Bemelmans Gallery Reception

Spend a delightful spring Saturday afternoon experiencing the Bemelmans Gallery at Ocean House. Hilary Pierce, President of Art Collector’s Athenaeum and curator of the Bemelmans Gallery at Ocean House shares her knowledge and an in-depth look at the Bemelmans Gallery, the largest permanent, private collection of work by Bemelmans on public display in North America. This discussion, held in the Seaside Ballroom, will also showcase select pieces which have never been seen by the public before. Tickets include wine and passed hors d’oeuvres.

About Ludwig Bemelmans: Ludwig Bemelmans left a lasting impact on modern day culture and children’s literature with his whimsical and witty style. Although he was most widely known for his Madeline series, he was a notable artist and relentless “connoisseur of life,” and he drew with a child’s eye and wrote with the wit of an adult. What few people know is Bemelmans deep connection to hospitality and travel. He was born into a hotel family and began his career in the industry, arriving in New York from his homeland of Austria at 16 and landing a job as a busboy at the Ritz Hotel in New York. He went on to become a banquet manager there, and his drawings and books offer a candid glimpse of the lives of individuals in the hospitality business and experiences in travel and dining. His legend lives in hospitality through notable establishments like Bemelmans Bar in New York, and now Ocean House in Rhode Island.