Program Profile
The Gallery is dedicated to the memory of the late Alexey von Schlippe (1915-1988), an innovative and accomplished painter, and former Professor of Art at the University of Connecticut at Avery Point. A gift of the von Schlippe family, the Permanent Collection consists of some five hundred works, including representative paintings of a variety of subjects. Substantial support for activities of the Gallery comes through the generous and enthusiastic efforts of its volunteer board and from the participation by Members and artists from across the region. The Gallery will augment the financial support base provided by its current members through efforts in fundraising which will include grant submissions, expanded membership drives, and special projects.

Through its programs, the Gallery offers students, the academic community, and the public, access and exposure to a rich diversity of art which is continuously growing in this region. The Gallery reinforces its basic purpose through secondary arts activities, such as lectures, films, concerts, and poetry readings, thus serving as the cultural center of the campus and an important cultural resource for the community.

Alexey von Schlippe
According to Helmut Nickel, former Curator of Arms and Armor at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Alexey's art "...based on traditional forms rooted in his European and specifically Russian heritage, reflects his wide-ranging personal experience of the vagaries of life; it showse glow of early Quattrocento masters permeated with the hieratic austerity of Byzantine icons. A subtle blending of realism and abstraction is particularly evident in his landscapes, which go far beyond mere design in their human evaluation of nature...there is a striking combination of modern view and traditional aesthetics in Alexey von Schlippe's (work) that interprets the past with a fresh and individual vision."

Striking among Alexey's works are unique treatments of fundamental ambiguities related to how objects and human figures occupy or "own" space. The permanent collection, a gift of the von Schlippe family, includes representative paintings of all subjects treated by this prolific painter, from still-lifes and portraits to abstract works. We are hopeful that, because of the close relationship with the von Schlippe family, the Gallery may enjoy some access to the collection of paintings in Alexey's estate in Germany.

Our Galleries
The Alexey von Schlippe Gallery of Art was founded in 1992 by Julia Pavone and David Madacsi, at the University of Connecticut's Avery Point Campus, which occupies the Long Island Sound Gatsby-era estate of industrialist Morton Freeman Plant. The Gallery is located in the Branford House Mansion, a 19,000 square-foot granite Tudor mansion built by Plant at the turn of the century, which itself is a treasury of carved, chased, sculpted, cast, molded and inlaid works of European craftsmen in oak, mahogany, walnut, onyx, marble, sandstone, bronze, iron and plaster.The mansion, a registered property in the National Register of Historic Places, which was renovated and restored, has become the focal point of this seventy-three acre, seaside campus.

The Gallery provides four separate but contiguous exhibition spaces.One of these spaces is most often dedicated to the exhibition of works from what we regard as a unique treasure--a permanent collection of paintings by the late Alexey von Schlippe (1915-1988), an innovative and accomplished painter of international reputation, and former Professor of Art at the University of Connecticut's Avery Point campus.

The additional gallery spaces are used for exhibits of regional, national and international artists. It is a policy and purpose of the Alexey von Schlippe Gallery of Art to offer significant exposure to artists from across the complete spectrum of artistic expression, especially those doing innovative work. We believe this policy will afford the public (and -- especially importantly -- students) access and exposure to an enhanced diversity of creative works of art, particularly by regional artists.

Statement of Purpose
The Alexey von Schlippe Gallery of Art, The University of Connecticut at Avery Point, has been established for the exhibition, interpretation, collection and preservation of works of art and to provide opportunities for students and scholars for research. The Gallery exists for the benefit and enrichment of the University academic community, the citizens of southern Connecticut and of the State of Connecticut in general, and for the public at large. It shall contribute through its educational and other programs to the greater understanding and appreciation of art.

Through its activities, The Alexey von Schlippe Gallery of Art strives for the highest quality and diversity of programs possible in an effort to complement the strength, depth, and breadth of art offerings in southern Connecticut.

The Gallery's function is four-fold: the exhibition, interpretation, and preservation of works of art, and to provide opportunities for scholars for research of works of art. The Gallery attempts to contribute significantly to the educational and outreach objectives of the University in southern Connecticut. The Gallery's most important concern is for the works of art in its care, its exhibition, and its use as educational tools. A complementary concern is the exhibition of regional, national and internation art across a broad range of expression by accomplished visual artists. Through its programs, the Gallery offers students, the academic community, and the public access and exposure to an expanded diversity of art which would otherwise be significantly lacking in the region. The Gallery reinforces its basic purpose through secondary functions such as lectures, films, and concerts, thus serving as the cultural center of the campus and an important cultural resource for the community.