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Addison Gallery of American Art opens An American in London: Whistler and the Thames

Addison Gallery of American Art presents An American in London: Whistler and the Thames an exhibition on view February 1 – April 13, 2014.

James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Brown and Silver: Old Battersea Bridge, 1859–63, oil on canvas, 25 1/8 x 29 15/16 in., Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover, MA, gift of Cornelius N. Bliss,
James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Brown and Silver: Old Battersea Bridge, 1859–63, oil on canvas, 25 1/8 x 29 15/16 in., Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover, MA, gift of Cornelius N. Bliss,
In the 1860s and 1870s, James Abbott McNeill Whistler immersed himself in the life of Victorian London, with a particular focus on the bustling neighborhood surrounding Battersea Bridge, including the workers and women who frequented the Thames-side wharves and pubs, the barges that navigated the perilous passage under the bridges, and the steamboats and wherries crowded with daytrippers that paddled up and down Battersea Reach. This exhibition brings together numerous paintings, prints, and drawings from this pivotal period in Whistler’s career, providing a detailed examination of his approach to composition, subject, and technique. An American in London has been organized by the Addison Gallery of American Art, Dulwich Picture Gallery, London, and the Freer Gallery of Art | Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, and is guest curated by Margaret MacDonald, Professor Emerita of Art History, and Dr. Patricia de Montfort, both from the University of Glasgow.

Generous support for this exhibition was provided by Edward P. Bass (Phillips Academy Class of 1963) on his 50th reunion, in honor of Brian T. Allen (by The Bass Foundation); Thomas C. Foley (Phillips Academy Class of 1971) and Leslie Fahrenkopf Foley; Leslie G. Callahan III (Phillips Academy Class of 1968) and Barbara Keenan Callahan; David Carter (Phillips Academy Class of 1941) and Louise Carter; the David L. Older Fund; the Keamy Family Foundation in memory of Yvonne and Donald Keamy; The Lunder Foundation, and an anonymous foundation.