The Lunder Collection of James McNeill Whistler
The more than 300 etchings and lithographs that make up the Lunder Collection of James McNeill Whistler represent some of the rarest and most beautiful impressions by this American master. They are contextualized alongside exquisite examples of the artist’s work in other media, including the luminous oil painting Chelsea in Ice, from 1864, in addition to 22 other oils, watercolors, and pastels by Whistler. The Lunders also have given Colby College a collection of more than 150 books, journals, photographs, and archival materials related to Whistler. Peter and Paula Lunder began to collect Whistler in the 2000s, acquiring one of the finest individual collections of Whistler works on paper. Committed to furthering the mission of Colby College, the Lunder Whistler Collection was accumulated with teaching in mind. Today the collection is used by students and faculty from across a variety of disciplines and is a hall mark of the Colby College Museum of Art’s installation and a favorite of visitors. http://www.colby.edu/academics_cs/museum/collection/whistler/overview.cfm
L’écriture de soi / Writing the Self
In the spring of 2015, Colby students from the course FR 371 “L’écriture de soi / Writing the Self,” taught by Assistant Professor Audrey Brunetaux, analyzed a variety of written and visual texts to understand how French writers, artists, and filmmakers conceptualize the notion of the “self.” Research projects on Alex Katz, James McNeill Whistler and Mary Cassatt, accessible in French and English, enabled students to apply the concepts and theories from class to textual and visual material in the Colby College Museum of Art. Their papers are available on Colby College Museum of Art’s Digital Commons site.
