The Barry Art Museum at has announced two new exhibitions for 2023.
“The Great Exhibition: Bébés at the Barry” will be on view from Jan. 27 through July 30 and “PERSPECTIVES: Modern and Contemporary Glass from the Waitzer Collection” will be displayed from March 10 through Dec. 31.
“Bébés at the Barry” is an intimate exhibition that explores how the bébé doll shaped representations of childhood on a global scale.
During the last quarter of the 19th century, French doll makers popularized a new type of bisque porcelain doll that was the first to represent young children. Unlike previous dolls (which resembled adults or teenagers), bébés offered children idealized representations of themselves; they transformed the doll industry by engaging the larger world.
Appearing at international events like the World’s Fair and advertised everywhere from storybooks to scientific articles, the bébé secured a prominent place in doll history.
“PERSPECTIVES” will debut selections from the Leah and Richard Waitzer Foundation’s gift of 165 glass artworks to the museum, nearly doubling the Barry’s holdings of glass art and design objects.
Leah (1937-2021) and Richard Waitzer (1932-2019) of Norfolk shared a lifelong interest in the arts that blossomed into a passion for collecting modern American painting and international glass sculpture. The couple’s internationally significant contribution includes works that span the history of modern glass, from Louis Comfort Tiffany to Dale Chihuly and Lino Tagliapietra, among so many more. The Waitzers were mentors and friends to art collectors and philanthropists Carolyn and Richard Barry, who founded the museum in 2016.
A full-color catalog will accompany the exhibition and will include an introduction from Barry Art Museum Executive Director Charlotte Potter Kasic and extensive notes on the work from Executive Director Emeritus Jutta-Annette Page.
The Barry Art Museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, visit the Barry Art Museum’s .