HARTFORD, CT.- The Morgan Great Hall at the Wadsworth Atheneum reopened to the public on May 7, 2011 after a year-long closure, marking the completion of the first phase of a comprehensive renovation project across all five of the museum’s buildings. In a radical rethinking of the museum’s most recognizable space, the Morgan Great Hall—previously home to the Wadsworth’s collection of American and European history paintings displayed salon-style— was reinstalled for the first time with large-scale works from the museum’s Contemporary art collection. The dramatic display of painting, sculpture and photography includes rarely seen monumental objects and new acquisitions dating from the 1950s to the present. The installation includes both abstract and figurative works and a range of well known artists, such as; Nick Cave, Willem de Kooning, Helen Frankenthaler
