Venus and Europa
Artist
Benjamin West
American, 1738–1820, active in Great Britain 1763–1820
Datecirca 1768
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions28 1/4 x 36 1/4 in. (71.8 x 92.1 cm)
Frame: 33 1/2 x 41 1/2 x 3 in. (85.1 x 105.4 x 7.6 cm)
Frame: 33 1/2 x 41 1/2 x 3 in. (85.1 x 105.4 x 7.6 cm)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. L. Y. Ballentine
Object numberG.60.13.1
On View
Not on view[1] After Mr. Kelley’s death.
[2] Sold to NCMA with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. L. Y. Ballentine.
Published ReferencesJane Hall, "Hall Marks," Raleigh: The News and Observer, (March 26, 1961).
North Carolina Calendar of Art Events 4, no. 9 (May 1961), illus.
"Accessions of American and Canadian Museums," The Art Quarterly 24, no. 3 (Autumn 1961), 303, illus., checklist 310.
North Carolina Museum of Art Engagement Calendar (1962), illus.
Helen Comstock, "The Connoisseur in America: Benjamin West and the Neo-Classic Style," The Connoisseur 559 (January 1962), 68, illus.
"Acquisitions," North Carolina Museum of Art Bulletin 4, no. 1 (Fall 1963), listed 14, illus. (b-w) 18.
Carolina Charter Tercentenary Exhibition (exhibition catalogue) (Raleigh: North Carolina Museum of Art, 1963), no. 45, illus. (b-w).
Man: Glory, Jest and Riddle (exhibition catalogue) (San Francisco: California Palace of the Legion of Honor, 1964), no. 229.
American Paintings to 1900: Catalogue of Paintings, Vol. 1, 2nd ed. (Raleigh: North Carolina Museum of Art, 1966), no. 61, illus. (color).
Charles W. Stanford, Masterpieces in the North Carolina Museum of Art (Raleigh: North Carolina Museum of Art, 1966), no. 3, illus. (color).
Helmut H. von Erffa, "Benjamin West's Venus and Europa," North Carolina Museum of Art Bulletin 8, no. 4 (June 1969), 22-25, illus. (b-w) 22.
Exhibition Number One from the Permanent Collection (exhibition catalogue) (Raleigh: North Carolina Museum of Art, 1970), 86, illus. (color) 87.
American Paintings from the Collection of the North Carolina Museum of Art (brochure) (Charlotte: Mint Museum of Art, 1975), no. 40, illus. (b-w).
200 Jahre amerikanische Malerei: 1776-1976 (exhibition catalogue) (Bonn: Rheinischen Landesmuseums, 1976), cat. no. 1, illus; 200 godina americkog slikarstva: 1776-1976 (Belgrade: Muzej savremene umetnosti, 1976), cat. no. 1, illus.; 200 Anni di Pittura Americana: 1776-1976 (Roma: Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, 1976), cat. no. 1, illus.; Dwiešcie lat malarstwa amerykanskiego (Warsaw: Museum Narodowe, 1976), first entry, illus.; 200 Years of American Painting: 1776-1976 (Baltimore: Baltimore Museum of Art, 1976), cat. no. 1, illus. (Note: all four European catalogues were translated from the Baltimore catalogue).
Edgar Peters Bowron, ed., Introduction to the Collections (Chapel Hill: published for the North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, by The University of North Carolina Press, 1983), illus. (b-w) 229.
Classical Myth in Western Art: Ancient through Modern (exhibition catalogue) (Dallas: Meadows Museum and Gallery, Southern Methodist University, 1985), 28-29.
Il Mito di Europa: di fanciulla rapita a continente (exhibition catalogue) (Florence: Galleria degli Uffizi, 2003), cat no. 115, illus. (color) 318, (color detail) 193.
Elizabeth Mitchell, “Horace, 'Odes 3.27': A New World for Galatea,” The Cambridge Classical Journal 58 (2012), discussed 165–166, 178–179, illus. 166, fig. 1.
Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "Carolina Charter Tercentenary Exhibition," March 23-April 28, 1963, cat. no. 45, illus. (b-w).
San Francisco, CA, California Palace of the Legion of Honor, "Man: Glory, Jest and Riddle," November10, 1964-January 3, 1965, cat. no. 229.
Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "American Paintings to 1900," 1966, cat. no. 61.
Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, " Exhibition Number One from the Permanent Collection," October 1970, 86, illus. (color) 87.
Richmond, VA, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, "Masterpieces from the North Carolina Museum of Art," March 11-April 13, 1975.
New York, NY, New York Cultural Center, "The Nude in American Art," May-June 1975.
Charlotte, NC, Mint Museum of Art, "American Paintings from the Collection of the North Carolina Museum of Art," September 7- October 19, 1975, cat. no. 40, illus. (b-w).
Baltimore, MD, Baltimore Museum of Art, "Bicentennial Exhibition," April 20-June 20, 1976.
Bonn, Rheinisches Landesmuseum, "200 Years of American Painting: 1776-1976," June 30-July 28, 1976; Belgrade, Museum of Modern Art, August 16 September 11, 1976; Rome, Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, September 28- October 26, 1976; Warsaw, National Museum of Poland, November 12-December 10, 1976; Baltimore, The Maryland Science Center, January 16-February 6, 1977, cat. no. 1.
Fayetteville, NC, Fayetteville Museum of Art, May 1-30, 1978.
Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi, "Il Mito de Europa," June 11, 2002-January 6, 2003, cat. no. 115, illus. (color) 318 and (color detail) 193.
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George Benjamin Luks
