Mergers and Acquisitions: The Gift of Sigmund R. Balka, Class of 1956, and the Permanent Collection

This exhibition featured 26 works from the collection of Sigmund R. Balka, Class of 1956 and the Balka Family Collection and 10 works from WCMA’s permanent collection, including works on paper that range from 17th century Holland to contemporary New York by artists ranging from Rembrandt (Dutch, 1606-1669), J. Alden Weir (American, 1852-1919), Fernand Leger (French, 1881-1955), and Jean Arp (German-French, 1886-1966) to Ellsworth Kelly (American, 1923-2015) and Jim Dine (American, b. 1935). This exhibition celebrates the promise of Mr. Balka and his wife Elinor to donate over 200 works of art to the Williams College Museum of Art and reflects on the important role private collectors can have on the development of a teaching museum. Since Mr. Balka was building his collection with an eye toward donating objects to a teaching museum, he assembled works particularly significant for their teaching value. Among the treasures of the Spruance group, for example, are multiple versions of the same print, some reworked by the artist in between impressions.