THE SLOANE COLLECTION
Currently on view
The Hermitage, a 42-room Arts and Crafts mansion constructed between 1908 and 1936, is home to the Sloane Collection, an assemblage of fine and decorative art which rivals the house itself in both scope and inventiveness. With over 5,000 objects, the collection spans 5,000 years of art history and represents over 30 countries.
AN AMERICAN ABROAD:
Florence Sloane in Europe, 1920s-1930s
On view through December 2024
An American Abroad illustrates the adventures of Florence Sloane, a cultural trailblazer and founder of the Hermitage Museum & Gardens. View several rare pieces from our archival collection that outline Florence’s travels abroad during the 1920s-1930s, including intricate textiles, historic photographs, personal souvenirs, mementos, and more.
Learn more about the exhibit, opening celebration and associated programs.
PAST EXHIBITIONS
CLAUDIA BUENO:
ECHOES OF THE HEART
June 2023
Born in Venezuela, Bueno creates stunning, interactive worlds that call forth our most intimate, foundational emotions and gives them seemingly limitless space in which to fully bloom.
ROBERTO LUGO: POTTERY WITH PURPOSE
June 2022
Lugo is an artist, activist, educator, poet, and the founder of Village Potter. He is most recognized for his hand thrown ceramic work that contrasts traditional ceramic forms such as porcelain teapots and urns with subject matter that is culturally and politically motivated.
WORK IN PROGRESS: 13 MURALS FOR RIGHT NOW
June 2021
Work in Progress: 13 Murals for Right Now explores the power of murals to catalyze change during a historic time of turmoil and confusion in the country. On view June 12 through October 3, the exhibition seeks to highlight the individual platforms of each artist while expanding the greater conversation of social justice in our community.
THE ART OF BURNING MAN
June 3 – October 15, 2017
The first museum exhibition dedicated to the art of the Burning Man event held annually in Nevada opened at the Hermitage Museum & Gardens on June 3rd. The exhibition features outdoor and indoor artworks from seven of Burning Man’s artist teams: Michael Garlington, Charles Gadeken, James Peterson, Bree Hylkema and Sean Orlando of Five Ton Crane, Kirsten Berg, Gregg Fleishman, and Christopher Schardt. View the Exhibit Pages here
SOLD! BUYING ASIAN ART
AT AMERICAN AUCTIONS
June 3 – September 4, 2016
SOLD! specifically highlighted the Hermitage’s Asian acquisitions from 1943 and 1944. A Chinese Zhou dynasty tomb and a New York City auction house from the early 1940s were recreated in the galleries. In each room visitors found historical artifacts and information as well as interactive elements that provided an understanding of both what it was like to work on an archaeological dig in the early 20th century and experienced the excitement that came along with purchasing art in an auction setting.
AMERICAN IMPRESSIONISM:
THE LURE OF THE ARTISTS’ COLONY
February 12 – April 26, 2016
This collection of lyrical landscapes, ranging from snow-covered hills to sun-filled harbors and seascapes, penetrating portraits, and remarkable still life paintings document an important moment in the history of American art. American Impressionism included 56 total works, including oil paintings and works on paper dating from the golden age of American Impressionism, the 1880s through the 1940s. Leading artists of the movement were represented, including William Merritt Chase, Childe Hassam, Ernest Lawson, Julian Alden Weir, John Twachtman, Chauncey Ryder, Frank W. Benson, William Paxton, Abbott Thayer, Guy Wiggins, Charles Webster Hawthorne, Colin Campbell Cooper, Daniel Garber and Edward Redfield, among others. Organized by the Reading Public Museum.
roberley bell:
[un]natural landscapes
September 4 – December 7, 2015
Sculptor Roberley Bell presented a site-specific exhibition created specifically for the Hermitage. Her colorful, playful forms delighted visitors of all ages as they encountered pieces and plantings reminiscent of the museum outdoors and organic, biomorphic forms in conversation with the museum’s collection indoors.
ABOVE THE FOLD:
NEW EXPRESSIONS IN ORIGAMI
May 8 – July 26, 2015
Above the Fold: New Expressions in Origami was an engaging, thought-provoking, and interdisciplinary look at the modern advances of origami through contemporary artwork. Curated by Meher McArthur and organized for tour by International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC. Visionary master folders—such as Erik Demaine and Martin Demaine (Canada/USA), Jiangmei Wu (USA), Vincent Floderer (France), Miri Golan (Israel), Paul Jackson (UK/Israel), Dr. Robert J. Lang (USA), Yuko Nishimura (Japan), and Richard Sweeney (UK)—push the boundaries of paper as a medium to create bold, provocative works.
BRUCE MUNRO: LIGHT
October 12 – January 10, 2015
Internationally acclaimed British artist Bruce Munro presented an 8-piece light sculpture exhibition across the Hermitage grounds. The show was Munro’s fourth in the United States and included two brand new sculptures inspired by his visit to the Hermitage, Lighthouse and Wave. Visitors wandered throughout the Hermitage forest, gardens, boardwalk, and river shoreline to experience Munro’s interactive displays. The museum also housed both a projected piece and permanent commissioned piece, Light Shower.
