Last
Saturday we had an opportunity to visit the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington,
CT. In all honestly, this museum would not have been on our radar had we not
purchased Connecticut ARTTRAIL passes in June so we could see the Caravaggio
exhibit at the Wadsworth Athenaeum.
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| Hill-Stead Museum |
The Connecticut ARTTRAIL pass (www.arttrail.org) is a brilliant idea – I just wish that more states created arts programs like this: 15 museums and historical sites have united to offer a pass that will allow one visit to each of the participating sites for only $25.00/per pass AND the pass is good for one year. It’s an amazing savings and can pay for itself in only two visits. What I like about it is that it allows you an opportunity to check out other museums you may not have thought about visiting and occasionally you find a gem – like the Hill-stead Museum.
The
Hill-Stead Museum is not a museum in the conventional sense, up until the 1950s
it was a home (if you can call a 30,000 square foot building a “home”), a
working estate. The museum sits on 152 acres and boasts a sunken garden and
walking trails – we only had time to check out two of them, but they are a
great way to stretch your legs after the tour. And it IS a tour – you are not
allowed to wander through the museum on your own… although our guide did
mention that you are allowed to do so during their Open Houses.
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| The Sunken Garden |
The
tour runs for approximately one hour and the tour guides provide extensive
details about the lives of the owners, the Pope family, and stress how the home
was designed to complement the artwork. The architect for the home is none
other than the owner’s daughter: Theodate Pope, who, according to their
website, it the 4th registered female architect in the country.
In the dining room, you will find Degas’ pastel “Jockeys”, which hangs over a fireplace mantel designed specifically for it, and Whistler’s “Symphony in Violet and Blue”. The connecting Mauve Room boasts three Monet’s, two of which are grainstack paintings, a drawing by Manet as well as his “The Guitar Player”, a small drawing by Henri Matisse, and Degas’ “Dancers in Pink”.
The house has
two libraries (and here I am, wishing for just one), one flowing into the other
with wonderful window seats and chairs you would love to sink into. A couple of
steps down from the 2nd library you’ll find Mr. Pope’s office, with
sprawling views of the property and Theodate’s collection of architecture
prints on one of the walls.
The final room
on the 1st floor of the tour is a very modern guest bedroom
(complete with private bath) which houses Degas’ pastel “The Tub”. The tour
guide will encourage you to study the artwork close up, focusing on how Degas
builds up the layers and textures and then step back into the library and see
if you can detect a difference in the viewing experience.
Engravings
line the stairwell wall, but the tour rushes you through them, instead focusing
on encouraging you to hold onto the railing to bring you closer to the
“important” individuals who came before you. The tour guide casually mentions
that you are walking past 400 years of artistic history as you pass.
In
the upstairs hallway, you will see two Albrecht Durer drawings as well as portraits of
the Pope family. There is bedroom full of Japanese woodblock prints,
disappointingly, this room is no longer open to the public due to the condition
of the carpet, so you can only view the prints from the doorway and the only
painting of note on the second floor is Mary Cassatt’s “Sarah Handing a Toy to
the Baby” in the Green Room.
Throughout
the museum you will see an extensive collection of Chinese vases and bronze
sculpture, most of which is placed to compliment the paintings.
The tour
guides will tell you that these works are not loaned out and the Trust does not
allow photographs or reproductions, so this is the only place you will see
these pieces aside from the museum’s website: www.hillstead.org.
The only
portions of the house that are opened for the tour are the rooms that the Pope
family lived in, all of the rooms that their support staff would have used have
been converted into offices for the museum volunteers, which is a shame because
it would have given a more balanced view of daily life at the beginning of the
20th century had those rooms been allowed to be preserved and
viewed.I would recommend visiting Hill-Stead in the spring, when the gardens are in bloom… touring the property in the late fall, as we did, felt as if something was missing. The museum hosts many events throughout the year, so planning your visit in conjunction with one could only enhance your experience.
Jenn White
White Rooster
Studios
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