CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
Gifford Beal
On the Hudson at Newburgh, 1918
American Impressionism: Paintings from The Phillips Collection
April 13–June 15, 2008
in the Grand Gallery
American Impressionism: Paintings from The Phillips Collection will highlight 54 paintings from the “golden age” of American impressionism. The Phillips Collection is home to some of the finest examples of American impressionist painting found in any museum. This is the first time in nearly 25 years that these treasured works from the collection have been assembled for special viewing outside of Washington, D.C.
The exhibition features work by the first generation of American painters who absorbed the aesthetics of French impressionism and includes work by William Merritt Chase, William Glackens, Lilian Westcott Hale, Childe Hassam, Ernest Lawson, Maurice Prendergast, Theodore Robinson, Helen Turner, John Twachtman, Julian Alden Weir, and others.
American artists absorbed the bright palette, technique, and subject matter of their French counterparts. This shifted the focus of American painting from the Hudson River School style to atmospheric and intimate landscapes, park and beach scenes, urban views, and charming interiors, all crafted with particular interest in the seasons, changing light, and optical effects. The result was a fresh interpretation of America’s landscape and cities.
Also on view is American Impressionism from the Permanent Collection, which brings together fourteen works from MAG’s collection, including many on view for the first time. Many of the artists, among them George Leonard Herdle (the Gallery’s first director) and Emma Lampert Cooper, have Rochester connections.
Preview the exhibition and works from MAG's collection
Teacher Inservice Admission during American Impressionism: Free to members, UR students and
children 5 and under. General admission
$10; college students with ID and
senior citizens, $8; children 6–18, $6.
Reduced admission Thursdays 5–9, $6.
Prices include general Gallery admission.
No advance tickets necessary. This exhibition is made possible in Rochester by Presenting Sponsors M&T Bank and Riedman Foundation, with additional underwriting from the Gallery Council of the Memorial Art Gallery, the Gouvernet Arts Fund at the Community Foundation, University of Rochester Medical Center, Mrs. Frederick D. Berkeley III, and Dorothy Centner in memory of her husband, William. Support is also provided by Nancy G. Curme, Jane W. Labrum, Aaron Klein and Maria Lauriello-Klein, and gifts in memory of Diane Holahan Grosso.
Interview with Curator
Lectures
April 24
May 4
May 8
May 15
April 23
Claude Monet
Towing a Boat, Honfleur, 1864
Gift of Marie C. and Joseph C. Wilson
In Pursuit of Light and Leisure: Impressionist Masterpieces from the Permanent Collection
March 14-June 29, 2008
in the
Lockhart Gallery
Edgar Degas’s Dancers, Claude Monet’s Towing a Boat, Honfleur and Mary Cassatt’s Young Mother, Daughter and Baby are among the treasures in this exhibition that includes 25 paintings and works on paper by Impressionist masters, as well as by artists of the period who influenced and were influenced by the Impressionist movement. Many of the works demonstrate an intense interest in the visual effects of atmospheric changes, particularly the ephemeral nature of the reflection of light on water; others depict popular leisure activities of the era—the dance, theater, music and outdoor bathing.
In Pursuit of Light and Leisure is offered in conjunction with American Impressionism: Paintings from The Phillips Collection, on view at the Gallery April 13-June 15. This exhibition is made possible in part by a gift from Dorothy Centner in memory of her husband, William.
Inner Coffin of Pa-debehu-Aset (Egypt, 4th century BCE), detail. Marion Stratton Gould Fund.
Protected for Eternity: The Coffins of Pa-debehu-Aset
Ongoing
in the Gill Discovery Center
Journey back in time to ancient Egypt. Explore a world ruled by gods and goddesses. Unlock the secrets of the hieroglyphs. Learn about the elaborate processes and magical rituals intended to protect body and spirit alike. The journey begins with the Memorial Art Gallery's latest interactive installation for all ages, Protected for Eternity: The Coffins of Pa-debehu-Aset.
The installation showcases one of the most significant MAG acquisitions ever-a pair of coffins that once held the mummy of an Egyptian official of the 4th century bce. Pa-debehu-Aset's lavishly decorated anthropoid coffin (shown here) was unveiled in 2001 to much media fanfare. Protected for Eternity: The Coffins of Pa-debehu-Aset also displays his equally colorful outer coffin, antiquities from the Gallery's collection and a mummy and other objects on long-term loan from the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA.
This installation is made possible by funding from Dan and Dorothy Gill. Additional support has been provided by the Museum Loan Network, a program administered by MIT's Office of the Arts, funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts; and by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts; the New York Council for the Humanities, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities; and the Davenport-Hatch Foundation, Inc.