Exhibition from August 11, 2014 through October 6, 2014. The value of ancient coins lies not in their monetary value but in what they can teach us about the civilizations from which they came. Ancient coins from the Greek and Roman civilizations were original works of art with indications of when and where they were made. The marks on coins are some of the first examples of how these people portrayed their gods, heroes and historical events. They depict lost monuments of architecture, sculpture and painting. One of the greatest values lies in the coins that portray rulers, some of which are the only representations we have of these historical figures.

Exhibition from June 9, 2014 through August 4, 2014. This exhibition displayed 32 photographs donated to The Drexel Collection by Mr. and Mrs. Paul Ingersoll in 1985. Mr. Paul Ingersoll (1929–2012), a great-grandson of Anthony J. Drexel, embodied the Drexel family’s love and support of the arts, being an avid collector and a contributor to the cultural community. Ingersoll opened the Philadelphia office of Christie’s Auction in 1979, where he worked for 30-plus years. He was a trustee to the Atwater Kent Museum (now the Philadelphia History Museum), the Library Company and founder of Friends of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The collection of photographs generously donated to The Drexel Collection includes some of the most influential and pioneering photographers including Eugene Atget, Edward Weston and Eadweard Muybridge, creating an indispensable asset to the collection.

Exhibition from March 21, 2014 through May 30, 2014. Violet Oakley was one of Drexel’s first students in the field of illustration and one of its most successful. With her training and drive Oakley broke into the predominantly male world of illustration and mural painting, with commissions that were many and varied.

Exhibition from January 10, 2014 through March 14, 2014. Every painter begins with a blank canvas, but not this one. The featured artist of the exhibition — “Simulated Fijnschilderij: Where Old Masters and Technology Meet” — began with a digital print and some very old recipes.

Exhibition from October 15, 2013 through December 13, 2013. A skull of conjoined calves, a 19th century medical amputation kit and a misassembled “Frankensquid” are mysterious on their own, but what’s even more puzzling is that these objects somehow ended up at Drexel University. Originally hailing from all around the world, thirty of Drexel’s most atypical items were featured in “Cabinet of Curiosity: Drexel’s Rare and Unusual Collections.”

Exhibition from August 5, 2013 through September 30, 2013. From the 14th century onward, as paper became more available, we find drawings to be indispensable to artists in preparation for their paintings or for the drawings themselves. Etchings and engravings were appreciated in their own right but also allowed artists to replicate works of other artists.

Exhibition from June 3, 2013 through July 26, 2013. Chairs were in existence since the Early Dynasty Period in Egypt (3100 – 2686 BCE) and in China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE). It was not until the 16th century that the chair became common. Prior to that time, the chest, the bench and the stool were the ordinary seats. In Europe, it was during the Renaissance period that the chair ceased to be a privilege and became a standard item of furniture for anyone who could afford to purchase them. Once the idea of privilege faded, the chair came into general use. The chair began to change every few years to reflect the fashions of the times. In the 1880’s, chairs became more common in America and typically there was a chair provided for every family member to sit down to dinner.

Exhibition from April 12, 2013 through May 31, 2013. For the first time in Drexel University’s history, the best examples of art from various departments were exhibited together. The exhibition included pieces from The Drexel Collection, Drexel’s Historic Costume Collection, Drexel University Archives, Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design Polish poster collection and Sigma Sound archives, Drexel University’s College of Medicine and the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.

Exhibition from April 1, 2013 through May 17, 2013. Artist Tokujiro Nishi studied with the Japanese artist Masao Hato, founder of the Sakujitsu-kai artists, a group created to continue the tradition of oil painting in Japan introduced by the art historian Ernest Fenollosa. Mr. Nishi’s paintings are thick with impasto and rich in color.

Exhibition from January 28, 2013 through March 22, 2013. The exhibition was curated by Drexel University student, Eric Selman ’14.