The Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg (MFA) is showing its support for the Tampa Bay Rays in a big-league way. It’s putting a Monet in play. As the Tampa Bay Rays and the Milwaukee Brewers face off in the World Series, the MFA and the Milwaukee Art Museum have agreed to a friendly wager. Each institution is backing its team with a beloved painting by Claude Monet. The museum on the losing side will send its painting on loan to the winning team’s hometown for a victory lap in the galleries.
If the Rays bring home the championship, St. Petersburg will welcome Milwaukee’s Waterloo Bridge, Sunlight Effect. If the Brewers prevail, the MFA will lend Houses of Parliament: Effect of Fog, London to its Wisconsin counterpart. A leader of the Impressionist movement and one of the most influential painters of the nineteenth century, Monet transformed how artists depict light and color. The winning city won't just take home a World Series title. Its museum will bring a Monet masterpiece to town, giving the community more world-class art to enjoy.
Kim Sajet, Donna and Donald Baumgartner Director of the Milwaukee Art Museum, initiated the wager. “When I moved to Milwaukee, I became a part of the Brew Crew. They're the best team in baseball, and I’m backing them with one of our most beloved paintings. Two Monets will look incredible in our galleries. Klaudio, consider this your invitation to visit Milwaukee. Go Brewers!”
“We admire Kim’s enthusiasm, but we think Milwaukee’s Monet would enjoy a little Florida vacation,” said Klaudio Rodriguez, Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer of the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg. “We’re backing the Rays all the way, and we’re ready to welcome Milwaukee’s masterpiece to St. Petersburg. Let's see Milwaukee put its Monet where its mouth is.”
Houses of Parliament: Effect of Fog, London is typically located in the MFA’s Collection Gallery, which is temporarily closed until November 21 during the reinstallation for Art Unbound. However, the museum has put the piece on view in the upstairs gallery in support of the Rays. “Although our collection galleries are closed, we wanted to share the Monet during this rivalry. For visiting Brewers fans, it might be their only chance to see it,” said Hazel and William Hough Chief Curator Dr. Stanton Thomas. While high-profile friendly wagers involving artwork are a popular trend among art institutions during championship events, this is a first for the MFA. The wager involves a temporary loan; ownership of each painting will remain with its museum. Loan and exhibition dates will be announced following the series.
Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926), Waterloo Bridge, Sunlight Effect, ca. 1900 (dated 1903). Oil on canvas. Milwaukee Art Museum, Bequest of Mrs. Albert T. Friedmann, M1950.3. Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg
Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926), Houses of Parliament: Effect of Fog, London, 1904. Oil on canvas. 32 1/2 × 36 1/2 in. Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Partial gift of Charles C. and Margaret Stevenson Henderson and Museum purchase 1979.5
