Description
Female patronage, perhaps more appropriately called ‘matronage’, has not received as much attention as that of its patriarchal counterpart. This course will explore the subject of secular women patrons of art and architecture with examples from the Late Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods, the 1893 World’s Columbian Exhibition in Chicago, and to the present day. Readings will focus on women patrons throughout the ages who commissioned works that enriched the visual culture of their individual eras. The Spring 2021 class will include an in-depth analysis of a local female patron, Virginia Greenlease, whose generosity resulted in the creation of the Van Ackeren Collection of Religious Art. Students will actively study some of the sculptures and paintings from this collection that are now on display at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.