Featured Image Credit
Still Life with Fruits, 1865 John Francis Oil on canvas. Marion Stratton Gould Fund, 1971.7The Memorial Art Gallery (MAG) invites visitors to explore a selection of American still lifes spanning from the 1800s to the present in recognition of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Desire and Abundance: American Culture and the Still Life features works from MAG’s collection and will be on view December 13, 2025, through July 5, 2026, in the Forman Gallery.
American values take shape in the objects we make, desire, cherish, and discard. A table laden with ripe fruit, a meal served up at a luncheonette, the inside of a medicine cabinet—ordinary materials around us chronicle our lives. The still life, a genre of art that dates back to the ancient world, captures those objects of everyday life while often conveying deeper meanings and hidden messages.
Desire and Abundance brings together a diverse assortment of artistic expressions from across two centuries of American art. Taken together, these artworks present an array of items that underscore shifting tastes in American art, commerce, and daily life. Access to Desire and Abundance is included with general museum admission. More information about the exhibition can be found here.
Press contact: Paige Engard, Marketing & PR Specialist: 585.474.7695 / pengard@mag.rochester.edu