Not much of Baltimore turned out yesterday for a hastily-put-together exhibit of selections from the threatened Lucas collection at the Baltimore Museum of Art. But then, Baltimore didn't know about the exhibit.
Aside from museum-connected people (a docent, a curator), four people, two local and two from Massachusetts, toured the exhibit during its first two hours.
That was no surprise to Alison Cahen of the museum's public relations department, who explained that because the show was put together so quickly, there was no time to promote it: "We ordinarily have a whole public relations plan, but we couldn't do that in this case, and no one knows about the show." She said she expects attendance to grow due to word-of-mouth during the show's nine-week run.
The exhibit includes 51 objects -- prints, drawings, books, artists' palettes and an etching copperplate -- from the 20,000-object collection of 19th-century art amassed in Paris over a 50-year period by Baltimorean George A. Lucas, who died in 1909.
The collection, owned by the Maryland Institute, College of Art, has been on loan to the BMA and the Walters Art Gallery for more than half a century. Last week, the institute announced plans to sell the collection, a move both museums oppose, and the current exhibit was mounted to show a small sampling of what would be lost if the collection were to leave the city. The institute would use funds from the sale of the collection to increase its endowment.
Those who saw the show said they enjoyed it and thought the collection should stay. "It's just lovely," said Mary Beauchamp of Baltimore, who spent an hour in the gallery. If the collection were to leave the city, "I think that would be a shame," she said. "We would never get anything like this beautiful collection back."
"I've enjoyed looking at it," said Marian Paszek of Hampstead, who added that she often attends shows at the museum and the Walters Art Gallery. Of the collection, she said, "I've read some things about it, and I would like to see Baltimore keep it."
Peter and Jane Yates, visiting Baltimore from Hudson, Mass., said they had never been to the museum before and happened upon it "by accident." Mrs. Yates called the show "excellent" and, when told that the collection might be sold, said, "That would be a shame."
If hastily mounted, the show has been extremely well selected, installed and labeled to show several aspects of the collection.
Many of the artists Lucas collected are not household words today, but the show contains its share of those who are, including Manet, Whistler, Rodin, Degas, Daumier, Goya, Delacroix and Corot.
No exhibit of this size can show any artist in depth, but there are indications of the depth of Lucas holdings of some of the artists. There are two prints by Manet, the 1861-1862 etching "The Spanish Singer," and the 1868 lithograph "The Execution of Emperor Maximilian." Of the two Whistlers, "Black Lion Wharf" (1859) is from the early Thames series and "Nocturne: Furnace" (1880) from the late Venetian series.
The label accompanying the Daumier watercolor "The Grand Staircase of the Palace of Justice" (about 1864) states that it is one of three watercolors in the Lucas collection and "joins those in the Walters Art Gallery to give the city the most impressive group of Daumier watercolors in this country." The Walters has six.
The range of subject matter is broad, too. There are sections of the show on Paris scenes, on landscape, on animals and on figure studies, and one could put together a sizable show on any one of those subjects from the Lucas collection. The show is a testament to the fact that Lucas was not only a collector but a friend to many of the artists whose works he amassed. "To George Lucas," wrote Whistler on "Black Lion Wharf." "A Monsieur Lucas," wrote Henri Fantin-Latour on his lithograph "Bouquet of Roses." "A M. G. A. Lucas" wrote Ludwig Knaus on his palette, one of three artists' palettes in the show (there are 71 in the collection). And included in a catalog of the works of Felix Buhot is a letter from the artist to Lucas, asking if he might pay a call.
These personal touches indicate the difference between a work of art as an isolated object and a work of art as part of a personal collection.
A dedication "To George Lucas" means a great deal so long as it is on an object in the Lucas collection. It would mean little or nothing if the collection were dispersed and ceased to exist as the Lucas collection.
ART EXHIBIT
What: "A Continuing Example: The George A. Lucas Collection"
Where: The Baltimore Museum of Art, Art Museum Drive near Charles and 31st streets
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, through April 9
Admission: $5.50 adults, $3.50 seniors and students, $1.50 ages 7 through 18
Call: (410) 396-7100