We asked Driehaus Executive Director Lisa Key, Alexandra Ruggiero the guest curator who organized the show around the Museum’s own collection and the private collection of Richard Driehaus, and Tiffany collector Michael Levitin to elaborate on why the show is attracting so much attention.
Lisa Key told us:
“The success of ‘Tiffany Lamps: Beyond the Shade’ is deeply heartening. Visitors have responded to the sense of extreme beauty and, frankly, the light that this exhibition gives you when you view it. That sense of light invites people in. It invites you in for closer examination of these beautiful artworks. Many have shared that the show feels very intimate, while also offering moments of pure joy. We are hearing again and again that a visit to this exhibition stays with visitors long after they leave, which is always the most meaningful measure of success for us.”
Tiffany Studios created a captivating range of decorative lighting fixtures that embraced the technological shift from oil lamps to electricity and simultaneously met the styles and tastes of nineteenth and twentieth century consumers. The 1883 Gilded Age home built for the Samuel Nickerson family is the ideal backdrop for the show which features a variety of Tiffany designs. Louis Comfort Tiffany, son of the founder of Tiffany & Company, led in the design and vision of the lamps but many of the most important designs were by women known as “the Tiffany Girls” led by head designer Clara Driscoll.
Guest Curator Alexandra Ruggiero told us:
“At the Driehaus Museum you can see the works in the same setting they were intended. I love the monumental bronze chandelier we have, lowered so that visitors can see its details. I think the reason people keep going back is just that there are so many examples to see. Among them is a lamp with an enamel base. There were not many of them made.”
Speaking to Ruggiero at her upstate New York home she said that she treasured trips to nearby Bath to tour the First Presbyterian Church which has one of only five sanctuaries designed completely by Tiffany.
We asked Ruggiero how to best view the Driehaus show.
“I recently read that exploring an exhibition is not like reading a book, going from chapter to chapter. It can be more like taking a hike, maybe you wander a bit. Even if you don’t read every label, it can be a great visit. The Driehaus features the iconic nautilus shell lamps, set against that beautiful woodwork, on the first floor to start you on your way to explore the full range of works from Tiffany studios.”
Michael Levitin loaned two Tiffany pieces from his collection to the current exhibition: a cattail base lamp and a cigar box alongside a photo of Louis Comfort Tiffany.
“The show of course is ‘Beyond the Shade’ and metal works, vases and other designs are featured, but at first I think people are primarily drawn to the shades. The colors are impressionistic and like those of real flowers. So many things in nature are portrayed in such vibrant ways. And at first, they had to be sturdy enough to provide fire power and prevent fire,” Levitin said.
In addition to the exhibition and beauty, Levitin offers an additional explanation of why the show is so popular.
“Think of cocktail table books and the biggest sellers are those about Frank Lloyd Wright and about Tiffany, and of course Monet and the Impressionists. Tiffany and Art Nouveau are central to people’s aesthetics, they are so inherently beautiful. With Wright, you might not want to live in one of his houses, but you want to know about them.”
Levitin noted that often lamps were incidental to Tiffany. “He did entire interiors for homes, churches and synagogues. He once designed rooms for the White House but they were ripped out long ago and only exist in a few photographs. He himself was considered a very good artist and painter.
“When visitors tour the exhibition, they should look at the bases. The earliest lamps held kerosene and the bases had to be heavy enough not to turn over. He was designing for the wealthy on the Upper East and West sides of New York. They liked their bronze statues and the bronze lamp bases were pricy and turned into works of art with beautiful patinas when they were electrified.
“The base of my lamp in the exhibition shows what at first appears to be a volcano but when you look closely you see ghost shrimp and clams together in a mound. Tiffany summered in Oyster Bay and loved representing the environment. He brought nature to lighting and you can imagine using his works in any décor. You often find his lamps in contemporary and mid-century modern homes. Our house is of an arts and crafts design and our Tiffany pieces look beautiful there.”
Levitin worked with an expert as he collected.
“They of course are sought after around the world. There is a wonderful Parisian dealer and I have heard that there are now many collectors in Brazil and throughout South America. At one point the largest collection in the world was probably in Japan but the collector sold it all. There are many fakes out there. We knew we had to turn to a trusted advisor.”
Levitin remembers the exact moment when he first fell in love with Tiffany at age 10. “I visited a neighbor named Joyce who had an antiques collection within her mid-century modern home. I remember first being intrigued by a blender actually built into a kitchen island, then I looked up and saw a Tiffany poster from the 1950s or ’60s showing a dragonfly lamp. I remember thinking: ‘how great, but how unattainable.’”
Ruggiero notes: “Tiffany’s lamps debuted with great success and people began collecting early on. Interest fell out in the 1930s and 1940s but there was a wave in the 1950s and 1960s. There is still definitely a market for collectors and you can find them regularly at auction houses. Both the New York Historical Society and the Neustadt Collection at the Queens Museum are wonderful places to visit in New York if you love Tiffany.”
But the best place for now to see Tiffany, shades and beyond, is right here in Chicago at the Driehaus Museum.
With thanks to the Driehaus Museum for extending the exhibition for another month until April 19. For information about Tiffany Lamps: Beyond the Shade and future exhibitions, visit driehausmuseum.org.