West African Gold from the Ivory Coast: The Olga Hirshhorn Collection

July 27, 2009 - November 7, 2009

The Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut, opens a second summer show drawn from the collections of former Greenwich native Olga Hirshhorn, entitled West African Gold from the Ivory Coast: The Olga Hirshhorn Collection. Mrs. Hirshhorn married famed art collector Joseph H. Hirshhorn, whose gift of his collection to the Smithsonian Institution established the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, which opened in Washington, D.C. in 1974. Mrs. Hirshhorn started her gold collection in the 1970s, shortly after she met her future husband.

Mrs. Hirshhorn began acquiring gold necklaces to complement her Victorian necklace collection. She would purchase the objects during visits to England, France and New York, focusing on gold ornaments and pendants.

Comprised of about 90 pieces, West African Gold from the Ivory Coast: The Olga Hirshhorn Collection consists of finely wrought works of gold depicting human faces and animals. This is the second time that the Bruce Museum has exhibited this collection, which was last shown in 1989. A majority of the pieces on display were made by various Lagoon peoples from Côte d'Ivoire such as the Ebrie and Akye tribes. Some were cast by the Baule peoples who live in the northwest part of Côte d'Ivoire. Today, gold ornaments are still worn by women as hair ornaments; men display them on festive occasions as a statement of wealth and social status.

Olga Hirshhorn, nee Olga Zatorsky, grew up in Greenwich and reminisces, "Bruce Park was my playground, and the Bruce Museum was my classroom." A complementary exhibition of her collection of small-scale art works, The Mouse House: Art from the Collection of Olga Hirshhorn, is also on view at the Bruce Museum through Sunday, October 18, 2009. Both exhibitions are supported by a committee of honor led by Peter Malkin, Creighton Reed, Leah and Bob Rukeyser, and Brenda and Larry Thompson, and also by the Charles M. and Deborah G. Royce Exhibition Fund

The Bruce Museum is presenting a number of public programs related to both exhibitions. These include an appearance by Olga Hirshhorn on Wednesday, September 16, 2009, at 1:30 p.m., entitled "A Peek Inside the Mouse House with Olga Hirshhorn," in which Mrs. Hirshhorn explains how she built her extraordinary collection of decorative and fine art. On Wednesday, September 30, 2009, at 1:30 p.m., Dr. Susan Kart, Assistant Professor of African Art at Sarah Lawrence College, will present the lecture "African Gold from the Olga Hirshhorn Collection," which will provide an in-depth look at the cultural and historical significance of the objects featured in the exhibition. Both lectures are followed by a tea reception and docent-led tours of the exhibition.