Thursday, June 14, 2012

Bill Bantey's Obituary in the Globe and Mail

Not until today did I find Bill Bantey's obituary in the Globe and Mail.

Here's a link to his wife Judy's obituary in The (Montreal) Gazette.  She died on February 13, 2011, at the age of 83, just 2 1/2 months after her husband Bill.

Bill Bantey did not want me to include in my article on the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts the dinner that he made for Judy and me in their home.  It was a five course meal that began at 6.30 in the evening and lasted until 1 o'clock in the morning.  Bill, recently out of the hospital and not well-enough to go out to a restaurant, prepared the entire meal for us and would not let either of us do a thing.  He vacillated between being gruff with us and being charming.  We had such a good time the three of us.  And their home was filled with beautiful art displayed in the most casual way.

Millet's "Portrait of Madame Millet"

Jean-François Millet. French, 1814-75
Portrait de Madame Millet
Oil on canvas, 13 3/8 by 10 ½ inches
Miss Olive Hosmer Bequest, 1963

Millet's "La baratteuse (Young Woman Churning)"

Jean-François Millet. French, 1814-75
La baratteuse (Young Woman Churning), about 1849-50
Oil on panel, 11 ½ x 6 ½ inches
Mrs. R. MacD. Paterson Bequest, 1949

Corot's "La rêveuse à la fontaine" (The Dreamer at the Fountain)

Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, French, 1796 – 1875
La rêveuse à la fontaine (The Dreamer at the Fountain), 1855-63
Oil on canvas, 25 ¼ x 18 ¼ inches
Gift in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Wiliam F. Angus, 1962

Corot's "Jeune fille accoudée sur le bras gauche"

Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, French, 1796 – 1875
Jeune fille accoudée sur le bras gauche, 1865
Oil on canvas, 18 ¼ x 15 inches
Miss Olive Hosmer Bequest, 1963