Litchfield County's Robert Dance Joins Wadsworth Atheneum Board

Robert Dance, possessing a wealth of experience in art museum governance, has been named a trustee of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. Located in Hartford, the Wadsworth is the oldest continuously operating public art museum in the United States, opening its doors to the public in 1844.

His considerable expertise in art museum governance includes service to multiple institutions including the Board of Overseers of the Hood Museum at Dartmouth College, where he served as Board Chair, the Board of the Bellarmine Museum at Fairfield University, and the Director’s Council of the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts. He currently sits on the Council of the Grolier Club, the oldest existing bibliophilic club in North America, in New York City.

A resident of Norfolk, he is a member of the Board of Directors of the Norfolk Historical Society, where he serves as President.

Dance has been involved with the Wadsworth for several years, as a Premier Member of the institution and hosting the Auerbach Library Associates in Norfolk in 2016. Since joining the Board late last year, Dance has been serving on the Wadsworth’s Curatorial Committee.

“Robert has been a longtime supporter of the Wadsworth and we are thrilled to have him join our Board,” said Jeffrey N. Brown, CEO and Director of the Wadsworth. “In a short period of time he has already made a difference as he brings a lifetime of experience in the arts to our benefit. We are grateful for his interest and commitment to advance the Wadsworth.”

“Robert’s depth of knowledge and dedication to the mission of the Wadsworth is energizing,” said Board President Gerard Lupacchino. “His contributions will be of great value as we pursue new ways to bring the Wadsworth’s collections to life through reinvigorated storytelling and energizing exhibitions.”

“It is an honor to be associated with one of the greatest art collections sin America,” Dance said.

An acclaimed collector of classic Hollywood photography, last fall Dance published his latest book, The Savvy Sphinx: How Garbo Conquered Hollywood. The book includes photographs of movie legend Greta Garbo from Dance’s own 1,500-piece collection of vintage Hollywood images. He is also the author of Hollywood Icons and Glamour of the Gods: Photographs from the John Kobal Foundation, among numerous volumes.

Dance serves as a Council Member of the John Kobal Foundation in London, England, sits on the Visiting Committee of the Department of Drawings at the Morgan Library in New York and the Drawings Council at the Getty Museum in Malibu, California. Locally, he is president of the Doolittle Lake Company, founded in 1887.

Dance earned his B.A. from Dartmouth, where he majored in art history, and M.A. in religion from Yale University.

About the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art

Founded in 1842 with a vision for infusing art into the American experience, the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art is home to a collection of nearly 50,000 works of art spanning 5,000 years and encompassing European art from antiquity through contemporary as well as American art from the 1600s to today. The Wadsworth Atheneum’s five connected buildings—representing architectural styles including Gothic Revival, modern International Style, and 1960s Brutalism—are located at 600 Main Street in Hartford, Conn.

Current hours are noon–5pm Thursday–Sunday. Visitors are required to wear a face mask/covering while inside the museum. Admission: $5–15; discounts for members, students, and seniors. Free “happy hour” admission 4–5pm. Advance ticket registration via thewadsworth.org is encouraged, not required. Phone: (860) 278- 2670; website: thewadsworth.org.