Arlene Shechet

pair of gilt-bronze candelabra, circa 1782, with hard-paste porcelain and marble elements
Letter from the Director: Summer 2016

Director Ian Wardropper discusses the evolution of the collection, including recent acquisitions.

photo of white porcelain dish decorated with large red dragon and cup-like objects
Porcelain, No Simple Matter: Arlene Shechet and the Arnhold Collection
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A collaboration with New York−based sculptor Arlene Shechet, this exhibition explored the complex history of making, collecting, and displaying porcelain. About one hundred eighteenth-century pieces produced by the Royal Meissen Manufactory, many from the promised gift of Henry H. Arnhold, were juxtaposed with sixteen of Shechet’s own works.

Meissen Porcelain brush handle
Next Portico Gallery Show to take a Fresh Look at Meissen Porcelain
Link to video of Meredith Martin lecture
Meredith Martin: "Porcelain Rooms from Amalia von Solms to Arlene Shechet"

Popular among European elites during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries but also present in Asia and Africa, the “porcelain room” was a unique architectural phenomenon associated with expanding global trade, intercultural curiosity, and consumerism. Martin’s talk explores its history and its echoes in Porcelain, No Simple Matter: Arlene Shechet and the Arnhold Collection.