 January 2010

Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. 30 January - 25 April 2010

Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque, New Mexico 16 May 16 - 8 August 2010