There are over 18,000 objects in the BYU Museum of Art collection, representing over 100 years of acquisitions. Treasures from the Collection is a new exhibition at the MOA that unveils an array of staff and visitor favorites, entirely curated from the BYU Museum of Art’s vaults.
The exhibition continues the MOA’s effort—inspired by its recent 25th anniversary—to curate exhibitions from its own collection. Treasures from the Collection features a range of American and European art, including stand-out works by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Henry Culmer, Maynard Dixon, Daniel Ridgway Knight, Dorothea Lange, Minerva Teichert, Andy Warhol, N.C. Wyeth, and others.
In addition, the exhibition provides insights into the evolution of the museum’s collection. Beginning in 1909, Brigham Young University sought to bring artwork to its campus as a way of benefitting student education and enriching the campus environment. For a time, artworks hung in buildings across campus and were made readily available for faculty use. However, BYU officials began to see a need for increased regulation and professional safeguards for the school’s valuable art holdings after beloved artworks were found to be missing. Thus, the BYU art collection was born. In 1993, the BYU Museum of Art was dedicated by Gordon B. Hinckley and opened to the public.
Many of the works on display in Treasures from the Collection speak to the backstory of the collection and how museum staff, as well as generous donors, work together to create a significant art collection. Included in the exhibition are new acquisitions as well as old favorites, to best tell the evolving story of the BYU MOA’s collection.
In conjunction with the exhibition, the MOA staff have created a mobile tour of the exhibition on our new BYU Museum of Art app. This self-guided tour of Treasures from the Collection is complete with behind-the-scenes stories, artist biographies, and audio narration. The app content provides the inside look at the exhibition for both in-person visitors and those exploring the exhibition from home.
Treasures from the Collection will be on display at the BYU Museum of Art through July 3, 2021. For additional information or to see the virtual exhibition, please visit the exhibition homepage.