A visiting American art expert has compared Bermudian stained glass artist Vivienne Gardner to Louis Comfort Tiffany, one of the most celebrated decorative artists in American history.

"Vivienne Gardner is a living national treasure," said Franklin Hill Perrell, who was previously curator of the Nassau County Museum of Art on Long Island for 20 years.

He was in Bermuda to give a lecture at the Bermuda National Gallery (BNG) at the opening of their two new major exhibitions: 'The David L. White Collection', and 'Vivienne J. Gardner: A Tribute'.

His lecture, sponsored by PartnerRe, was titled 'Art of 1900 — From Impressionism to Art Nouveau'.

"You can be so proud of Vivienne Gardner," Mr. Perrell said after the lecture.

Ms Gardner is an accomplished artist whose stained glass work can be seen in churches around the Island. She also does work for private homes. She is also known for other types of art including painting, sculpture and murals.

Mr. Perrell likened her to Louis C. Tiffany (1848 - 1933) who was famous the world over for his stained glass windows and Tiffany lamps. He is often associated with the Art Nouveau style.

"She is different from Tiffany in that she paints on and crafts the glass herself," said Mr. Perrell.

"Most people don't realise that when you have a Tiffany stained glass window he did not do it himself.

"He had a whole team of people including an art director and a workshop of 300 people.

"He approved of every design. The methodology which it was made was his, and owned the shop it was produced in.

"Ms Gardner is more in line with Mattise, Picasso or Van Gogh because she is physically there working in her studio. What you see is the result of her own hand."

Mr. Perrell became an expert in Tiffany stained glass while working at the Nassau County Museum of Art.

This museum often did exhibitions related to Mr. Tiffany because he had a large country estate on Long Island, and there were therefore many resources nearby available to the museum.

"In my museum career I did shows on American vanguards which covered the American modernist movement," said Mr. Perrell. "I did shows on turn of the century artists such as one on Toulouse Lautrec.

"We often did exhibitions from the Belle Époque which covers the period around 1900."

He said that Tiffany windows and impressionist art from this era had something in common.

"There was a strong interest in nature," said Mr. Perrell. "There was an interest in individual responses to nature. Tiffany is in the realm of decorative art, so there is a different purpose.

"You wouldn't have a Tiffany lamp without the notion of a purpose to it. He was about investing artistic value into something with a function."

He said there was a tie in between the Belle Époque and The David L. White Collection, because many of the artwork in the collection was done by American impressionists from this period.

"At this time, people started to think about making art very differently," Mr. Perrell said. "This was a period where every aspect of life was changing and being innovated.

"The 19th century brought forth all the inventions that we take for granted as the underpinnings of our contemporary technical age.

"There were always painters coming in and out of Bermuda, but this was a group [the American impressionists] that really said Bermuda is a place to paint. It is a destination whose physical topography is inspiring art."

Mr. Perrell said it was exciting for him to see the way the American impressionist painters responded to Bermuda, as shown in The David L. White Collection.

"It was exciting for me to be there, because the works on display were at the finest level anywhere," said Mr. Perrell. "These two exhibitions would be worthy of any museum in the world. Any visitor to Bermuda who knows art, really has an obligation to see these shows."

He said there was a lot going on in Bermuda, in terms of art, and he hoped to talk up the Bermuda art scene when he returned to the United States.

He and his wife, Emily, have been visiting Bermuda for 11 years. They sometimes visit the Island twice a year.

"We always see the exhibitions of contemporary Bermudians," said Mr. Perrell. "We are happy that there is great support for historic art in Bermuda.

"We are here typically twice a year. There is a lot for us to enjoy here visually. We are always excited to see all the cultural offerings that are here."

His early background was in painting, but he quickly turned more towards art history.

"And today I am as much an architectural historian and preservationist too," said Mr. Perrell.

He is executive director of the Roslyn Landmark Society on Long Island, New York. He compared the society to the Bermuda National Trust.

"We actively manage and restore historic homes," he said. "For some of the historic homes in the area, we are the gatekeeper for assuring their architectural integrity is maintained."

He is also an adjunct professor on the C.W. Post campus of Long Island University.

"I am leading a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) seminar which brings the MFA students to the New York galleries. We bring students in and help them hone in on the resources they need as they make their careers as artists going forward."

The David L. White Collection and Vivienne J. Gardner: A Tribute, are on until June 3 at the Bermuda National Gallery.

l For more information visit www.bng.bm, telephone 295-9428 or E-mail director@bng.bm.