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CHARLESTON’S ‘SOUTHERN MASTERPIECES’ OPENS AT GIBBES MUSEUM FEBRUARY 9

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CHARLESTON, S.C. — The Gibbes Museum of Art will present the exhibition, “Southern Masterpieces: Charleston Before 1835,” on view February 9–April 29.

The exhibition speaks to the growing national interest in fine and decorative art of the South. Featuring The Rivers Collection of significant Low Country furniture and silver arranged within the context of paintings and sculpture from the Gibbes permanent collection, along with select objects from public and private collections, “Southern Masterpieces” offers a comprehensive exploration of Charleston’s taste and refinement from the Eighteenth through the early Nineteenth Century.

Recognizing that significant pieces of Charleston furniture and silver were dispersing outside the Charleston area, John M. Rivers, Jr, whose family has been in Charleston continuously since 1670, began forming The Rivers Collection in 1988. Instilled with the same spirit possessed by E. Milby Burton, former director of the Charleston Museum and author of the Charleston Furniture: 1700–1825, Rivers has effectively supplemented the work of public museums in an effort to preserve the rich heritage of Charleston and the surrounding region. “Southern Masterpieces” will offer the first public showing of objects from this collection.

The museum is at 135 Meeting Street. For more information, www.gibbesmuseum.org or 843-722-2706.