Pursuing the Masterpiece: Five Recent Acquisitions
September 12 to December 31, 2010

This installation celebrates the sheer quality of great works of art and examines the role of museums in presenting the very best art to the public. Pursuing the Masterpiece contains only five recently acquired works of art so that viewers will be able to devote more time interacting with each piece, as opposed to the few seconds that the average visitor spends looking at the art in large exhibitions. The hope is that visitors will be delighted by close inspection of these wonderful objects, as well as gain a better understanding of why staff and trustees committed the precious resources of time, energy, and money toward the pieces’ acquisition and care.

Individually, each of these works enhances the Museum’s collection in many ways, but it is their exceptional quality that unites them all. On view are Carl Borromäus Andreas Ruthart’s greatest painting in America, Adam Naming the Animals, Paul Cézanne’s rare and wonderful The Large Bathers; a beautiful sugar desk from central Kentucky; the royal beaded tunic and cap that belonged to the king of the Nigerian town Okuku; and Sam Gilliam’s pivotal painting Restore.

An interactive game to accompany the exhibition, "Masterpiece Quest," has been custom-created to make the exploration of Pursuing the Masterpiece fun and engaging. It was designed so that visitors can learn the inner workings of how and why the museum selects specific pieces of works for its collection. "Masterpiece Quest" is a self-guided discovery game which invites visitors to engage with each work of art through multiple levels of play.

Admission is free.