Sub Rosa: Behind the Scenes at the Museum

uan de Flandes, b. Spain, ca. 1460–1519, Portrait of an Infanta, Reverse, 15th c., oil on panel , 18¼ x 15½ x 1¾?, The Sedgwick Collection of Old Master Paintings.

Sub Rosa: Behind the Scenes at the Museum turns the Museum inside out to reveal issues and concerns normally kept out of the public realm. This exhibition presents actual situations Museum staff have encountered or contend with on a regular basis that revolve around conservation, collections stewardship, research, connoisseurship, and exhibition design. Sub Rosa upends typical exhibition expectations by including works not normally shown because of their current condition or questionable provenance. Others, like the Museum’s famed selection of Old Master paintings, are installed facing the wall, allowing viewers to see the backs. Finally, a lighting installation demonstrates the important role of lighting design in the development of exhibitions. Come see what happens behind the scenes at the Museum!

This exhibition has been generously supported by the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Inc.