Creating a Collection: A Tour Through the Smith College Museum of ArtMain MenuHow do museums build and unbuild collections?How This WorksInstructions on How to Use this WebsiteHow to Read a Museum LabelThis will help you navigate the SCMA and other museumsWhat is "Public Trust"?Why Museums CollectHow Museums CollectWhy Museums Remove Objects from their CollectionsHow Museums Remove Objects from their CollectionsSamantha Page4d4aad3cbb232d6b14d08c9a79a502129237df5c
Abbott Handerson Thayer's "Winged Figure"
12017-03-08T08:41:38-08:00Samantha Page4d4aad3cbb232d6b14d08c9a79a502129237df5c1562341889, oil on canvas, 51 1/2 x 37 3/4 in., AIC 1947.32, Simeon B. Williams Fund (formerly SC 1889:4-1, acquired from artist in 1889, sold via Gimbel Brothers, New York, 1946)plain2017-05-03T17:41:13-07:00Samantha Page4d4aad3cbb232d6b14d08c9a79a502129237df5c
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12017-03-08T08:39:35-08:00Samantha Page4d4aad3cbb232d6b14d08c9a79a502129237df5cHow do museums build and unbuild collections?Samantha Page38structured_gallery2017-05-05T11:33:04-07:00Samantha Page4d4aad3cbb232d6b14d08c9a79a502129237df5c
12017-03-08T17:31:21-08:00Samantha Page4d4aad3cbb232d6b14d08c9a79a502129237df5cDeaccessionedSamantha Page21Works of art formally removed from the collectionstructured_gallery2017-05-05T13:14:20-07:00Samantha Page4d4aad3cbb232d6b14d08c9a79a502129237df5c
12017-03-08T17:41:09-08:00Samantha Page4d4aad3cbb232d6b14d08c9a79a502129237df5cPurchasedSamantha Page18Works of art purchased from an artist or dealerstructured_gallery2017-05-05T12:04:33-07:00Samantha Page4d4aad3cbb232d6b14d08c9a79a502129237df5c
12017-04-02T10:59:15-07:00Samantha Page4d4aad3cbb232d6b14d08c9a79a502129237df5cCareful consideration and approvalSamantha Page14structured_gallery2017-05-05T12:51:42-07:00Samantha Page4d4aad3cbb232d6b14d08c9a79a502129237df5c
12017-03-20T19:27:21-07:00Samantha Page4d4aad3cbb232d6b14d08c9a79a502129237df5cBuilding a new collectionSamantha Page10structured_gallery2017-05-05T13:07:36-07:00Samantha Page4d4aad3cbb232d6b14d08c9a79a502129237df5c
12017-03-08T17:41:09-08:00Purchased18Works of art purchased from an artist or dealerstructured_gallery2017-05-05T12:04:33-07:00One way for the SCMA to acquire works of art it wants to add to its collection is to buy them. The museum can buy works from galleries and dealers, and directly from the artists creating the objects.
Buying art directly from artists ensures the artwork's authenticity, demonstrates a commitment to the working creative, and shows an active interest in contemporary art. Early in its existence, Smith demonstrated an interest in and commitment to these values as a teaching institution dedicated to the arts.
In the 1870s, Smith often bought artworks directly from the artists who created them. Examples of this include Abbott Handerson Thayer's Winged Figure (now at the Art Institute of Chicago), Thomas Wilmer Dewing's Lady with a Lute (now in the National Gallery of Art), and Winslow Homer's Song of the Lark (now at the Chrysler Museum of Art).
Bought from a dealer
When being re-matriated (added back into the collection) in 2015, Ramesseum at Thebes was spotted and bought from a dealer in New York City. The SCMA used money from the Hillyer-Mather-Tryon Fund (a combined source of funds given by three major donors to the SCMA) to purchase the artwork.
Click on these other artworks to explore works PURCHASED by the SCMA