Assembled in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by General Rush
Christopher Hawkins and his wife Annmary Brown, the collection of
paint-ings at the Annmary Brown Memorial represent a rare opportunity
to enjoy a complete Victorian art collection in its original setting.
Reflecting the dominant academic taste of the established cultural
elite of the time, the Memorialís art ranges from medieval religious
art to old master canvases to American genre paintings. For much of
the 20th century academic art was out of favor, with most such collec-tions
being dispersed or relegated to museum storage vaults, but because
of the conditions set down by General Hawkins, the collection at the
Annmary Brown Memorial remained intact. Even so, the building and
its contents were little appreciated for many years.
In recent years, however, thanks to a new appreciation for academic
art, the Annmary Brown Memorial is being returned to its former glory.
The build-ingís interior has been restored and augmented with proper
lighting, security and atmospheric controls. And now, through the
generosity of private donors, attention is being devoted to the artwork
itself. The University is grateful for financial support from the
Brown family, Rozann Allyn Shackleton, and most recently, Kenneth
and Amy Shaw.
Barrington residents Ken and Amy Shaw stumbled upon the collection
at the Annmary Brown Memorial, and became enthralled. "Amy and I were
walking around town, when we saw the Gorham doors at the front of
the building. Intrigued by the doors, we decided to go inside," said
Ken Shaw. "We received an impromptu tour of the building, and saw
that much of the art was in great need of repair. With our love of
art, and interest in preserving paintings, we offered to help."
So far, Ken and Amy Shaw have underwritten the restoration of four
paintings in the collection: "Classical Landscape" by Phillipe Antoine
Patel, the younger; "Crossing the Desert" by Edwin Lord Weeks; "Marriage
of St. Catherine" after Titian; and, "River Landscape," a Dutch landscape
formerly attributed to Jacob Ruisdael. The couple hopes to restore
more paintings in the future.
Ken Shaw has been in the art and antique business for 24 years. He
has worked with a variety of auction houses and consignors. He and
Amy have owned Barrington Antiques and Auction Company for several
years and have recently opened a new shop in Barrington, Rhode Island,
specializing in the appraisal, consignment and sale of artwork and
antiques.
"Weíve been looking for a way to do something of a charitable nature
related to art. I hope we can continue to help restore the paintings,
and will do so as long as our business continues to thrive," said
Ken Shaw. "We really urge others to get involved with the artwork
at the Annmary Brown Memorial. There are some real treasures."
In response to the generosity of Ken and Amy Shaw, the Friends of
the Library have launched the "Adopt a Painting" program. Many of
the Memorialís paintings need little more than cleaning, but others
require more substantial restoration, from re-lining to canvas repair,
in-painting and frame replacement. The cost varies from just a few
hundred dollars to $5,000 in a few cases. Help Needed to Rescue Art
Collection at Annmary Brown Memorial
If you are an art lover and would like to help in the restoration
of the Memorialís artworkóreceiving a charitable deduction and
due recognition as wellóplease contact the Friends of the Library
for more information.
You may contact the Friends by telephone at (401) 863-1518,
by email at  FOL@
Brown.edu, or by mail at: Friends of the Library Box
A, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912. |
http://www.brown.edu/Facilities/University_Library
