CAMPAIGN UPDATE
photo by Richard Di Liberto
Master and Modern: Goya Exhibits in Vermont and New York
The art of Francisco de Goya (1746-1828) forms a creative bridge between Vermont and New York this spring, as two exhibitions of the artist’s celebrated works go on public display. Goya has often been referred to as the last of the old masters and the first of the moderns, and each of the exhibits examines a different facet of his work.
“Goya’s Last Work,” at the Frick Collection in New York, is the first exhibition in the United States to concentrate exclusively on the final phase of the artist’s long career, primarily on the period of his voluntary exile in Bordeaux from 1824 to 1828. On display through May 14 are over fifty objects including paintings, miniatures on ivory, lithographs, and drawings borrowed from public and private European and American collections. “The compact Frick show is sublime,” wrote reviewer Michael Kimmelman in The New York Times . . . I can’t recall too many exhibitions on this scale more revelatory.”
The event is of special note to the UVM community in and around New York because the curator of The Frick Collection and co-curator of the exhibition is Dr. Susan Grace Galassi, mother of Beatrice Grace Galassi, UVM Class of 2008. Dr. Galassi hosted a
private showing of the exhibition for a very fortunate group of UVM alumni, parents, and friends on March 21 in support of The Campaign for the University of Vermont and its New York initiative.
“We were absolutely delighted to be able to participate in some meaningful way with the University’s educational agenda,” said Galassi, “particularly in view of the Goya exhibition on campus at the Fleming. It’s a wonderful connection.”
An earlier expression of the artist’s genius is the focus of an exhibit at UVM’s Fleming Museum.
“Francisco Goya: Los Caprichos” comprises 80 captioned, black-and-white prints that rank among the most celebrated works in the history of Western art. Completed in 1799, Los Caprichos satirizes the foibles of late 18th century Spanish society and denounces the social abuses and superstitions that were prevalent in an era marked by social and political repression.
“Between Los Caprichos at the Fleming and the remarkable exhibition Susan Galassi and her colleagues have assembled at the Frick, we have the rare opportunity this spring to view much of this important artist’s most powerful work,” said Fleming Museum Director Janie Cohen. “Los Caprichos represents Goya’s fantastical denunciation of Spanish society and his mastery of the aquatint medium. In his late work at the Frick we see the artist exploring new mediums and plumbing the heights and depths of the human experience to the very end of his artistic life.”
The Goya exhibition runs at the Fleming through May 14 in tandem with “The Inferno of Dante by Michael Mazur.”
"DNA" of the Davis Center
Construction is undoubtedly the most visible sign of growth and progress at the University of Vermont these days, especially as the much-anticipated Dudley H. Davis Center begins to rise along the north side of Main Street.
Named in honor of Burlington business legend and UVM alumnus Dudley Davis ’43, the 200,000-square-foot facility will be the centerpiece of the campus in the modern era and a gateway to the University and the community. As the new center prepares to take its place among the architectural icons that have defined the campus over the centuries, a number of members of the University family have responded to the opportunity to become a part of the “DNA” of the Davis Center through naming gifts that will permanently identify some of its key features and spaces.
In addition to the $7 million gift from the family and friends of Dudley H. Davis to name the student center, a $1 million gift from Jim ’96 and Diana Higgins, the late Bill and Judy Higgins, and the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Foundation will name the expansive, interior atrium area. In addition, two $250,000 gifts from Frank H. Livak ’41 will name a meeting room, terrace, and pre-function area in memory of his wife and his mother. Livak, who returns to campus this June for his 65th Reunion, explains his motivation for giving in the most eloquent of terms. “I’m not a self-made man,” he says. “I had my mother and my wife to help me.”
Two of the three large meeting rooms in the center will be named for the Jost Foundation and Chittenden Bank in recognition of their $100,000 contributions.
A part of the past is being preserved in the Davis Center, as well, with six of the original UVM Dairy Bar stools from Carrigan Hall installed and named for UVM alumni and friends.
Naming opportunities still available in the Davis Center
Naming opportunities still available in the Davis Center include—
| Ballroom Dining Commons University Oval Amphitheater Bistro Student Clubs/Activities Recreation/Game Room Large Meeting Room Sustainability Gallery Small Meeting Rooms (3) Lounges (multiple) |
$2 million $2 million $1 million $500,000 $500,000 $250,000 $250,000 $100,000 $50,000 $50,000 $25,000 |
Additional opportunities will be available during Phase II construction of the Dudley H. Davis Center Theatre.
A website tracking the progress of construction on the Davis Center, including a time-lapse video and live webcam, is available at www.uvm.edu/~davis.
Charting our progress
through January 2006
(for UVM staff)