The Permanent Collection at the Biggs Museum holds a diverse array of art forms, representing painting, illustration, drawing, furniture making, sculpture and more. The Biggs Museum Staff and Gala General Chairs chose from its galleries a painting titled Young Lady as the 2012 Gala Signature Object to represent the impressive paintings in the Museum’s collection.

Young Lady is a classic example of Bell’s mature style. This striking art form is not only a portrait of a woman, but an aesthetic statement-female beauty epitomized and codified by the ideals of the American Renaissance. The woman’s pose and garment suggest classical art. The limited palette – “a harmony of gold, green, and flesh tones – create a timeless countenance. Even the reflection of light off the woman’s porcelain skin suggests the quality of a precious still life. Bell’s paintings were intended to appeal to the refined sensibility of America’s growing leisure class.

This selection is a reflective of the Museum’s past and partnering it with the current positive and forward-thinking disposition of The New Biggs. Having completed Phase One of Three Phases, The New Biggs capital campaign enhances outdated facilities to create gallery environments that allow unprecedented access to the collections while better serving the community’s educational and gathering needs. The Twentieth Anniversary Gala will be a celebration of the completion of Phase One and of what is to come in the future.