The Greenville County Museum of Art has added a major national exhibition on Impressionism to its schedule for 2002, creating a compelling opportunity for visitors to experience the depth and breadth of an important era in American painting while also gaining a rich appreciation for the role Impressionism played in the development of American art.
American Impressionism: Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, can be seen in Greenville from May 29-September 1. It is one of eight exhibitions in Treasures to Go, from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, touring the nation through 2002. The Principal Financial Group® is a proud partner in bringing these treasures to the American people. The Greenville Newsis the local sponsor for the exhibition.
Originally scheduled to visit the High Museum in Atlanta during the summer, American Impressionism was secured by the Greenville Museum after the High made scheduling changes that freed the exhibition.
Impressionism is a popular style of painting that evolved in France during the late nineteenth century. Characterized by loose brushwork, lush colors, and brilliant light, Impressionist paintings often depict everyday subjects captured out-of-doors. The style was considered revolutionary in its early years, although it was more widely accepted by the time American painters embraced it near the turn of the century.
American
Impressionism features fifty-two works by artists such as Childe Hassam,
John Twachtman, Thomas Wilmer Dewing, William Merritt Chase, Mary Cassatt, Abbott
Thayer, and others. Considered America's foremost Impressionist, Hassam is represented
by six canvases, including In the Garden (1892) and The South Ledges,
Appledore (1913). The latter is the signature image for the Smithsonian
exhibition.
The exhibition from the Smithsonian American Art Museum will be presented in tandem with American Impressionism: In Context, an exhibition drawn from the Museum's respected Southern Collection. In Context traces the development of Impressionist painting, examining its roots in the naturalist traditions of nineteenth-century landscape painters, then surveying the more traditional forms of Impressionism through the works of American artists such as Helen Turner, Catherine Wiley, and William Partridge. The exhibition also features post-Impressionist painters such as Lawrence Mazzanovich, E. Ambrose Webster, and Hale Woodruff.
"Impressionism is loved everywhere for its beautiful light and color and for its modern view of life," said Elizabeth Broun, director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. "Generous collectors have contributed wonderful Impressionist works over several decades, making it a strength of our museum. We are delighted to share this unparalleled collection more broadly."
American Impressionism is the second exhibition from the Treasures to Go series to be seen in Greenville. Young America: Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum opened in Greenville as the series debuted two years ago.
The Greenville County Museum of Art will offer guided tours of the Impressionist exhibitions on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. These "drop-in tours" begin May 30. Tours are also available by appointment for groups of ten or more adults. Send an e-mail to info@greenvillemuseum.org for more information.
The Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. Admission is absolutely free.
For more information, see the Museum web site at www.greenvillemuseum.org or call 864-271-7570. If you would like more information and full itineraries for Treasures to Go, see the Smithsonian American Art Museum's web site at http://AmericanArt.si.edu. For information on the Principal Financial Group®, contact Terri Shell at 515-283-8858.