February3,2021TheSniteMuseumofArtAnnouncesGiftsofSixImportantAmericanandBritish

Paintingsfromthelate18thtotheearly20thcenturies

NotreDame,IN:TheSniteMuseumofArtattheUniversityofNotreDameisdelightedtoannouncethatitistherecipientofsixnoteworthypaintingsfromthelate18thtotheearly20thcenturiesthatwillsignificantlyaugmenttheMuseum’sholdingsinAmericanandBritishart.“TheMuseumisdeeplygratefulforthesegifts,manybydonorswithlongrelationshipstotheMuseumandNotreDame,”statesJosephAntenucciBecherer,DirectoroftheSniteMuseumofArt.“Theimportanceofour18th.-,19th-and20th-centurycollectionshavebeengreatlyenhancedwiththeseworks.”AnimportantandgenerousgiftfromAnnUhryAbrams,PhD,ofaworkbytheAmericanpainterJohnTwachtman,leadsthisgroupofacquisitions.BorninCincinnatitoGermanparents,JohnHenryTwachtmanbecameastudentofFrankDuveneck,whohefollowedtoMunich,wheretheyoungerartistcontinuedhisstudiesattheAcademyofFineArts.HetraveledwithDuveneckandWilliamMerrittChasetoVenice,eventuallylandinginParis.Whilethere,TwachtmanmetTheodoreRobinson,andthetwodevelopedtheirbrandofImpressionism.HereturnedtotheUnitedStatesin1886and,withChildeHassamandJulienAldenWeir,co-foundedthegroup“TheTen”toorganizeexhibitionsoftheirwork.TheChicagoWorld’sFair,IllinoisBuilding,isfromTwachtman’smatureperiod.Hissubjectmatterwasprimarilylandscapes,mostoftendevoidofarchitecture.Here,hefeaturesanimportanthistoricaleventinAmericanartandhistorybyexaminingtherelationshipbetweenthelandscapeintheforegroundandthehighlygeometric,manmadeenvironmentbeyond.HisisanaptillustrationoftheWhiteCitywithitsglorificationofcommercialandimperialambitions.Dr.Abrams,thedonor,isalong-standingmemberoftheMuseum’sAdvisoryCouncil.

JohnHenryTwachtman(American,1853–1902)TheChicagoWorld’sFair,IllinoisBuilding,ca.1893OiloncanvasGiftofAnnUhryAbrams,PhD2020.029.001ThisendearingworkfeaturingthreechildrenisbythecelebratedAmericanImpressionistJosephMorrisRaphael(1869–1950).AssociatedwiththeCaliforniaSchoolofAmericanImpressionism,RaphaelspentasubstantialportionofhiscareerlivingandworkinginBelgiumandtheNetherlands,whereheexecutedthispainting.BorninJackson,California,andinitiallytrainedattheCaliforniaSchoolofDesign,RaphaelisoneofthemajorfiguresofAmericanImpressionism.HewenttoParisin1902tocontinuehisstudiesandremainedinEuropeuntil1939.UponarrivinginEurope,RaphaelquicklyadoptedthebrushworkandpaletteoftheFrenchImpressionists.Althoughhewouldremaincommittedtothelandscapesanddomesticscenesfavoredbythisgroup,hisstyleexpanded,becomingbroaderandmoreexpressiveundertheinfluenceofavarietyofPost-Impressionist,Nabis,andSymbolistpainters.

JosephMorrisRaphael(American,1869–1950)TwoGirlsandaBaby(alsorecordedasThreeChildren,Laren,Netherlands),ca.1909OiloncanvasGiftofBrendenBeck,ND’902020.016AlthoughhedevelopedafollowingofcollectorsinEurope,Raphael’sprincipalmarketwasintheUnitedStatesand,inparticular,inCalifornia.ThroughoutmostofhistimeinEurope,heexhibitedinSanFranciscoandinfluencedanentiregenerationofcollectorsandpleinairpainters.TwoGirlsandaBabyisagifttotheMuseumfromBrendenBeck,Classof1990.TwoworksbythecelebratedpainterWilliamJ.Glackens—TheDressingTable(1922)andSketchforaGirlinPink(n.d.)—havebeendonatedtotheMuseumbytheSansomFoundation,Inc.Glackensisamongthepre-eminentfiguresinthehistoryofearlytwentieth-centuryAmericanpaintingandwasamongthemostinfluentialartadvisorstoAmericancollectors.HeisoneofthefoundingfiguresoftheAshcanSchool—arguablyamong

