Preface and Acknowledgments

When I walked through the doors of the Minneapolis Institute of Art to start my new job in January 2009, the first exhibition I saw was “Expanding the Boundaries: Selected Drawings from the Yvonne and Gabriel P. Weisberg Collection.” Little did I realize how intimately I would come to know this couple and their collecting habits. After studying the exhibition and the catalogue written by Gabe and curator Lisa Dickinson Michaux, I quickly learned that Yvonne and Gabe were ideal collectors. They were passionate, knowledgeable, and generous then, and they remain so today.

After the works returned home, the Weisbergs occasionally invited me over to look at other finds. Drawings hung on doors, behind doors, and on every conceivable bit of wall. It was a dizzying experience that changed with every visit: the Weisbergs were always collecting, and the treasures were piling up. Their selections fascinated me, mostly because many artists were unfamiliar. I started seeing the connections the Weisbergs were making, whether multiple artists treating similar themes, or multiple drawings from a single artist at various stages of his or her career.

By 2021, one thing had become clear: it was time for another show. At first I tried to restrict it to works not exhibited in “Expanding the Boundaries,” but that’s like leaving the older siblings out of the family photo. It was important to include a number of drawings that had been exhibited previously because many of the new additions were predicated on synergies with the existing collection. This created a new problem but a nice problem to have: the collection was too big for our prints-and-drawings galleries. The solution was to mount two shows—works dating 1830–1900 and those dating 1900–1930.

Apart from Gabe’s legendary early-morning phone calls, it’s been a very great pleasure working with Gabe and Yvonne. We’ve shared information. Yes, most of it flowed in one direction, but fortunately they also introduced resources that allowed me to make my own discoveries, such as the amazing Gallica, the website of the Bibliothèque nationale de France. We edited one another’s work, and our dear colleague Marla J. Kinney, curatorial fellow in European Art, acted as a valued sounding board.

The Weisbergs and I offer our heartfelt thanks to Marla and the many friends and colleagues who made the exhibition and this publication possible. Most especially, we extend our gratitude to Winifred Smith, who conducted several interviews with the Weisbergs and wrote the thoughtful essay here on their rich lives and wide-ranging contributions to art history.

Many colleagues at Mia were essential to the success of this project. Registrar Megan Dischinger managed the documentation and transit of the Weisbergs’ artworks for the exhibition. Mia’s vigilant fine-art packers Robin Cotton and Emily Swanberg made sure the works traveled securely and safely. Exhibition designer Bill Skodje conceived the elegant gallery displays. Painter Matthew Mullen, framing technicians Sam Molstad and Sarah Evenson, preparators Charles Capistrant, Tony Nordlund, Craig Olson, and Adam White, digital print specialist Rurik Hover, and lighting designer Jonathan Hamilton brought the back-to-back shows to fruition. Librarians Janice Lurie and Kay Beaudrie greatly aided our research, and Laura Silver kindly helped with proofreading the text. Dan Dennehy and Charles Walbridge photographed each work, and Josh Lynn handled the complexities of digital production. Senior designer Kris Thayer and software developer Teran Keith undertook the huge task of preparing texts and images for display in the e-catalogue you are now reading.

An extraspecial thanks goes to Kristin Lenaburg, collection care specialist in European Art, who oversaw care of the artworks before and after their display, tracked down publication permissions, fielded many inquiries, and used her awe-inspiring talents to keep us organized in countless ways.

The Weisbergs first committed their collection to Mia when Evan Maurer was director. Evan was delighted with the prospect, and subsequent directors Bill Griswold, Kaywin Feldman, and now Katie Luber have developed their own warm appreciation for the Weisbergs and always supported opportunities to deepen our bonds with them.

The Weisbergs and I also want to thank the following for their manifold kindnesses: Taylor J. Acosta, Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Neb.; Joseph Baillio, Santa Fe, N.M.; Edwin Becker, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam; Christine Bethenod, Paris; Alex Bortolot, deputy director, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College (formerly Mia content strategist); Alain and Annette Bourrut-Lacouture, Paris; Mark Brady, W. M. Brady & Co., New York; Sylvie Brame, Galerie Brame and Lorenceau, Paris; Petra ten-Doesschate Chu, editor, Nineteenth-Century Art Worldwide; Matthieu de Bayser, Paris; Emmanuelle Delapierre, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Caen; Bernard Derroitte, Armstrong Fine Art, Chicago; Raj and Grace Dhawan, Los Angeles; Laurinda Dixon, Cincinnati; Ambroise Duchemin, Paris; Hubert Duchemin, Paris; Neal Fiertag, Paris; Jacques Fischer, Paris; Jacques Foucart, Paris; Bertrand Gautier, Talabardon and Gautier, Paris; Maud Guichané, Fondation Custodia, Paris; Chantal and Christian Kiener, Paris; Geneviève Lacambre, Paris; Christian Le Serbon, Paris; Galerie L’Horizon Chimérique, Bordeaux; Rachel McGarry, Mia Elizabeth MacMillan Chair of European Art and Curator of European Paintings and Works on Paper; Lisa Michaux, St. Paul; Mathieu Néouze, Paris; Jill Newhouse, New York; Patrick Noon, Minneapolis; Edward Olszewski, Cleveland; Steven Ostrow, Minneapolis; Pelazzo-Lexcellent Antiquités, Saint Ouen; Michèle Quentin, Paris; Brad Radichel, Minneapolis; Jane Roberts, Jane Roberts Fine Arts, Paris; Pierre Rosenberg, Paris; Willem Russell, Amsterdam; Britany Salsbury, Cleveland; Polly Sartory, Gallery 19C, Beverly Hills, Calif.; Arlette Sérullaz, Paris; Valérie Sueur, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris; Bertrand Talabardon, Talabardon and Gautier, Paris; Galerie Terrades, Paris; Philippe Virat, Société Historique et Archéologique du XVe Arrondissement de Paris; Eric Weider, Dallas; Matthew Welch, Mia Mary Ingebrand-Pohlad Deputy Director and Chief Curator; Janet Whitmore, Chicago; and Wildenstein & Co., New York.

Tom Rassieur
John E. Andrus III Curator of Prints and Drawings
Minneapolis Institute of Art