Portrait of Mme. Rimsky-Korsakov 1864
Our program series for the first half of the year ends with a spectacular offering – Dr. Helga K. Aurisch, European, Curator of European Art at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, will introduce us with her customary charm, humor, and extensive knowledge to the exhibition High Society: The Portraits of Franz X. Winterhalter on Thursday, May 19, 2016. We are looking forward to the lecture, and are also welcoming many members of the Swiss American Society Houston. Due to the high popularity of Dr. Aurisch’s talks, it is quite important to let us know now at angelika@houstonleipzig.org that you are planning on attending the event.
We will meet in the brand new MFA Café (formerly Café Express) in the Audrey Jones Beck Building, beginning at 5:45 p.m. We will have an area reserved for us. The cafe has counter service, not table service, and food and drink purchases are optional. The lecture by Dr. Aurisch will take place in the American General Room in the Caroline Wiess Law Building (access via tunnel from the Beck building) at 7:00 p.m. The cost for the entrance to the Exhibit and Dr. Aurisch’s talk is $12 per person, regardless of whether you are a member of the MFHA. Free parking is available in the street-level lot directly across from the Law Building at 1001 Bissonnet Street. There is an additional lot on Main Street on the other side of First Presbyterian Church. Paid parking is also available in the MFAH Parking Garage at 1144 Binz Street, marked by a large, yellow arrow.
Pauline Sandor, Princess Metternich 1860
Franz Xaver Winterhalter, the 19th century’s most renowned portraitist of European aristocracy, captured the elegance and opulence of his distinguished sitters with an unrivaled brilliance. The comprehensive exhibition High Society: The Portraits of Franz X. Winterhalter presents a selection of these canvases, complemented by select items of clothing by sought-after fashion designer Charles Frederick Worth and several of Worth’s contemporaries. This major survey features works drawn from public, private, and royal collections around the world.
Swiss Girl from Interlaken 1840s
The German-born Winterhalter (1805–1873) gained popularity in Paris and became the preferred portraitist of England’s Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and his services were eventually in much demand throughout Europe. He was celebrated for his ability to capture likenesses and for his superb rendering of textures and fashionable details.
Although many of Winterhalter’s iconic portraits of European nobility predate the entry of couturier Worth (1825–1895) into the field of fashion, their client lists among elegant women of the European courts overlapped. High Society showcases about 45 of Winterhalter’s magnificent paintings, along with glamorous evening gowns and other couture garments from the period.