thefirstgenuinelyAmericanModernartmovements.Glackensisassociatedwithagroupofartistsknownas“TheEight”whosemembersincludedRobertHenri,GeorgeLuks,andJohnSloan.BornandtrainedinPhiladelphia,Glackensinitiallyworkedasanillustrator.HetraveledtoEuropein1895andwasexposedbothtoImpressionismandPost-Impressionism.UponreturningtotheUnitedStates,hesettledinNewYorkandbecameaprominentfigureinthecity’sburgeoningartworld.InthelastdecadesofGlackens’scareer,hispalettelightenedsignificantly,andbrushworkbecameincreasinglysketch-like.TheimpactoftheFrenchImpressionistPierreAugusteRenoirisfrequentlycitedasaninspirationforthatchange.GlackenscametoknowRenoirandhisworkwellthroughthecollectionofAlfredBarnes,ahighschoolfriendwhoemployedGlackensasanartadvisorandagent.BothpaintingscontributetotheMuseum’sholdingsinAmericanpaintingandearlyModernism;eachworkisabeautifulexampleofGlackens’srepertoireintermsofsubjectmatterandstyle.TheMuseumhasbeenthegratefulrecipientofearliergiftsoftheartist’sworksbytheSansomFoundation.AnautumnallandscapebythecelebratedAmericanImpressionistMathiasJ.AltenhasbeendonatedtotheMuseumbyAnitaM.Gilleo,theartist’sgranddaughter.BorninGermany,AltentrainedattheAcadémieJulianandAcadémieColarossi,Paris,andworkedintheNetherlandsbeforesettlinginMichigan.Alten’searliestcanvasesarecharacterizedbythemoresombertonesfoundin19th-centuryDutchandGermanpainting;hislaterexposuretotheworkoftheSpanishmasterJoaquínSorollaopenedhisbrushworkandlightenedhispalette.InAutumnAttireportraystheshoresofLakeMichiganandisthetypeoflandscapepaintingthatbroughtAltengreatsuccessduringthesecondhalfofhiscareer.Althoughhewasalsoasuccessfulportraitpainterandcreatorofdazzlingstilllifeandfloralimagery,Alten’slandscapesremainedmostindemand.Theywerewidelycollected,andtheartistwasafrequentpresenceinearly20th-centuryartcommunitieslikethoseinOldLyme,Connecticut,andTaos,NewMexico.HeprobablycompletedthispaintingintheyearfollowinghisinductionintotheNationalArtsClubinNewYork.It’savaluableadditiontotheMuseum’sholdingsinAmericanImpressionism,andrevealsstrongsymbolictiestothegeographicalregion.AsecondgiftfromAnnUhryAbrams,PhD,thepaintingMrs.SarahSiddonsandHerSonintheTragedyof“Isabella,”1784isbytheBritishartistWilliamHamilton.Trainedasanarchitecturaldraftsman,Hamiltonturnedhisattentiontowardfiguredrawing.HewasamemberoftheRoyalAcademyandbecamebestknownforhisdepictionsofscenesfrompopularplays.ThispaintingisanexampleofHamilton’sworkatmid-careerandrepresentstheartistathisneoclassicalbest.Thecompositionissimplercomparedtohisotherpaintingsoftheatricalperformances;here,hehas

paredthecompositiondowntotwomaincharacterssetonaterraceinafull-length,doubleportraitandcostumepiece.Despiteitsmutedcolorpaletteandthedearthofscenographicdetails,thepaintingexpressesallofthedramaexpectedfromthegenre.TheportraitisofMrs.SarahSiddons,afamousactressinthelateeighteenthcentury,whoperformedmuchofShakespeare’sandMilton’srepertoireattheDruryLaneTheatre.HamiltonshowsherplayingtheroleofIsabella,themaincharacterofaplayentitledTheFatalMarriageoriginallywrittenin1694byThomasSoutherne.In1757,theactor-managerDavidGarrickrewroteandpublishedtheplayasIsabella,ortheFatalMarriage,stagingaproductionatDruryLanein1782withSiddonsasthelead.MEDIACONTACT:Ifyouwouldlikehigh-resolutionimagesorin-depthinformation,pleasecontactGinaCosta,MarketingandPublicRelationsProgramManager,(574)631-4720,gcosta@nd.eduAboutTheSniteMuseumofArt,UniversityofNotreDameConsideredoneoftheleadinguniversityartmuseumsinAmerica,theSniteMuseumhasapermanentcollectionof30,000worksrepresentingmanyculturesandperiodsofworldarthistory.ExceptionalholdingsincludetheJackandAlfriedaFeddersenCollectionofRembrandtEtchings,theNoahL.andMurielS.ButkinCollectionof19th-CenturyFrenchArt,theJohnD.ReillyCollectionofOldMasterand19th-CenturyDrawings,theJanosScholzCollectionof19th-CenturyEuropeanPhotographs,theMr.andMrs.RussellG.AshbaughJr.CollectionofMeštrovićSculptureandDrawings,theGeorgeRickeySculptureArchive,andtheVirginiaA.MartenCollectionof18th-CenturyDecorativeArts.OthercollectionstrengthsincludeOlmecandMesoamericanart,20th-centuryart,andNativeAmericanart.SculptureisdisplayedintheMaryLorettoandTerrenceJ.DillonCourtyardandinTheCharlesB.HayesFamilySculpturePark.SniteMuseumofArt TheUniversityofNotreDame100MooseKrauseCircleNotreDame,IN46556Phone:(574)631-5466Fax:(574)631-8501sniteart@nd.edusniteartmuseum.nd.eduDirections:nd.edu/visitors/directions

Hours:DuetorestrictionsbytheUniversityofNotreDameduringtheCOVID-19pandemic,theSniteMuseumofArtiscurrentlyopenonlytoUniversityofNotreDame,SaintMary’sCollege,andHolyCrossCollegestudents,faculty,andstaff.Admissionisfree

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