Gift leads to Gordon Gallery expansion and celebration of Mathias Alten

Grand Valley State University is planning a "double celebration" inspired by the works of Mathias J. Alten (1871-1938), who painted more than 2,500 works of art throughout his lifetime, and was once referred to as the dean of Michigan painters.  

A rededication of the George and Barbara Gordon Gallery, which doubled in size thanks to a gift from George and Barbara Gordon, will be paired with the annual DeVos Art Lecture. Both events spotlight the wonders of Alten, whose work is featured in the Gordon Gallery.

On November 12, DeVos Lecture Series Honorary Chair Marcia Knapp Haas and Grand Valley’s Director of Galleries and Collections Henry Matthews will host a warm-up reception at 5 p.m., the lecture at 5:30 p.m., and the 6:30 p.m. ribbon-cutting and rededication of the Gordon Gallery, followed by a reception. All events are free and open to the public in the DeVos Center, 401 W. Fulton Street, on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus. Free parking is available in the Mount Vernon lot. Media are welcome.

The DeVos Art Lecture will feature Jane Connell, director of collections and exhibitions and senior curator of the Muskegon Museum of Art. She will present “The Wonder that is Mathias Alten: Ambition, Attraction, Achievement.”

“One of the main thrusts of my talk will be to discuss what it is about Mathias Alten that has so captured the hearts and minds of Grand Rapidians over the years,” said Connell. “His name is virtually a household word, and his works continue to be avidly collected today.”

Alten became a celebrated American regional artist and the great figurehead of Grand Rapids’ cultural identity. Displayed in the Gordon Gallery are 43 of Alten’s paintings, including 10 new gifts not previously on display. More than 60 of his works are included in the collections at Grand Valley State University.

“Mathias Alten is our region’s connection to the Impressionist movement, which swept the world in the early 20th century,” said George Gordon, a businessperson in the oil and gas industry and member of the Grand Valley University Foundation’s Advisory Cabinet.  “Barbara and I are grateful that our gift will make his works more directly accessible to the public and to university students and faculty. To me, this expansion turned a room with paintings hung on the wall into a true gallery, and it brings out the best of Alten’s craft and color.”  

Grand Valley President Thomas J. Haas said: “The Gordons are proof of what passion can achieve. George and Barbara have celebrated this artist for many years. Today they have set the stage for many more to enjoy Alten and find new enrichment in his art. It is gratifying to have this gift come as part of 'Shaping Our Future,' the first comprehensive campaign for Grand Valley’s capital and endowment needs.”

Gordon Gallery Background:
The DeVos Center space, constructed in early 2000 as a high profile meeting room, was transformed into the Gordon Gallery by then university president Arend D. Lubbers. It has exhibited many of the 36 Alten paintings George and Barbara Gordon originally gifted to Grand Valley in 1998, and subsequent gifts from them as well as other donors.

The addition doubles the size of the original gallery space, which was roughly 924 square feet. The gallery will continue to maintain a permanent exhibit of work by Alten. Periodically, the exhibition will undergo subtle changes to include new gifts, loans and archival materials from the Alten family that are part of Grand Valley’s Special Collections.

Beginning on November 14, the Gordon Gallery will be open to the public with free admission on Fridays and Saturdays, from 1-5 p.m., except holiday weekends, and also by appointment. Prior to visiting, call the GVSU Art Gallery in Allendale at (616) 331-2563 to verify open hours.

For more information, contact Grand Valley State University’s Director of Galleries and Collections, Henry Matthews, in the GVSU Art Gallery at (616) 331-2563, or visit www.gvsu.edu/artgallery .