AMHERST, Mass.-The Mead Art Museum announced today the acquisition of an important group of 44 American Modern prints from the collection of Dr. Sanford B. Sternlieb and Esther Sternlieb. Featuring canonical etchings by Edward Hopper, Jack Levine, John Marin, and John Sloan, the gift will be featured in the exhibition Enduring Impressions: Prints from the Dr. Sanford B. Sternlieb and Esther Sternlieb Collection of American Art, from July 2 to August 21, 2011.

On Saturday, May 28, at 2:30 p.m., the Mead will offer a public program celebrating the Sternlieb gift and previewing the upcoming exhibition. The program, which is part of Amherst College Reunion weekend, will include a conversation between Charles C. Eldredge (Class of 1966), Hall Distinguished Professor of American Culture and Art, University of Kansas, and Randall Griffey, Curator of American Art, followed by a champagne reception.

"We are deeply grateful to Dr. Sternlieb for remembering his alma mater when he sought a permanent home for his treasures," said Elizabeth Barker, Director and Chief Curator, "and we are delighted to share them with our visitors this summer."

Dr. Sanford Sternlieb, Amherst Class of 1946, served in the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946. He completed his medical training at the University of Michigan and the University of Lausanne and served, among other positions, as Chief of Orthopedic Surgery at Wilkes-Barre (Penn.) General Hospital from 1968 to 1988. He traces his love of art to a print by Currier and Ives that adorned his college dorm room and to post-college trips to Europe. Dr. Sternlieb shared his collecting interests with his late wife, Esther (1925-2003), with whom he acquired fine art prints, drawings, watercolors, and paintings.  

The Mead Art Museum houses the art collection of Amherst College, totaling more than 16,000 works. An accredited member of the American Association of Museums, the Mead participates in Museums10, a regional cultural collaboration. During the academic term, the museum is open Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to midnight and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For more information, please visit the museum's website, www.amherst.edu/museums/mead, or call 413/542-2335.

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