Displaying items by tag: currier museum of art

In his groundbreaking work "The Birds of North America," John James Audubon brought together the art world and the outdoors in a new way. It served as both a scientific record of North American bird species and a landmark in how to represent wildlife in art.

What’s less well known is the massive project Audubon took on after "The Birds of North America."

Vincent van Gogh’s (1853-1890) cheerful painting Bridge across the Seine at Asnières (1887), is now on view in the European Gallery of the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, NH. In the Modern Gallery, two stunning 20th century sculptures, Alberto Giacometti’s Annette IV (1962) and Henri Laurens’ Petite Cariatide(1930) will be on view starting September 24. These works of art are on loan to the Currier through December 2014.

“We are delighted to share these three important works of art by major artists of the late nineteenth and twentieth century with people throughout New England and beyond.” said Susan Strickler, director and CEO of the Currier. “In particular, this van Gogh has not been exhibited in America since 1970, so this is a rare opportunity to see this lively painting.”

The Currier Museum of Art announced the acquisition of an important late oil painting by American John Marin (1870-1953). Movement in Red (1946) reveals Marin’s bold technique, which conveys a dynamic vision of boats sailing off the coast of Cape Split, Maine. It is on view in the Currier’s Modern Gallery.

“The Currier has a long tradition of thoughtfully acquiring important works of art that support our collection,” said Susan Strickler, Currier CEO and director. “Marin’s stunning painting joins major paintings in the Museum’s collection by his contemporaries Georgia O’Keeffe, Arthur Dove, Marsden Hartley and Charles Sheeler. They offer our community an exceptional view of one of America’s most important and innovative artists of the first half of the 20th century.”

The Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, New Hampshire, announced that it has received a significant gift from the estate of May Gruber, a legendary New Hampshire businesswoman and civic leader. Included in the donation are works by Rembrandt, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Pierre Bonnard, James McNeill Whistler, David Hockney, and Jim Hodges. many of the works are currently on view in the museum’s European, Modern, and Contemporary art galleries.

Gruber, the former head of Pandora Industries, a Manchester institution that created iconic sweaters and knitwear in the city from 1940 until 1983, helped found Child Health Services and the Manchester Community Music School. Gruber and her first husband, Saul Sidore, began collecting art in the 1960s based on advice from Charles Buckley, then director of the Currier.

Susan Strickler, the director and CEO of the Currier, said, “May Gruber felt strongly about giving back to the community that helped her company to grow. Her tastes were eclectic and wide-ranging, as is evidenced by the works she gave to the Currier. Because of her bequest, the region has an even more exceptional collection of art to cherish.”

Founded in 1929, the Currier Museum of Art’s collection includes European and American paintings, decorative arts, photographs, and sculpture.

The Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, New Hampshire, is currently hosting “Romare Bearden: A Black Odyssey.” The exhibition, which was organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service in cooperation with the Romare Bearden Foundation and Estate and New York’s DC Moore Gallery, has been displayed at five venues before going on view at the Currier Museum. After its time in New Hampshire, the show will travel to New York City for presentation at Columbia University.

During the late 1970s, Romare Bearden created a series of collages and watercolors based on Homer’s epic poem, “The Odyssey.” Shortly after its completion, the series was broken up and scattered amongst public and private collections. “A Black Odyssey” presents the complete, 55-piece series in chronological order. Together, the works tell the ancient story of Odysseus’ journey, through the lens of Bearden’s own experience as an African-American.

Bearden, who moved to New York City from North Carolina as a child, was part of the Great Migration of African-Americans from the tumultuous South to greater opportunity in the North. Throughout his career, Bearden explored themes such as home, classical subjects, and belonging, all of which are touched upon in his Odyssey series.

“Romare Bearden: A Black Odyssey” will remain on view at the Currier Museum of Art through August 17.

The Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, NH has been loaned two significant impressionist landscape paintings – one by Vincent van Gogh and another by Pierre-August Renoir. The works will be on view at the museum through the end of January.

The van Gogh painting was created in 1887 and features a peasant in a field near a country road, with Paris off in the distance. The painting illustrates how contemporary impressionist and neo-impressionist artists living in Paris affected van Gogh’s work. The Renoir painting shows a woman holding a parasol and a bouquet of flowers, with another behind her, emerging from the trees. Although there are figures in the painting, the composition is highly influenced by the landscape.

The two masterpieces will be exhibited alongside Claude Monet’s The Seine at Bougival, which is a part of the Currier’s collection.