The Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum: A Hub of Art and Culture
The Hilliard Art Museum, formerly known as the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum, stands as the art museum of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, situated in Lafayette, Louisiana. The museum's permanent collection preserves art of cultural and historical significance while providing accessible educational and research opportunities for ULL students, scholars, and the greater Gulf South community. Numbering approximately 3,000 objects, the collection ranges from ancient Egyptian artifacts to vernacular self-taught and internationally recognized contemporary artists.
Origins and Early Development
The museum's history began in 1957 as a university art exhibition program under the direction of University of Southwestern Louisiana Professor of Art, Fred Daspit. This program garnered the attention of W. E. Groves and architect A. Hays Town, who made the university's first major donations of artwork.
In 1965, the USL Foundation initiated plans for the construction and operation of an art center. Starting with a fund of $100,000, the Foundation launched a campaign to secure an additional $400,000. Construction on the center commenced in April 1967, and the building opened to the public in March 1968. The center, designed by A. Hays Town, was a replica of the Hermitage (Darrow, Louisiana), a 19th-century Louisiana River Road Greek Revival plantation house. Notably, bricks from the demolished first Martin Hall ("Old Martin Hall"), the school's administrative offices, were used in the construction of the Town Building, following the construction of the current Martin Hall ("New Martin Hall"). As specified by Town, red dust from the bricks was mixed into the white paint, initially giving the building a slightly rosy tint.
Frances Love served as the director of the Center from 1968 to 1983, during which time it presented various exhibitions.
The Hilliard Gift and Expansion
In 2002, Lafayette residents Paul and Lulu Hilliard presented the UL Lafayette Foundation with a lead gift of $5 million for the construction of a new $8.5 million university art museum, a vision of Herman Mhire, the museum's founder. The new Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum opened in April 2004. The museum building encompasses 33,000 square feet (3,100 m2) with over 11,000 square feet (1,000 m2) of gallery space.
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Permanent Collection and Highlights
The Hilliard Art Museum's permanent collection is a testament to its commitment to preserving and showcasing art of cultural and historical significance. With approximately 3,000 objects, the collection spans a wide range of periods and styles, from ancient Egyptian artifacts to contemporary works by internationally recognized artists.
The Hilliard Permanent Collection Mission is to establish a high-quality, focused collection of national importance that builds upon the strength of our current holdings of American art from the 1950s to the present, including works by Louisiana-based artists or works pertaining to our Gulf Coast regional history and culture. Under Mhire, building a focused collection to be a resource for expanding the art historical discourse was a priority.
Significant collections within the permanent collection include:
- Jacqueline Heymann Cohn Japanese Print Collection: This collection showcases Japanese woodblock prints, illustrating the changes in Japanese society from the late 19th to the early 20th century.
- Sylvia & Warren Lowe Collection of American Vernacular (folk) Art: This collection celebrates the rich tradition of American folk art.
- Marais Press Collection: This collection features works produced by the Marais Press.
- Ambassador Jefferson Caffery Collection of Egyptian Artifacts: This collection offers a glimpse into ancient Egyptian history and culture.
- Andy Warhol Collection: This collection includes works by the iconic pop artist Andy Warhol.
- The Louisiana Collection: This collection showcases 19th-21st century paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, and sculpture by artists with Louisiana and regional heritage. A growing collection establish through the generous contributions of W. E. Groves and the ongoing contributions of Robert and Jolie Shelton, George and Betty Jo Newton, and Elizabeth Dubus Baldridge.
- Henry Botkin Collection: This collection comprises 150 pieces from American Modernist Henry Botkin in oil, pastel, and collage produced from the 1930s to the 1960s.
- Drawings by Eilshemius
- Print portfolios by Picasso and Dali
Over 1,200 digital catalogue entries (and growing!) are available in the museum’s online collections database.
Forgery Incident and "Faux Real" Exhibition
In September 2010, Mark Landis, posing as a Jesuit priest named Father Arthur Scott, visited the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum. He donated a painting purportedly by Charles Courtney Curran, claiming it was due to the loss of his mother. However, the museum director, upon examination by the museum registrar, discovered inconsistencies that suggested the painting was a forgery. A microscope observation then showed a dot-matrix pattern, hinting that a mere photocopy of the original had been projected on the board and then painted over.
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In November 2010, The Art Newspaper published a complete paper on the matter. Matthew Leininger and Aaron Cowan organized an exhibition titled "Faux Real" to address the issue of forgery in art, specifically Landis's works. The exhibition, which took place from April 1st to May 20, 2012, at the Dorothy W. and C. Lawson Reed Jr., featured approximately 90 pieces by Landis, along with his "Jesuit father" costume and some of his art books.
Mission and Community Engagement
The Hilliard Art Museum is committed to providing accessible educational and research opportunities for ULL students, scholars, and the broader Gulf South community. The museum's permanent collection serves as a valuable resource for expanding the art historical discourse.
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