Telfair Museums: Director's Choice

Opened in 1886, Telfair Museums is the oldest public art museum in the American south. Robin Nicholson introduces Telfair's collection, housed across three sites in Savannah, Georgia. Opened in 1886, Telfair Museums in Savannah, Georgia, is the oldest public art museum in the southern USA. Today, Telfair Museums consists of three unique buildings: the Telfair Academy, the historic Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters, and the contemporary Jepson Center for the Arts. Telfair Museums was formally founded with the bequest of Mary Telfair in 1875 and now has grown to over 6,300 paintings, sculpture, works on paper and decorative arts. Telfair's collections are particularly strong in American Impressionism, the Ashcan School, and American and English silver. Director Robin Nicholson's text is an engaging insight into the history of Telfair Museums and its varied collections, featuring artworks by Childe Hassam, Henry Ossawa Tanner, George Bellows, Helen Levitt, and Mickalene Thomas.

Robin Nicholson is Executive Director and CEO of Telfair Museums. He previously served as Director of the Frick Pittsburgh, before which he worked as head of exhibitions and Deputy Director for art and education at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Dale C. Critz Jr. is chairman of the Board of Trustees. Anne-Solène Bayan is assistant curator. Shannon Browning-Mullis is curator of history and decorative arts. Harry H. DeLorme is senior curator of education. Erin Dunn is associate curator of modern and contemporary art. Courtney A. McNeil is chief curator and deputy director for curatorial affairs. All are current staff at Telfair Museums.