By Karen Wolitzer
"The purpose of the exhibition is to tell the story of his life, as well as the art of his times. So, it's at once historic as well as biographical and aesthetic. The art that we've chosen is designed to highlight episodes of his life and areas of his interest. "TR was an advocate of the fine arts; he was a renaissance man...very well-read, very well-schooled, and very interested in the visual arts. He owned and collected a lot of works of art-many of which we have here in the exhibition," says Perrell."The first room depicts the American West, which ties into TR's activities in the Dakota Badlands where he was a rancher from 1884-86. He was an avid hunter and a foremost conservationist. He had a strong interest in nature."Within the western area of the show, we have artists like Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran who is a very, very important artist. We have depictions of TR, himself, in a western guise. And we have a very wonderful painting of a bull moose done by Carl Rungius-who's an artist who TR collected. We try to tell the story of his interest in nature through these paintings. "Then there are paintings from the Gilded Age, because TR came from a very privileged background. He had the opportunities for the best education and was financially independent. Yet he didn't agree with the Robber Barons of that time. He was very ethical."Some of the Gilded Age paintings we have are outstanding...particularly a portrait by William Merritt Chase. He exemplifies the attitude that a lot of the super rich of that period had...to dress themselves up in a very exaggerated, almost costume-like attire." In gallery two, there are some terrific pieces...including a massive, equestrian portrait of Theodore Roosevelt by Alexander Phimister Proctor, who is an artist that TR patronized."Another piece that we have that is really outstanding is the Frederick Remington Bronco Buster. This large-scale version is said to be one of the finest examples of this casting. The one we have is the large version. TR owned the smaller version and it was very valued by him because it was a gift from the troops of the Rough Riders."There are images of the American troops that were members of the Rough Riders by several artists." The original Rough Riders flag is also on display. "It's very rarely seen because the original silks in it are vulnerable to light, but it was recently restored. It's a unique opportunity to see the original flag that was flown on Sagamore Hill... "Then we also have photographs of the Rough Riders in Montauk, which describe very accurately the very interesting backgrounds that the troops had because they were a real cross section of society. On one hand you had the ivy league elite who were friends with TR from the time he was in school. Then there were the cowboys from the Dakota Badlands and the African American soldiers." In the final room, on the main floor, is a painting by an artist by the name of Pinckney Marcius-Simons called The Seats of the Mighty. He's an artist who was personal friends with TR. "There's a lot of vitality and mystery in the painting," says Perrell.Also on display are a cabinet that was owned by TR's parents and then TR. There's a dress worn by TR's daughter-in-law and the jacket that TR wore showing his mourning for his son Quentin...On the second floor, the rest of TR's life is examined. "I think the show will give the viewer a cross section of issues in TR's life," concluded Perrell. I know I left knowing way more than I had when I walked into the museum.
