"Dance Around the Maypole," a major painting by Pieter Brueghel the Younger (1564-1638), has been given to the Utah Museum of Fine Arts by Ogden industrialist and philanthropist Val A. Browning. In prime condition, the painting captures village festivities of 16th century Dutch peasant life. Art appraisers at Christie's recently examined the painting and valued it at $1 million.
The picture is distinctive because the composition is the painter's original rather than a variation of his famous father's paintings.This art treasure is only one of more than 24 old master paintings being given to the museum by Browning. The entire collection covers 500 years of European painting. It will be displayed at the UMFA sometime in the future.
Other major artists whose art is included include Sir Anthony Van Dyke, Francois Boucher, Sir Thomas Gainsborough, Jean Honore Fragonard and Jean Bap-tiste Camille Corot.
Museum director Frank San-guinet-ti says that the collection "represents the single most valuable and important gift ever made to a Utah arts organization." He said that "the collection creates a total new dimension to the museum's holdings in European painting." To be known as the Val A. Browning Memorial Collection of European Painting, its range and quality add national significance to the Dutch, French, Italian, English and German areas of the museum's collections.
Members of the museum's support organizations and Browning's friends and associates viewed the Brueghel painting at a private reception this past Friday. During the reception, University of Utah president Arthur Smith dedicated the museum's largest exhibition gallery in honor of Browning and commented on the UMFA's civilizing influence on campus and through-out the state.
A free reception for the public to view the painting has been scheduled this afternoon from 3-5 p.m. At 3:30 p.m., Frank San-guinet-ti will present a gallery talk about the Brueghel painting.
UMFA has already published a brochure on Brueghel's "Dance Around the Maypole" with an essay by University Professor Sheila D'moch Muller. A scholarly catalog of the entire collection is being prepared for publication. The museum is organizing a series of annual lectures to bring national art experts to the Salt Lake City to interpret the paintings in the collection.
Val A. Browning is the son of famed gun inventor and arms maker John M. Browning. He is past president and honorary chairman of the Board of Browning Arms Company located in Ogden, Utah, and Liege, Belgium. He holds 48 patents for inventions relating to the arms business and he served as machine-gun trainer and second lieutenant in France during World War I. He was awarded the Cross of Chevalier de l'Order of Leopold by Belgian King Bau-doun.
After his extended residence in Belgium, Browning served in Utah as director of First Security Corporation, Utah International, Amalgamated Sugar Company and Mountain Fuel Supply.