Huntsville, Ala – “A rare Alabama treasure” will be on display at the Huntsville Museum of Art beginning October 19. American Beauty: Highlights from the Wiginton Collection is the public debut of a selection of striking works from a prominent Southern private collection. The collection is focused on late 19th and early 20th century oil paintings in the American realist tradition. American Beauty will be on view through January 19, 2014.
This exhibition is the second in a yearlong series which has been organized by the Huntsville Museum of Art titled American Beauty: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. “We were able to hand select each work in this exquisite exhibition,” said Museum Director of Curatorial Affairs Peter J. Baldaia. “This collection is a rare Alabama treasure which has been seen by very few.”
Featured in the Chan Gallery will be more than 30 accomplished works executed in the American Impressionist style by important artists of the period like Theodore Earl Butler, William Merritt Chase, Edward Henry Potthast, Maurice Prendergast, Theodore Robinson, and many others.
“Through their works, these artists celebrated the unique beauty of our nation’s people and places in appealing landscapes, portraits and genre scenes,” added Baldaia.
On Sunday, October 20, at 2 p.m. in the Museum Great Hall, UAH’s Dr. David Stewart will give a presentation on What Makes American Impressionism American. Stewart is an associate professor of Art and Art History at UAH. The program is free to Museum members and included in general admission for nonmembers. LeeLee Wiginton of Lyn’s Gracious Goodness will cater a reception following the program in the Richard and Roper Room.
On Sunday, November 24, at 2 p.m., the public can join a museum docent who will lead a 45 minute tour of American Beauty. Docent-led tours are FREE to members and included in general admission for nonmembers. Participants should meet in the museum’s main lobby on Church Street.
Local support for the exhibition was generously provided by The Alabama State Council on the Arts, The Huntsville Times, and The Women’s Guild of the Huntsville Museum of Art.
The Museum is closed on Mondays and some major holidays. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with extended hours on Thursdays until 8 p.m. The Museum is also open Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults; $8 for military, students, teachers, and seniors with a valid ID; and $5 for children ages 6−11. Admission for museum members and children under 6 is free. After 5 p.m. on Thursdays, admission is only $5 for nonmembers, as part of the museum’s $5 After Five program. For more information, visit www.hsvmuseum.org or call 256-535-4350.
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