Columbus Museum Presents—Annotations:  George Cooke & Thomas Hope and the Influence of Antiquity

Feb 2, 2012

Media Contact:
Ashley Bice
Marketing and Media Manager
The Columbus Museum
706.748.2562 ext. 540
abice@columbusmuseum.com

Annotations: George Cooke & Thomas Hope and the Influence of Antiquity Exhibition Opening

(February 1, 2012) Columbus, GA- The Annotations: George Cooke & Thomas Hope and the Influence of Antiquity exhibition will open Sunday, February 5, 2012 and run through Sunday, July 22, 2012. George Cooke (1793-1849), who began his career as a self-taught painter, sought to increase his skill and knowledge by following the custom of many American artists in traveling to Europe.

During this period in 1828, Cooke copied passages from the introduction and figures from the engravings of noted antiquarian Thomas Hope’s Costume of the Ancients. His collection was accepted as a reliable visual guide to ancient costume and antiquities, and artists turned to it not only as a source for elements of ancient costume and ancient figure style but also for elegant poses of noble figures. Cooke was successful as a portrait painter, and this exhibition explores how he might have used the costumes and poses from Hope’s publication as inspiration for his portraits of Native Americans and of Henry Clay. The flow of inspiration from antiquity to the 19th century artwork of Hope and other American artists in the Museum’s collection is investigated by placing them side by side in this installation.

As an American art and regional history museum, and the second largest general museum in Georgia, the Columbus Museum offers a diverse collection to the public. The Museum houses over 14,000 artifacts and objects that tell the story of the Chattahoochee River Valley’s development, an American fine art collection from a host of renowned American artists, a hands-on gallery for children, and the finest traveling exhibitions from across the U.S.

For more information about the Columbus Museum or the Annotations: George Cooke & Thomas Hope and the Influence of Antiquity exhibition and the educational programming associated with the exhibition, please visit www.columbusmuseum.com.
 

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