Farmington Resident Elected to Wadsworth Atheneum Board

Farmington resident Alden Gordon, the Paul E. Raether Distinguished Professor of Art History at Trinity College and the founder of Public Art CT, has been elected to the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art’s Board of Trustees, at the nation’s oldest continuously operating public art museum.

Alden Gordon has previously served as an Elector of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Nov 2012-Nov 2021, and as a member of the Education Committee. He began his career at The Frick Collection in New York and has been a research fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts (CASVA), the Getty Research Institute, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art (Paris) and the Centre de Recherche du Château de Versailles.

His research interests are French art and art patronage in the eighteenth century, the history of travel and, more recently, the online digital humanities publication of art and architecture in public places in Connecticut. He has curated or contributed to museum exhibitions in Europe and the United States.

His most recent publications are on the Royal Drawing Collections in the Louvre in the 18th Century, on the Direct Sale of Gobelins Tapestries during the Fiscal Crisis of the Seven-Years War, and the identification of two 1750 panoramic drawings of Rome by Charles-Nicolas Cochin the Younger. Professor Gordon was recognized for his contribution to the knowledge of French culture with the title of Chevalier in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (1999).

“The Wadsworth is a world-class institution and a remarkable resource for our community. We are pleased to welcome Alden and the new members of our Board, and appreciate their interest and commitment,” said Board Chair Duffield Ashmead IV. “We look forward to working with Alden and all of our Board colleagues to advance the museum’s collections, marvelous programs and all the initiatives that make the Wadsworth such a special and engaging place for all.”

Joining Gordon as members of the Wadsworth Board’s Class of 2028 are Pedro Bermudez, Mally Cox-Chapman, David W. Dangremond, and Jason Galvin. Re-elected were Michele Wren Cook, G. Duncan Harris, Phillipa Feigen Malin, and Timothy P. McLaughlin. Elected to one-year ex-officio terms were Andre E. Rochester, Sr.as designee of the Mayor of the City of Hartford and Caroline Cunningham Young as designee of the Governor.

“We welcome the perspective and experience that Alden brings to the Board; he will help to sustain and accelerate our momentum, as we develop an array of public programs, special events, and new exhibitions attracting new people into our midst, electrifying the entire museum,” said Wadsworth President and CEO Jeffrey N. Brown.

“With the museum recently named one of the 20 Best Art Museums in America by The Washington Post, Pedro joins the Board at an exciting time. His background in the visual and performing arts add a new depth of experience to our Board” added Brown.

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About the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art

Founded in 1842 with a vision for infusing art into the American experience, the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art is home to a collection of nearly 50,000 works of art spanning 5,000 years and encompassing European art from antiquity through contemporary as well as American art from the 1600s to today. The Wadsworth Atheneum’s five connected buildings— representing architectural styles including Gothic Revival, modern International Style, and 1960s Brutalism—are located at 600 Main Street in Hartford, Conn.

Current hours are noon–5pm Thursday–Sunday. The Museum Shop and BMuse café are open during regular museum hours. The library is open on Fridays by appointment only. Admission: $10–20; discounts for members, students, youth, and seniors. Free admission for Hartford residents with Wadsworth Welcome registration. Phone: (860) 278-2670; website: thewadsworth.org.