Currier Museum of Art

On a hot late June day in Manchester,New Hampshire,I spent a wonderful day in enjoying fine European Paintings and works of Art from the Medieval Period up to the 20th Century.Studying Niccolo Pietro Gerini's late Medieval Italian Painting,"Virgin and Child with Saints and Donors" was an auspicious start to one fine day at the Currier Art Museum.Medieval and Renaissance Period Paintings that also especially fascinated me were Lorenzo Da Costa's"Portrait of Lady"(Italian Renaissance),Joos Van Cleve's"Holy Family",and Jan Gossaert's"Portrait of a Man"(Netherlandish Renaissance).I also relished fine sculpture by Giovan Montorosoli("Saint John The Baptist")and Antonio Rosselino's"Virgin and Christ Child". From the Baroque Period,I saw fine paintings by Hendrick Goltzius("Helen of Troy"),Mattia Preti("Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew",awesome chiaroscuro),Jacobus Vrel,Judith Leyster("Boy Holding Grapes in Hat",Dutch Master),Jan Bray("Banquet of Anthony and Cleopatra")Jacob Van Ruisdael("View of Egmond",Dutch Master),and Matthias Stom("Judgement of King Solomon",fine Mannerism). As for the 18th Century,noteworthy European Paintings included fine paintings by Jean B. Duvivier(Cleopatra Captured by Roman Soldiers"),Francesco Solimena("Bacchus and Ariadne"),Ubaldo Gandolfi("Holy Family With God the Father"),and Claude J. Vernet's"Storm" I also saw quality 19th Century European Paintings by Pauline Auzou("Portrait of Musician"),Alexander Rotthaug("The Fates"),John Constable("Dedham Lock and Mill"),Claude Monet("Bridge at BougivaL',hallmark of excellent French Impressionism),and Vincent Van Gogh("Beach at Schevingen"). I also was impressed with these 20th Century Paintings;Pablo Picasso's"Woman Seated on Chair",Max Pechstein's"Allegory of Temptation of Eve"(German Expressionism)L.A. Ring("Winter Day At Saint Jurgenburg",Danish)Josef Scharf("Man Praying"),and Georges Roault("Wounded Clown") plus fine sculpture by Henri Matisse. The Currier Art Museum's collection of European Paintings is far from encyclopedic,but I appreciated the quality of the European works on display. I appreciated the Currier's fine curatorial work and helpfulness of its staff.

The museum is Manchester's connectedness to goodness. I'm a frequent patron; I bring visiting family, no strangers to the fine arts, who request visiting this museum again and again. The staff are skilled yet approachable, kind, and helpful. It's a glorious place...if they'd only not fall prey to cultural monotanies like pumping music into the lobby. Really surprising. Have the perveyor of this gaf spend the afternoon at Thuya Garden on Mt. Desert Island. Peace provides it's own distraction and pay back.