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Department History
The department of European and American Art before 1900, as it is now known, started as two distinct departments in 1947, consisting of Mediterranean and European art, and American art. After little to no change in the structure of the curatorial departments for the following 40 years, in 1989 then-newly appointed director, Lewis I. Sharp urged a reorganization of the curatorial division. This resulted in the formation of a separate modern and contemporary department, now caring for artworks created after 1945, while a newly formed painting and sculpture department was charged with stewarding European and American art, from Antiquities to collections created prior to 1945. Most recently, in 2019, to better reflect the nature of the collections, the department was renamed European and American Art before 1900.
Throughout the decades, a number of curators and scholars have contributed to shape the department’s collections, exhibitions and publications. The Denver Art Museum would not be where it is without their thoughtful leadership and expertise. Past curators include, most recently, Dr. Timothy J. Standring, our longstanding Gates Family Foundation Curator, Berger Collection Curator and department head from 1989 to 2020: his long and successful tenure is reflected in the numerous groundbreaking exhibitions, scholarly publications and acquisitions he spearheaded. Kathleen Stuart, our Berger Collection Curator from 2007 to 2019; Ann Daley, our American art curator and associate curator for the Petrie Institute of Western art from 1977 to 2001; Lauretta Dimmick, the first Gates Foundation Curator and curator of American art from 1990 to 1997; David Park Curry, curator of American art from 1983 to 1989; and (Claire) Cameron Wolfe, associate curator of European art from 1973 to 1984. The department is currently led by Angelica Daneo, chief curator and curator of European art before 1900.
Publications
Recent publications on European and American art includes:
Angelica Daneo, Christoph Heinrich, Michael Philipp and Ortrud Westheider, eds., Claude Monet: The Truth of Nature, exhibition catalog, Prestel Publishing, 2019.
Timothy J. Standring and Jaco Rutgers, Rembrandt As Printmaker, exhibition catalog, Yale University Press, 2018.
Angelica Daneo and Giovanna Damiani, Glory of Venice: Masterworks of the Renaissance, exhibition catalog, Denver Art Museum, 2015.
Timothy J. Standring, Wyeth: Andrew and Jamie in the Studio, exhibition catalog, Yale University Press, 2015.
Christoph Heinrich, Nature as Muse, Inventing Impressionist Landscape, Denver Art Museum, 2014.
Timothy J. Standring, Daniel Sprick’s Fictions, exhibition catalog, University of New Mexico Press, 2014.
Kathleen Stuart, Treasures of British Art 1400—2000: The Berger Collection, exhibition catalog, Denver Art Museum, 2014
Angelica Daneo, Companion to European Painting before 1800, Denver Art Museum, 2013.
Timothy J. Standring and Martin Clayton, Castiglione: Lost Genius, exhibition catalog, University of Chicago Press, 2013.
Kathleen Stuart, Master Drawings: The Collection of Esmond Bradley Martin, Denver Art Museum, 2013.
Timothy J. Standring and Louis van Tilborgh, eds., Becoming Van Gogh, exhibition catalog, Yale University Press, 2012.
Angelica Daneo, The Kress Collection at the Denver Art Museum, Denver Art Museum, 2011.

Edward Lear (English, 1812–1888), Nuneham, 1860. Oil paint on canvas. Gift of the Berger Collection Educational Trust, 2018.22.
The Berger Collection
The Berger Collection at the Denver Art Museum comprises 65 British artworks gifted to the museum in 2018 by the Berger Collection Educational Trust (BCET), owner of the collection since 1999. More than 60 of these paintings are currently on view in Treasures of British Art: The Berger Collection.

Membership and Museum Friends
Membership at the Denver Art Museum not only provides you discounts and access, but also the satisfaction of knowing your support helps us preserve and share art with present and future generations. Become a member today and see just how much the museum has to offer!
Are you interested in a specific type of art, while also enjoying opportunities to participate across the museum? If so, consider deepening your support by adding Museum Friends to your membership. Museum Friends enjoy access to free lectures, a deeper dive into a department of interest, and invitations to social gatherings for that department of interest.

The Martin Building Project
The gallery for this collection is closed during the Martin Building renovation project. Standing seven stories tall, the Martin Building will house collection galleries, a conservation laboratory, interactive classroom space, a family activity center, two restaurants, and the brand new Anna and John J. Sie Welcome Center.