Giants and Gems: The Largest and Smallest from LIM’s Collection
On view in the Art Museum July 24 through December 21, 2025
Edward Moran (1829–1901), Moonlit Seascape, n.d., oil on board, 7″H x 5 1/2″W; Long Island Museum, Museum Purchase, 2002
Giants and Gems will juxtapose the largest and the smallest works from the LIM’s Art, History, and Carriage collections, including fine arts, crafts, costumes, and household objects. Viewers will be confronted by the effects of varying scale and consider the way this artistic decision impacts the viewing experience. When an artist conceives of a new work, one of their first decisions must be about the size of the final piece. Will it be larger than life, enveloping the viewer’s entire field of vision? Or will it be scaled down, forcing both the artist and the viewer to come close to it and treat it delicately? Size and scale are important components in both the intellectual and emotional responses to art. Taking a recognizable object or figure and dramatically enlarging or miniaturizing it disorients the viewer, allowing a new experience with something familiar. This new perspective lends itself to discovery as the viewer must interact with and view the object in an unusual way, often seeing details and reading meanings missed in the conventional object.
