Creating a Collection: A Tour Through the Smith College Museum of Art

Bought from the artist

In the SCMA's earliest days, in the 1870s, artworks were often bought 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). 

Even today, buying art directly from artists ensures the authenticity of the work, demonstrates a commitment to the working creative and shows an active interest in contemporary art, as Smith wanted to do as an early teaching institution dedicated to the arts. 

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