An Historian's Eye: Selections from the Boris Blick Collection

Ranging from French political cartoons to touristic photographs of iconic Italian views, the art work acquired by Boris Blick creates a panoramic picture of Europe and America filtered through the eye of a collector.

Boris Blick’s life of collecting began while a soldier in World War II France. His college studies, made possible by the GI Bill, awakened in him a love of history. During his two years on a Fulbright Fellowship in a peaceful, post-War France, he traveled throughout Europe, becoming captivated by the varied histories of the lands he encountered. When he eventually returned to the United States, Blick became a professor of French history – and began to build his collection.

Comprised mostly of works on paper, this collection reflects a duality between an academic’s fascination with representations of a particular history and a personal sense of longing for an idealized, peaceful past. The works in this exhibition, organized by region, reveal Professor Blick’s archival sensibility as well as his nostalgic inclinations, influenced by his experiences in the war as well as by the many losses he suffered in his personal life.

Curated by ARHS 371 Museum Studies with Professor Dabakis.