Bert Gallery

Gallery Collection: Ten Most Wanted

April 13th - June 2, 2011

Ten artists from Rhode Island have been selected for the Bert Gallery Collections exhibit based upon academic and critical recognition. The art world is made up of a variety of factions that create and effect the market. Ironically, no one in the field lacks for ego be it dealers, critics, museum curators or auction house representatives. Reviewing opinions across perspectives yields the best assessment of an artist.

In this exhibit we concentrate on only the academic perspective. After all, the infamous Caravaggio (1571 - 1610) became totally forgotten upon his death and it was not until the 1920’s that art critic Roberto Longhi resurrected the artist to his proper place in art history. Caravaggio is but one reminder that critical and academic review is essential to an artist’s recognition and preservation in the world of art.

The ten Rhode Island artists to be exhibited are those that have received scholarly and critical review across several publications and references from museum exhibition catalogues, artist indexes, art books, period publications and art historical texts. They include:

• Grace Albee (1890 - 1985) (19 publications)
• Elijah Baxter (1849 - 1939) (10 publications)
• S.R. Burleigh (1853 - 1931) (19 publications)
• H.A. Dyer (1872 - 1943) (10 publications)
• F. Usher DeVoll (1873 - 1941) (11 publications)
• J.D. Herbert (1896 - 1970) (12 publications)
• Frank Mathewson (1862 - 1941) (12 publications)
• Gordon Peers (1909 - 1988) ( 9 publications)
• George Whitaker (1841 - 1916) (13 publications)
• Mabel M. Woodward (1877 - 1945) (27 publications)

Bert Gallery continues to concentrate on its mission of documenting and showcasing late 19th century Rhode Island artists who began to congregate in Providence with the founding of the Rhode Island Art Association in 1855, the Rhode Island School of Design in 1878 and the Providence Art Club in 1880. Many of these important 19th century artists were accomplished and successful artists in their own time only to be obscured over the travels of history.