How would the art world be different if all works of art were anonymous? Why do we value authorship and what kind of worth does an artist's name assign to a work of art? Would we enjoy works of art the same way if we never knew who made them? And how does not knowing the author of a specific work of art change the way we approach it? These questions underline the impetus behind the exhibition Artist Unknown: Selections from the University Art Collection. 

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Featuring nearly three dozen works of art —abstractions, portraits, landscapes, dreamlike narratives, medical illustrations , and more—all but one of the works in this exhibition lacks a specific, named author. Prompted by the need to investigate and improve incomplete registration records, the Richmond Center invited students from Professor Patricia Villalobos Echeverría's spring semester course, Art 5410, Printmaking Workshop, to research the works on view. In addition to gathering valuable information about materials and process for nearly every work of art on view, this collaboration also resulted in students identifying the name of at least one artist. 

 

Refining the object information for each individual print, active object study significantly improves records for the University Art Collection while also creating opportunities for students to engage with works of art directly. Through close observation and hands-on involvement, Richmond Center staff and Frostic School of Art students are refining the interpretation and understanding of numerous prints in the University Art Collection.