BALTIMORE.- The Walters Art Museum will temporarily close its highly regarded 19th-century collection, located on the fourth floor of the museum’s Centre Street Building, from Aug. 18 through Oct. 10, 2008. Many of these works will go on tour for the exhibition The Road to Impressionism on view at The Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Memphis, Oct. 18, 2008–Jan. 11, 2009 and at the Frick Art and Historical Center, Pittsburgh, Feb. 7–May 3, 2009. A few 19th-century artworks will remain on view in the Centre Street’s fourth floor lobby. In addition, the focus show Sonya Clark: Loose Strands, Tight Knots will be on the fourth floor through Sept. 21, 2008.

The space will reopen on Oct. 11, 2008, with many works on view that are not usually available to the public, including works by Alfred Jacob Miller, Martin Johnson Heade and the talented Belgian artist, Louis Gallait. Many favorites in the Walters’ collection, by such notables as Claude Monet, Edgar Degas and Camille Pissarro, will return to the galleries at this time. This reinstallation will remain in effect until February 2010.

“This is an opportunity to bring out lesser known but equally important paintings from our rich permanent collection,” said Eik Kahng, curator and head of the department of 18th and 19th century art. “We also will be highlighting a few recently gifted works of art, including an early portrait by Rembrandt Peale and a major canvas by William Bouguereau.”