I’ve been visiting a lot of museums this summer, on more than my usual share of travels. Sometimes I’ve picked up ideas worth sharing–for example, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. There, Discovering the Impressionists: Paul Durand-Ruel and the New Painting—which runs only through Sept. 13, so hurry to see it–has been pulling in crowds. Tickets are timed for crowd control, though, so visitors can actually see the paintings–or could while I was there on a Tuesday in July.
It’s an excellent show that explicates how a dealer was critical to the story of art history–and is full of wonderful paintings, like Renoir’s portrait of Durand-Ruel, at left, and the Mary Cassatt at right.
But I also like how the Philadelphia museum extended the exhibit to its permanent collection galleries. There, during the run of show, paintings that passed through Durand-Ruel’s galleries have special labels.
Each painting in its collection has a special label, that says “This object was sold by Durand-Ruel Gallery” and “Discovering the Impressionists.”
It’s unobtrusive, but adds another layer of meaning for those who’ve been to the special exhibition. And almost seems a bit like a treasure hunt.
Here’s a closeup of one label and pix of how they look on the walls.
Looks good, doesn’t it?
And it’s a way to get visitors from special shows into the permanent collection.
Kudos, Philadelphia.