A leading expert on 19th century painting will speak Monday as part of the University of Montana President’s Lecture Series, in conjunction with an art exhibit on display at the Montana Museum of Art and Culture.
Gloria Groom is the Mary and David Winton Green curator of 19th century European painting and sculpture at the Art Institute of Chicago, one of the pre-eminent museums in the country and home to some of the great masterpieces of 19th and 20th century art.
Her lecture is titled “The School of Nature in French Art: From Realism to Impressionism.” It relates specifically to works currently on display in the exhibit “Labor and Leisure: Impressionist and Realist Masterpieces from a Private Collector” in the MMAC’s Meloy Gallery.
The connection between the exhibit, which opened Sept. 6 and closes Jan. 5, and Groom’s lecture is of some significance, said Barbara Koostra, MMAC director.
“These works are from a private