BOSTON, MA.- The Boston Athenĉum presents a summer installation of works from its prestigious collections. The installation opens May 27 and runs through August 28, 2009.

The paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, and manuscripts in this summer installation draw from the collections of the Boston Athenĉum and add to the wealth of objects always on public view on the Athenĉum’s first floor. Over 40 artists are represented, ranging from Italian and Scottish to American and from the 16th to the 21st century. The objects on view are as varied in style as in subject matter, and include: a portrait by the 16th-century Bolognese master Annibale Carracci; works by American painters John Singleton Copley, Gilbert Stuart, Washington Allston, John Singer Sargent, Maud Morgan, and Polly Thayer; sculptures by Horatio Greenough, Thomas Crawford, and William Morris Hunt; views of Boston, painted and photographed; and nineteenth-century chromolithography.

The installation provides a rare opportunity to look closely at both familiar favorites and seldom seen items, all treasures meant to please, surprise, and stimulate the senses. Since its founding in 1807 as a private literary association, the Boston Athenĉum has always collected a wide range of objects as well as books, as a way to foster culture, knowledge, and art. The result is a unique, hybrid collection, which continues to support the institution’s engagement in the cultural life of Boston.