The Minneapolis Institute of Art continues to explore the artistic connection between literature and physical media in its “Inspired by Books Tour” event — a free public event that invites guests to engage with museum guides as they discuss works of art and their connection to both classic and contemporary novels.
Each month, a new book is selected by a board of Mia guides, who curate a tour based on artwork currently on display throughout the museum. While many guides revisit staple pieces for each novel, every tour offers a unique opportunity to explore how literature and art reflect one another.
“Art history to me is history with visual aids,” said a Mia guide, Lyn Osgood. “What we are doing here is the visual aids that embellish aspects of a book.”
For September, Mia chose the 1920s American classic “The Great Gatsby” written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, who was born in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The hour-long tour winds through the museum’s endless galleries, showrooms and a “Gatsby at 100” exhibit room. Guests are encouraged to share their interpretations, opinions and insight between the artwork and the novel’s literary themes.
While the tour centers on “The Great Gatsby,” guides emphasize the importance of understanding the social and cultural influences of the Jazz Age, the era in which the novel is set. Featured artwork reflects the rapid social and cultural shifts of the 1920s.
As stated in the “Gatsby at 100” exhibition, “The Great Gatsby” turns 100 in an era, like its own, that pulses with ambition and excess. The novel’s characters — driven, restless and often reckless — embody the rapid cultural shifts of the 1920s, while their story captures a world in flux.
As the tour progresses, some guides may reference quotes from the selected novels to deepen discussions and understandings of the media.
In the “Gatsby at 100” exhibit room, several artworks are paired with quotes from the novel.
A primary work on display by French artist Henri Matisse features a woman lounging on a bold, yellow daybed, gazing at viewers through sultry eyes, dressed in a striking ankle-length black dress with grey and cream polka dots. Mia’s guides connect this artwork to one of Fitzgerald’s main characters, Daisy Buchanan.
Next to Matisse’s painting hangs a museum label with a quote from the novel:
“For Daisy was young, and her artificial world was redolent of orchids and pleasant, cheerful snobbery, and orchestras which set the rhythm of the year, summing up the sadness and suggestiveness of life in new tunes” (Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, 1925).
The “Inspired by Books Tour” is offered on the last three Tuesdays and Thursdays of each month. Upcoming tours will feature novels such as “Hello Beautiful” by Ann Napolitano, “Where Rivers Part: A Story of My Mother’s Life” by Kao Kalia Yang and “Wolf Hall” by Hilary Mantel.
When asked what her favorite part of guiding the tour is, Osgood said it is the connection built with the audience that brings her the most joy.
“You know when you love something, and being somewhere to share with others, it is nothing like it,” Osgood said.
