Lecture on the Hope Diamond comes to SpringfieldDate: 11/2/2017 SPRINGFIELD – A special Sunday lecture miniseries features the history of the mysterious Hope Diamond and the origins of the American art museum. Lectures are at 2 pm.. in the Davis Auditorium of the D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts. Free with Museums admission.
Hope Diamond: The Legendary History of a Cursed Gem
Presented by Dr. Richard Kurin, Smithsonian, distinguished scholar and ambassador at large, Nov. 5, 2 to 3 p.m. in Davis Auditorium
Since its discovery in seventeenth-century India, the Hope Diamond, a glimmering deep blue gem weighing over 45 carats, has been shrouded in mystery and steeped in intrigue. In his groundbreaking work, Kurin goes beyond the speculation to reveal the truth behind a legendary stone.
Kurin, a cultural anthropologist, spent more than a decade on the trail of the legendary gem. But the “curse” that surrounds it is only one small piece of a long and lustrous story that moves between ancient religion and modern magic, royal power and class rivalry, revenge and greed. In this lecture, Kurin traces the journey of this legendary gem. A booksigning will follow.
A patron member reception will follow the lecture in the Janee Armstrong Friedmann Gallery of French 18th-Century Art.
The Invention of the American Art Museum, 1870-1930: From Craft to Cultural History
Presented by Kathleen Curran, professor of fine art, Trinity College, Hartford, CT, Nov. 12, 2 to 3 p.m., in Davis Auditorium.
What makes the American art museum distinct from art museums in other countries? This lecture examines the origins of art museums in the United States in the 1870s and explores the momentous changes that occurred around 1900, transforming them to world-class status. At first modeled on the so-called “craft” museum model of London’s South Kensington (now the Victoria & Albert Museum), American museums evolved into museums of “cultural history.” The concept of cultural history involved not only the planning and organization of museums, but also their collection strategies and display methods.
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