Splinters of a secret sky : Skies (2021), pictured to the left, is one of three new works by Angela Fraleigh that were inspired by her extensive research on Dr. Claribel Cone (1864–1929), Etta Cone (1870–1949), and Etta’s bequest of 242 works of art to the museum. In conversation with works by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Marie Laurencin, and Louis Favre that the sisters had collected, the exhibition revealed new ways to appreciate the Cone collection, the extraordinary lives of the Cone sisters, and the value of preserving an extraordinary collection at the Weatherspoon Art Museum.

In this painting, Fraleigh combines images of female figures culled from 18th-century paintings with selected patterns and forms lifted from artworks in the Weatherspoon’s Cone Collection, as well as from photographs of the Cone Sisters’ apartments. Realizing the power of Fraleigh’s work, the Weatherspoon’s curatorial team has decided to purchase Splinters of a secret sky: Skies for our permanent collection. It features the most direct references to the Cone collection and the Cone sisters, and will be most relevant to teaching and learning at the museum.

We are inviting members of the Cone family to participate in the Weatherspoon’s acquisition of this important painting, considering its significance to the Cone Collection and Etta and Claribel’s legacy of collecting and philanthropy. Thank you for considering joining us in foregrounding the Cone Collection and its legacy at the Weatherspoon Art Museum.


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