05/24/2026
It’s Staff Pick Sunday! Today we conclude this fun series with our final three staff members sharing their collection favorites.
Jane, Registrar & Director of Exhibitions: Working with the collections, we sometimes come across delightful surprises. These pysanky, or Ukrainian Easter eggs, are not only incredible works of art on their own, but are an example of the kind of art passed down through generations, special but not singular, that shapes how we experience memory, kinship and belonging in the world.
Tanya, Curator: One of my favorite pieces in the collection is this ethereal 1890s chalk drawing of an angel by British Pre-Raphaelite artist Evelyn Pickering de Morgan (1855-1919). An active suffragette and advocate of women’s rights, De Morgan explored spirituality and metaphysical transcendence in ambitious literary and allegorical scenes, often featuring female protagonists. Drawn on vivid red paper, this beautiful study for the painting Realities focuses on the figure’s clinging, flowing drapery.
Bob, Buildings & Grounds Supervisor: I was born in Brooklyn and grew up a few miles west of the George Washington Bridge. I worked in the City for part of the seventies (a historical low point) and noticed the harshness and tragedy that the painting so accurately depicts. [Fun fact: there is a second painting by Marsh on the back. It’s not uncommon for artists to reuse material, the painting on the back, a scene of Coney Island, was most likely a preliminary painting for a larger work.]
