Exhibits: Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum

Villa Incognito: Latent Narratives in the Permanent Collection

March 31, 2021 – September 26, 2021

The Villa Terrace is not only a home, but also a fantasy. Based on an Italian Renaissance villa, the mansion’s architectural style, decorative ornament, and objects d’art are a carefully orchestrated masquerade in which Milwaukee’s urban environment fades into the distance and artfully framed views transform Lake Michigan into the Mediterranean Sea. This exhibition examines the mansion and a group of objects from the Villa Terrace collection, showing how various forms of imitation, synthesis, and symbolism are at work, and how these strategies work to create an idealized environment.