Collections

The Castellani Art Museum collection was initiated in 1976 by Dr. Armand J. Castellani. His purpose was to encourage the study and love of art and improve cultural understanding by forming a significant collection for Niagara University students and the Western New York public. The Castellani family continues to enlarge the collection, while friends of the Museum and University, corporations, alumni, collectors, artists, and others have also been generous donors.

Currently numbering approximately 3,700 works of art, the collection includes prints, photographs, paintings, drawings, and sculpture dating largely from the 1850's to the present. The collection illustrates the development of modern art, but focuses primarily on art from the 1970's to the present. Excellent examples represent the following categories:

• 19th century works of art including European artists Daumier, the impressionist Guillaumin, and American landscapists Twatchman, Bierstadt, Cropsey, and Potthast;
• Early 20th century European artists including Utrillo, Rouault, Modigliani, Picasso, Moholy-Nagy, Puni, Dali, Matta, and American artists MacDonald-Wright, Avery, Burchfield, and Tomlin;
• Mid-20th century artists such as Motherwell, DeKooning, Bearden, Jensen, Hepworth, Mitchell, Nevelson, and Rauschenberg;
• Contemporary artists of the last two decades, including Basquiat, Borofsky, Gornick, Rothenberg, Murray, Gilliam, Pfaff, Garet, Salle, Benglis, Haring, and Baselitz.

Permanent Collection
Exhibitions: Fall/Winter 2006-07.

In conjunction with the 150th Anniversary celebration of Niagara University and the Castellani’s exhibition of significant archival materials, the Knox Gallery will host a display of the best artworks collected by the museum in our own history. Works by George Baselitz,Sam Gilliam, Alice Neel, Roberto Matta, Judy Pfaff, Robert Rauschenberg, and many others will be on view. Eleanor Castellani will lend her Grandma Moses painting to the show.

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