HOROLOGY IN ART

     Since the invention of mechanical timekeeping in the 13th century, clocks and watches have appeared in fine art.   From Titian to Jamie Wyeth, from Brueghel to Hopper to Dali, artists have portrayed timekeepers in symbolic, metaphorical, allegorical and documentary roles, never by accident.

     More than a decade ago, Bob Frishman began researching, collecting, writing, and lecturing about seven centuries of artworks with timekeepers in the images.  He authored thirty-six articles (attached below) on the topic for the magazine of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors (NAWCC), each one featuring an iconic painting, print, photograph, or sculpture.  The articles provide details on the artists, cultural and historical contexts, and the depicted timepieces.

     In October 2017, as Chairman of the NAWCC Time Symposium Committee, Bob created and ran a "Horology in Art" conference at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.  Over three days, eighteen eminent art-historians, curators, professors, independent scholars, and horologists gave unique new presentations.  A full report on the symposium, with many photographs, may be viewed at www.horologyinart.com.
    Bob offers richly illustrated lectures on this unique theme to museum, collector, society and general audiences, usually at no charge.  For details, please see the Lectures page of this website.                               

                                       ***  Click for  "Horology in Art" Presentation on YouTube  ***

HOROLOGY IN ART ARTICLES BY BOB FRISHMAN

Published in the NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin, 2002-2022

"Horology in Art" Illustrated One-Hour Presentations for General Audiences

The Clock in the Painting -- Overview of seven centuries of more than 100 iconic fine art images with a clock or watch in the scene.

Clocks & Watches in  Folk Art -- Early colorful 19th-century American portraits, interiors, and landscapes with timepieces in the images.

Horology in Photography, Daguerreian Annual 2021

MY "HOROLOGY IN ART" EXHIBIT WAS AT THE HOROLOGICAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK FOR SIX RECENT MONTHS.    VIEW THE 16-PAGE FULLY ILLUSTRATED EXHIBIT CATALOGUE HERE SHOWING MORE THAN SIXTY ARTWORKS.  IT THEN TRAVELED TO THE WILLARD HOUSE & CLOCK MUSEUM FOR SIX WEEKS IN MAY-JUNE.

A recent hour-long lecture by Bob Frishman, showing 116 horology-in-art eye-candy images, was recorded and may be streamed HERE.