The Bruce Museum: Bursting with Pride

The galleries of the Bruce Museum will be bursting with pride this summer, and into fall: The Museum opens The Seven Deadly Sins: Pride through October 18 part of a groundbreaking series of area exhibitions exploring the Seven Deadly Sins. Presented by seven members of the Fairfield/Westchester Museum Alliance (FWMA), the Seven Deadly Sins exhibitions represent the group’s first ever collaborative effort.

Gabriel Schachinger (1850-1912), Sweet Reflections, 1886
Oil on canvas, 51 x 31 in., Woodmere Art Museum: 
Bequest of Charles Knox Smith. Photograph by Rick Echelmeyer.

The Seven Deadly Sins have played a significant role in theology, literature and art since the Middle Ages. The exhibition’s curators point out that the show is intended not only to put the sin of pride within a historical context, but also to encourage discussion, raising questions about the history of morality and moralizing.

The Bruce Museum exhibition places the sin of Pride within a historical context, presenting nearly 50 works ranging from Dürer works on paper from as far back as 1498 to Fay Ku’s 2014 graphite and oil on mylar. Susan Ball and Co-Curator Amanda Skehan have selected paintings, engravings, etchings, lithographs, illustrated books, magazines, three-dimensional objects and more from private collections, galleries, and institutions that include Yale University Art Gallery, Minneapolis Institute of Art, National Gallery of Art, Princeton Art Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Brooklyn Museum, and The Clark Art Institute.

The Pride exhibition at the Bruce will be complemented by some unique programming, including the Superbia Soirée at the Museum on Friday, July 17, and a Puppet Show Family Day on Sunday, July 19.

The Superbia Soirée, a lively after-hours event open to the public, will take place on Friday, July 17 from 6 to 8 pm. The event will offer special evening access to the exhibition, as well as a variety of activities to celebrate the show including a grown-up scavenger hunt and a special curator’s tour that includes an opportunity to hear from some of the featured artists. Admission is $15 for Museum members and $20 for non-members. Reservations are recommended, visit https://brucemuseum.org.

On Sunday, July 19, the Museum presents a Puppet Show Family Day from 1 to 4 pm. At 2 pm, Magpie Puppets will entertain children and adults alike with the interactive puppet show The Emperor’s New Clothes. Craft activities will be available in the Museum’s Education Workshop. No reservations are necessary, and the event is free with Museum admission. 

For area event information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com.