Couple posing in the middle of a large room decorated in dozens of paintings
Image Credit

Peeter Neefs II y Gillis van Tilborgh, Portrait of an Elegant Couple in an Art Cabinet (Retrato de pareja elegante en un gabinete de arte), 1652 y hacia 1675. Pintura al óleo sobre lienzo; 51 5/8 × 62 3/8 in. © The Phoebus Foundation, Amberes.

Collecting and Curiosity

Flemish Art in Context, Session 3
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Peeter Neefs II y Gillis van Tilborgh, Portrait of an Elegant Couple in an Art Cabinet (Retrato de pareja elegante en un gabinete de arte), 1652 y hacia 1675. Pintura al óleo sobre lienzo; 51 5/8 × 62 3/8 in. © The Phoebus Foundation, Amberes.

Vista general

In this session, Geoffrey Shamos, Director of the Vicki Myhren Gallery at the University of Denver, will examine early modern cabinets of curiosity, which often included an assortment of objects from nature and science alongside art, antiquities, and ethnographic artifacts. Intended to illustrate the profound diversity of natural splendor and human artistry, these collections demonstrated the reach, knowledge, and wealth of their patrons, many of whom shared a desire for the rare and esoteric.

The exploration of distant lands supplied an abundance of hitherto unknown specimens that were organized based on superficial resemblances that were thought to reveal underlying connections between objects. Cabinets of curiosity cultivated a sense of wonder by bringing together captivating items and displaying the vastness of earthly creation.

Flemish Art in Context is a four-session course inspired by Saints, Sinners, Lovers, and Fools: 300 Years of Flemish Masterworks, a ticketed exhibition on view from October 16, 2022, through January 22, 2023:

You may register for individual sessions or the entire course. These sessions will take place at the museum in Sharp Auditorium and online via livestream.

  • To register for the in-person Collecting and Curiosity course in Sharp Auditorium, please purchase an onsite ticket. To register for the online livestream of the Collecting and Curiosity course, please purchase an online ticket.
  • To register for the entire Flemish Art in Context course in Sharp Auditorium, please purchase an onsite full course ticket. To register for the entire Flemish Art in Context course online via livestream, please purchase an online full course ticket.

To register for the in-person course in Sharp Auditorium, To register for the online livestream of the course, . All course registrants will receive a link to the recorded course session, which will be available to view for 30 days after the course. You do not need to purchase both tickets to access a recording of the course.

Sharp Auditorium and Online
Requiere de boleto, descuento para miembros y Amigos del DAM

Ticketing Information

For Museum Friends: $75 for the full course or $20 for an individual session. Tickets available September 12 at 10 am. Please log in to your Museum Friends account to access advance ticketing.

For Members: $85 for the full course or $22.50 for an individual session. Tickets available September 14 at 10 am.

For Nonmembers: $95 for the full course or $25 for an individual session. Tickets available September 16 at 10 am.

For Students: $45 for the full course or $10 for an individual session. Tickets available September 16 at 10 am.

Related

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Headshot of Geoffrey Shamos

About the Speaker

Geoffrey Shamos, PhD, is the director of the Vicki Myhren Gallery and curator of the University Art Collections at the University of Denver. He graduated from Yale University and earned his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, where he specialized in Renaissance art from northern Europe. Prior to joining the University of Denver, Geoffrey worked at the Yale University Art Gallery, the Cantor Center for Visual Art at Stanford University, and RedLine Contemporary Art Center in Denver.

The BCET Lecture Series presents talks on American and European art from the 15th through the 19th centuries by leading scholars. Series funding is generously provided by the Berger Collection Educational Trust. Additional support is provided by the Michael and Karen Fried Community Education Fund.

Saints, Sinners, Lovers, and Fools: 300 Years of Flemish Masterworks is co-organized by the Denver Art Museum and The Phoebus Foundation, Antwerp (Belgium). It is presented by the Birnbaum Social Discourse Project. Support is provided by the Tom Taplin Jr. and Ted Taplin Endowment, Keith and Kathie Finger, Lisë Gander and Andy Main, the Kristin and Charles Lohmiller Exhibitions Fund, the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, Christie’s, the donors to the Annual Fund Leadership Campaign, and the residents who support the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). Promotional support is provided by 5280 Magazine and CBS4.