January 18 - May 11, 2025 Washington County museum of fine arts (wcmfa) in hagerstown, md
ART MUSEUM HOSTS MASTER ART COPYISTS
HAGERSTOWN, MD (January 6, 2025) -- Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so the saying goes, and the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts (WCMFA) in Hagerstown, MD, is going to be offering six months of sincere flattery.
“The Sincerest Form: Master Art Copyists” is a new cooperative project, held in collaboration with the independent regional art organization Master Art Copyists (MAC). From January 18 through May 11, 2025, eight copyists will be at work in the museum painting their interpretation of works of their choice from the museum’s collection. Artists will be at workevery Thursday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., during which time visitors may observe them at work and ask them questions.
WCMFA executive director Sarah H. Hall said the museum is using this project as an opportunity to focus attention on some of its own high-profile copies.
“Copying has a long history in the visual arts that goes back to the Renaissance,” she explained. “It was a way to disseminate images in the pre-photography era and in the early days of the Louvre, it was a way to produce art to hang in official buildings. Primarily, though, it has always been a way for artists to perfect their skills.”
Hall pointed out there’s a big difference between art copyists and forgers.
“Forgers aim to fool the viewer so they may try to mimic the effect of aging by distressing their work or even by using old materials, while copyists are working for personal and professional improvement.”
While not affiliated nor endorsed by the National Gallery of Art (NGA), MAC members have all been authorized as copyists by the NGA, which requires a rigorous approval process for its Copyist Program applicants. Additionally, all museums that allow copying, including WCMFA, have strict rules to ensure the protection of their collections; for example, the copy may not be the same size as the original, it has to be marked as a copy, and the original artist’s signature may not be reproduced.
In addition to the copyists working on-site, the museum hascreated a special installation to evoke the environment of a traditional artist studio, and is offering a free lecture by Master Art Copyist group president Chris Madden on February 5th at 5:30 p.m., on the history of the organization and his own approach to copying. He will also be offering a class for beginning and intermediate artists in March on master copyist techniques in oil.”
“There’s a huge fascination for the ‘magic’ of painting, those technical skills that are required in order to create illusion,” Hall said, “and this project is a way for us to engage with a broader cross-section of regional artists, use our collection in a new way, and foster a different kind of appreciation for art.”
The artists, their on-site schedule and the WCMFA works they will be copying* are:
January-Mid-March
Seana Gallager (Thursdays), “Sewing Girl” by Charles Webster Hawthorn
Gillian Collins (Fridays), “Michael” by Robert Henri
Christopher Madden (Saturdays), “Fish, Plate and Copper Container” by William Merritt Chase
Robert O’Brien (Sundays), “Nymph” by Henri Fantin-Latour
Mid-March to May
Sonia Gadra (Thursdays), “Scene on the Catskill Creek” by Frederic Church
Lesa Cook (Fridays), “Yellow Moon” by Edward Steichen
Tracy Donnelly (Saturdays), “A Summer Sky” by William H. Singer, Jr.
Renee Lachman (Sundays), “Portrait of a Scholar” by Marco Antonio Bassetti
*Photographs of original artwork are available from the museum.
The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, located on Hagerstown’s historic City Park lakeside, was established in 1931 by William H. Singer, Jr. and Anna Brugh Singer and has an extensive, world-class permanent collection of paintings, drawings, prints, and sculptures from the 18th century to the present, featuring celebrated and diverse artists. The Museum offers tours, classes, educational programs and community events and is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission is free and free parking is available. For more information: wcmfa.org.
September 9 - october 6, 2023 mary condon hodgson art gallery, frederick community college
This exhibit is located in the Mary Condon Hodgson Art Gallery, Visual and Performing Arts Center, Frederick Community College, 7932 Opossumtown Pike, Frederick, MD 21702. Gallery hours are 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday. All exhibits and opening receptions are free and open to the public.
MEET THE COPYISTS OF THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART AT OPENING RECEPTION, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 9TH FROM 5 - 7PM.
In historic Alexandria, Virginia located at 201 Prince Street
May 20 - June 27, 2021 Athenaeum Gallery, Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association
Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from 12 - 4pm. Admission is free. Check periodically on Athenaeum website www.nvfaa.org for future events of artist talk and painting demonstration.
Meet the copyists of the National Gallery of Art at exhibition closing reception, Sunday June 27th from 3 - 5pm.
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Copyists Bruce Campbell, Gillian Collins and Christopher Madden lead an artist talk at the opening reception.
February 1 - March 1, 2020 Delaplaine Arts Center Exhibit
Artist Talk February 1, 2020 2-3pm, opening reception 3-5pm. Delaplaine Arts Center is location at 40 South Carroll Street, Frederick, MD 21701. Hours: Monday thru Saturday 9 - 5, Sunday 11-5. www.delaplaine.org
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Green Springs Historic House, Fairfax, VA, 1784, www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/green-spring
Oct 31 - Dec 16, 2018 Green Springs historical manor house exhibit
Master Art Copyists to exhibit at Green Springs Gardens Historical Manor House opening October 31st and runs through December 16th, 2018. Green Springs is located at 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, Virginia. Exhibition hours to be determined.
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FEBRUARY 2018 Recognition in Artsy. Net Online Magazine
Vivian Parker painting at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Courtesy of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C
Gillian Collins painting at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Courtesy of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
How Artists Are Copying Masterpieces at World-Renowned Museums Artsy.net March 18, 2018
An excerpt from the article:
These artists continue a tradition that dates back to 1872, just two years after the storied New York museum was founded. Known as the “copyist program,” the initiative allows skillful artists to set up their easels alongside works of the greats, during public hours, and make their own breathtaking replicas. Similar programs exist at major art museums across the world, like the Louvre in Paris, the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid, and the National Gallery of Art (NGA) in Washington, D.C., all of which serve to support living, working artists by giving them exceptional access to learning from masterpieces of art history. These prestigious, selective programs, governed by stringent rules, are also fascinating for visitors to experience, and are important extensions of museums’ educational missions.
To read the full article: www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-artists-allowed-copy-masterpieces-worlds-prestigious-museums
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January 2018 Washington Arts club
The first exhibit of National Gallery of Art Copyists opened in January 2018 at the Arts Club of Washington. Twenty-three copyists exhibited forty paintings. The opening reception was very well attended in spite of the fact it was one of the coldest nights of winter. We celebrated our participation in the National Gallery of Art Copyists program and the ancient tradition of copying.
