Jean-Siméon Chardin (French, 1699-1779), The Washerwoman. Oil on canvas, about 1733-39. Toledo Museum of Art. Purchased with funds from the Florence Scott Libbey Bequest in Memory of her Father, Maurice A. Scott, 2006.3

TOLEDO, OH.- On February 27, 2009, the Toledo Museum of Art opens a new exhibition that spans continents, centuries and galleries. Look What’s New! The Second Century of Collecting at the Toledo Museum of Art highlights the most exciting and significant works of art added to the collection since TMA’s centennial anniversary in 2001.

Arranged in chronological order by year acquired, the works of art chosen by Museum curators reveal a rare glimpse into the complex, alluring world of art collecting, including international art dealers, exquisitely delicate conservation, competitive auctions, generous donors and gifts from living artists. While the bulk of the recent acquisitions are grouped together in Canaday Gallery and the Graphic Arts corridor, tentacles of the exhibition reach into every gallery and every part of the campus. Throughout the exhibition, collection stories reveal how specific objects came to join the TMA collection—some as sudden and unexpected opportunities, others after years of meticulous searching.

Chosen from more than 1,100 works of art added to the TMA collection since 2001, the featured objects in Look What’s New! encompass nearly every media, period and geographic region represented in the collection. The exhibition reaches into all galleries of the Museum, including the outdoor Georgia and David K. Welles Sculpture Garden and the Glass Pavilion, enticing visitors with new discoveries and new stories—from the intricate goldsmithing of an ancient Greek headpiece, to an exquisitely conserved pair of Jean-Simeon Chardin paintings, to Lino Tagliapietra’s glass Dinosaur which was created in the Glass Pavilion itself, and many more.

To emphasize the ever-evolving nature of the collection, Gallery 18 has been designated for the installation of works of art acquired during the run of the exhibition. Labeled “Look What’s Really New,” this gallery invites visitors to watch the collection “grow” over multiple visits, and fosters anticipation for the Museum’s next great addition of its second century.

Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669), Christ Crucified Between the Two Thieves: “The Three Crosses.” Drypoint and burin. Toledo Museum of Art. Purchased with William J. Hitchcock Fund in memory of Grace J. Hitchcock, 2002.1