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Their love story involves multiple levels: love each other, love the United States and its decorative arts, and love the Williamsburg colony. The culmination of the enthusiasm of Joseph Hennage and June Hennage and the evidence of their extraordinary charitable generosity is that they donated the entire American Art Deco collection (which has been collected for more than 60 years) to Williamsburg Colonial Foundation. The Hennage Collection is a bizarre gift that will change the well-known American furniture and the miniature furniture, silverware and ceramic collections of the Williamsburg colonial period. The Hennage collection has more than 400 different objects, including paintings, prints and antique toys, animals, vehicles and people. To commemorate this important heritage, the exhibition displays prominent objects from the heritage,
It will open in the spring at the DeWitt Wallace Museum of Decorative Arts (one of the recently expanded Colonial Art Museums in Williamsburg).
"Joe and June Hennage are always looking for items in excellent quality and condition. Therefore, their gifts are an outstanding addition to the Williamsburg Colony collection. It includes Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania. And examples of high-end furniture from Maryland, as well as silverware and various other materials by major East Coast artisans at the time," said Ronald L. Hurst of the Foundation. Carlisle H. Humelsine Chief Curator and Vice President of Museums, Conservation and Historical Resources. "Hennages decided to place the entire collection in the museum. This is a clear example of their generosity."
After retiring from the US Navy in 1945, Joe Hennage (1921-2010) returned to Washington, D.C., and soon founded Hennage Creative Printers. In 1946, when he found out that he needed help from a secretary, he hired June Stedman (1927-2020), who completed his studies in Virginia and then moved to Washington to start her career. They got married in 1947 and their partners flourished. In the late 1940s, they visited Colonial Williamsburg for the first time, and their lifelong love for this historic city began. Their initial passion for collecting was not antiques, but souvenirs and printed books related to Joe's hero Benjamin Franklin. This is the common profession of the two. June's love for small objects extends to what she and Joe call "petty toys", namely miniature animals, vehicles and figures, and miniature furniture, including tables, boxes, chairs and beds. By the early 1950s, they also collected antique Chinese bronzes, porcelain, snuff bottles and Netsuke. Although they did not participate in the annual Antiquities Forum, which began in Colonial Williamsburg in 1949, it was not until the late 1950s, and more frequently in the 1960s, that Joe often named the event as both of them. Have a major impact. In 1965, Joe was invited to serve as a member of the State Council’s Fine Arts Committee, which aims to assist the White House and State Department curator Clement Conger in raising funds for the renovation and decoration of the diplomatic reception room. Is a member of the committee. Sometimes served as the chairman of the committee until 1996. By the early 1970s, Hennages became more and more keen on collecting American antiques and regularly participated in antique forums.
Christie's (Christie's, Inc.) vice chairman John A. Hays said: "Joe and June are the rebirth of the patriots. Their excitement for Americans is reflected in their passion for American furniture in the 18th century." It is stated that their collection includes many works that boldly say "I am an American". "
Over the years, Joe and June have given the State Department several exquisite pieces of American furniture and greatly helped transform the State Department’s diplomatic reception room. Joe’s involvement in this work resulted in him being asked to be responsible for similar U.S. activities in the U.S. National Archives and Supreme Court. In the bicentennial year, Hennage’s charitable spirit provided extraordinary gifts of many important items to various institutions in the United States including Mount Vernon, Monticello, the White House, the National Portrait Gallery and the Williamsburg Colony. Hennages shared these gifts with these institutions, which are one of the best examples of the highest level of American craftsmanship, not only because they are masterpieces, but also because they hope to enhance public education of their material culture. Although gardening is one of the greatest pleasures in June, her interest in art and antiques and a deep understanding of art and antiques led her to serve as a member of the Fine Arts Committee of the State Council.
However, the Williamsburg colony is still a special place for Joe and June, where they can learn about and relive American historical events, and this unique interest allows them to use their resources to help the foundation flourish. They became a charter and life member of the Raleigh Tuft Society, the foundation's highest-level annual endowment organization, and a member of the Presidential Council, which is dedicated to raising awareness of the Williamsburg colony through charitable support. In 1985, to commemorate one of the Williamsburg Colonial Art Museums, the Hennage Auditorium of the DeWitt Wallace Museum of Decorative Arts was named after him, and in 2019, the foundation named the museum of the same name in the Stedman Hennage Gallery in June A new gallery was named. 90th birthday in June. By 1988, Hennages had completed a Georgian house in Williamsburg, they named it Hennage House, and they used it as a house after relocating from Chevy Chase, Maryland. They live here with a large collection of items and regard themselves as the custodians of the items, not the owners. As time passed, they gave them to the Williamsburg colony for safekeeping.
"Colonial Williamsburg (Williamsburg) continues to inspire us, but some people take information to new heights. Joe and June Hennage (Joe and June Hennage) did, their Georgian style on South England Street The house reflects the residence of the Governor of Williamsburg, and its amazing collection of masterpieces, especially furniture, all have similar conclusions." said Philip Zea, President and CEO of Deerfield, Massachusetts, with a long history from 1999 From 2001 to 2001, he served as the furniture curator of the Williamsburg Colony. Come. "
Joe and June Hennage’s enthusiasm for American Art Deco and the Williamsburg Colony prompted their decision to bequeath their entire collection to the Foundation after their death, because they believed that the Williamsburg Colony had a unique ability to understand the impact of these items on American history. Importance and make the story. Anyone can use it. Their extraordinary material and cultural combination is transformative. The Wallace Museum, already known for its best decorative arts in the United Kingdom and the United States from 1670 to 1840, will now showcase its furniture collection through a complete furniture collection, allowing it to pass through the top of the main east coast center The works show the entire geographic range from Maine to Louisiana. In the past ten years, thanks to the acquisitions that took into account the Hennage collection, it is known that this promising gift will also help shape the American silver collection. These items will now become the backbone of American silverware in Colonial Williamsburg. China's Hennage export porcelain will provide the foundation with the first work of two different services, bearing the logo of the Cincinnati Institute, a fraternal organization of American and French officers who served in the Revolutionary War. The micro-furniture in the legacy will nearly double the number of items in the Williamsburg colonial collection (separate from dollhouse furniture and children's chairs), and these items will also change their form in the Hennage series, resulting in changes. Including blanket cabinets, chests of drawers, tall cabinets, tables, chairs, tables, looking glasses, beds and tall clocks, as well as the excellent quality of many works. These are just a few examples of how this legacy will significantly enhance the way art museums interpret the lasting American story for visitors each year.
According to Erik K. Gronning, Sotheby’s senior vice president, senior commissioner and head of the U.S. department, Hennages formed "a collection of collections from the 1970s and 1980s at the height of collection." With the help of great consultants (for example, the Israeli Sack Company), they have obtained many American masterpieces. Their enthusiasm for collecting has never stopped. For them, this is not just a temporary fantasy... They are the first to build One of the people who have a new house in the style of the times to fully display their collection. They did everything without wavering. They are enthusiastic supporters of the scholarship and they believe that they have a responsibility to learn more about the United States and American history."
As many people say, Joe and June Hennage (June Hennage) are rare people, and it is an honor to know and learn from them. Their dedication to American decorative arts is huge, and their love for the United States is even more so. Through this extraordinary bequest, this series will be passed on from generation to generation, and visitors to the Williamsburg colony will have the opportunity to deepen their appreciation through these most advanced objects of material culture.
Additional information and tickets about the Art Museum and Colonial Williamsburg can be accessed online:
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