The Balloon: A Bicentennial Exhibition

15 March–29 April 1984

Following the first balloon flight in 1783 in Paris, balloon imagery emerged everywhere: in art, satire, fashion, and decorative objects such as doorknobs, chairs, fabric, buttons, fans, and medallions. The balloon symbolized progress, scientific triumph, and romance. The exhibition featured 150 prints and decorative objects, dating from 1783–1815, that reveal the profound impact ballooning had on 18th century art and life. The works commemorate early achievements in ballooning and document public response to the new airborne phenomenon. In conjunction with the exhibition, Barbara Stafford, Professor of Art at the University of Chicago delivered a lecture on the balloon in art.

Curator: The exhibition was organized by the Minnesota Art Museum 

The exhibition was funded in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Minnesota Humanities Commission, Applied Technology Division of Raven Industries, Inc., and the Special Collections and Rare Books at the Wilson Library, University of Minnesota. The exhibition was made possible at the Smart Museum through a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.

 

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