Hendrick Goltzius (Dutch, 1558-1617) after Cornelis van Haarlem (Dutch, 1562-1638), Phaeton from The Disgracers, 1588. Engraving. Collection of The Hearn Family Trust. Photograph by Paul Mutino.

GREENWICH, CT.- The galleries of the Bruce Museum will be bursting with pride this summer and into fall: "The Seven Deadly Sins: Pride" opened on June 27, part of a groundbreaking series of area exhibitions exploring the Seven Deadly Sins. Presented by seven members of the Fairfield/Westchester Museum Alliance, the Seven Deadly Sins exhibitions represent the FWMA's first ever collaborative effort. 

"The Seven Deadly Sins have played a significant role in theology, literature and art since the Middle Ages," says Susan Ball, Deputy Director of the Bruce Museum and a curator of the exhibition. "Pride, or superbia, represents the mother of all sins and the one from which all others arise - the root of a many-branched tree. It's a fascinating, intriguing subject, and we're delighted to be presenting it at the Bruce." 

Jan Pietersz Saenredam (Dutch, 1565-1607) after Abraham Bloemaert (Dutch, 1564-1651), Temptation of Man, from The History of Adam and Eve, 1604. Engraving. Collection of The Hearn Family Trust. Photo: Paul Mutino.

Pride is explored within a historical context in the exhibition, which presents nearly 50 works ranging from Dürer works on paper from as far back as 1498 to Fay Ku's 2014 graphite and oil on mylar. Susan Ball and Co-Curator Amanda Skehan have selected paintings, engravings, etchings, lithographs, illustrated books, magazines, three-dimensional objects and more from private collections, galleries, and institutions that include Yale University Art Gallery, Minneapolis Institute of Art, National Gallery of Art, Princeton Art Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Brooklyn Museum, and The Clark Art Institute. The curators hope that the exhibition encourages discussion, raising questions about the history of morality and moralizing. 

Public programs supporting the exhibition include a special after-hours event at the Bruce, the Superbia Soirée, on Friday evening July 17, and a Puppet Show Family Day featuring Magpie Puppets and The Emporer's New Clothes on Sunday, July 19.

Gabriel Schachinger (1850-1912), Sweet Reflections, 1886. Oil on canvas, 51 x 31 in. Woodmere Art Museum: Bequest of Charles Knox Smith Photograph by Rick Echelmeyer.