Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
American Art from the Yale University Art Gallery
September 7, 2008- January 4, 2009

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” - The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies, July 4, 1776

Louisville, Kentucky. Go back in art, go back in history, go back in time. The Speed Art Museum is honored to announce that it will be the first to host the most impressive collection of American art in the world. Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: American Art from the Yale University Art Gallery will bring to Louisville more than 200 paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, furniture, silver, and ceramics from Yale University’s renowned collection of 18th- and 19th-century American fine and decorative arts, considered to be one of the finest American collections ever created.

Make your connection to our past through timeless images that portray the American experience from 17th century European settlements to the World’s Columbia exposition in 1893. This exhibition tells the tale of a young nation struggling to create its own identity , politically, and geographically both in itself and in the rest of the world through three central exhibition themes prevalent to early American life: , courage and sacrifice.

Highlighted treasures to be presented include Trumbull’s eight Revolutionary War scenes, including The Declaration of Independence, have never before left the Yale University Art Gallery as a group.Other highlights include Winslow Homer’s The Morning Bell, and Jeremiah Dummer’s magnificent silver candlesticks—the oldest surviving pair of American candlesticks in existence. Also on view will be the actual silver crafted by Paul Revere as well as paintings by artistic masters John Singleton Copley, Charles Willson Peale, Thomas Eakins, Winslow Homer, to name a few.

This will be the first time that this amazing collection has traveled from its home in New Haven, Connecticut and the Speed will be first to host this extraordinary exhibition. Being the largest exhibition that the Speed has ever hosted in its long and prestigious history in presenting fine art in Louisville, Yale University’s monumental collection will encompass all of the museum’s galleries. Admission is $15.

On loan from the Remnant Trust Inc., an early printing of the Declaration of Independence as portrayed in Trumbull’s most famous painting will be on view. The Remnant Trust, Inc. is a public educational foundation that houses a collection of original and 1st edition works dealing with the topics of liberty and human rights.

Exhibition and publication organized by Helen Cooper, the Holcombe T. Green Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture; Patricia Kane, the Friends of American Arts Curator of American Decorative Arts; and Elisabeth Hodermarsky, Associate Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs.
The exhibition presentation in Louisville has been made possible by the Brown-Forman Corporation with additional support provided by PNC Bank, Woodward, Hobson & Fulton, LLP, AT&T, The Real Pages and The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, SAR Foundation, Inc.
Media support comes from The Courier-Journal, Insight Communications and the History Channel, Total Traffic and Kentucky Restaurant Association.

Exhibition organized by the Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut, and made possible by generous funding from Happy and Bob Doran, b.a.1955; Carolyn and Gerald Grinstein, b.a.1954; Mrs. William S. Kilroy, Sr.; Mrs. Frederick R. Mayer; Nancy and Clive Runnells, b.a.1948; Ellen and Stephen D. Susman, b.a.1962; the Eugénie Prendergast Fund for American Art, given by Jan and Warren Adelson; and the Friends of American Arts at Yale.

The audio guide was made possible by Ellen and Stephen D. Susman, b.a.1962, and the Susman Family Foundation.

American Art at the Speed
On view through May 2009

In conjunction with Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness: American Art from the Yale University Art Gallery, the Speed presents American Art at the Speed featuring paintings, works on paper, photographs, sculpture, and decorative arts from the museum’s American and Kentucky collections. Mirroring the historical scope of the Yale exhibition, often with a fascinating regional perspective, the exhibition highlights works by John James Audubon, Asa Blanchard, Matthew Harris Jouett, Gideon Shyrock, and Rookwood Pottery, as well as James Peale, Thomas Sully, Elihu Vedder, Frederic Remington, and others. A number of the works in the Speed’s companion exhibition are by artists also represented in Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness and thus offer a unique complement to Yale’s collection. Admission is free.

Collecting for Kentucky
A Year of New Art at the Speed
October 5, 2008 - February 1, 2009

Over the past year many private collectors have been extraordinarily generous to the Speed. This event celebrates these collectors by debuting their gifts to the public in a single show. Featured will be works of art that span 600 years of human creativity and represent a diverse array of artistic techniques. From silver to glass and vellum to video, the works in this show will inspire you for their technical virtuosity and exceptional beauty. Whether you have formal taste or like funky designs on the cutting-edge of art, this exhibition will have something for everyone.

Reclaiming the Plate
Nineteenth-Century Etching Clubs
October 12, 2008 through March 15, 2009

During the nineteenth century, European and American artists rediscovered the expressive possibilities of using acid to etch or bite images into metal plates, which could be used to produce prints ranging from velvety impressions of the French countryside to sensitive renderings of a humble wine glass. Reclaiming the Plate, explores the nineteenth-century etching revival. Featuring works by artists such as Maxime Lalanne (who wrote an instructive treatise on etching), Jean-François Millet, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, James McNeill Whistler, and Joseph Pennell, the exhibition also examines the critical role that etching societies in France, England, and America played in the promotion and dissemination of etchings.

DECEMBER EVENTS:

SATURDAY, December 6
1-3 PM Discovery Case in the Galleries Explore our galleries and try your hand at wrapping a mummy, finding mythological creatures, or creating your own scratch drawing masterpiece at one of our Family Discovery Cases. With stops in the European or Egyptian Galleries there is always something new to learn

SUNDAY, December 7
1-3 PM – Music in the Galleries Enjoy the sounds of violinist Scott Moore as you stroll through the museum’s galleries. Admission is free.

SATURDAY, December 13
12-3 PM - Art Sparks Family Studio: Family Cartooning Learn cartooning techniques and create a one panel political cartoon about your family with artist Ted Nathanson. Family Studios bring art alive through fun and unique activities. Free with $5 admission to Art Sparks.

SUNDAY, December 14
1-3 PM – Music in the Galleries Enjoy the sounds of Live music as you stroll through the museum’s galleries. Admission is free.

SATURDAY, December 20
1-3 PM Discovery Case in the Galleries Explore our galleries and try your hand at wrapping a mummy, finding mythological creatures, or creating your own scratch drawing masterpiece at one of our Family Discovery Cases. With stops in the European or Egyptian Galleries there is always something new to learn. Admission is free.

SATURDAY, December 27
12-3 PM Art in Motion Family Day Join us at the Speed for a day of family fun! Experience art through motion as a part of this family event. Activities include a special performance of The Flatboat Adventures of John Stuart, sound- effect gallery tours, and other activities that will celebrate the art of motion. Admission is free. An Art Sparks Family Studio on animation will be offered with $5 admission to Art Sparks.