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Taft Museum of Art Opens The American Impressionists in the Garden

The Taft Museum of Art presents The American Impressionists in the Garden on view February 19–May 15, 2011.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, American impressionist painters turned their attention to the garden, finding it an ideal subject for the study of light and color in landscape. They were not alone. Appreciated for their variations of form, color, style, and silhouette, gardens constituted a key cultural interest of the period. The vogue for gardening expressed itself in the birth of garden clubs, horticultural and hobbyist publications, the establishment of civic and private gardens, and new modes of garden design. The relationship between the gardening movement and the fine arts of painting and sculpture is the focus of this exhibition, which is organized by the Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art in Nashville, Tennessee.


Robert Vonnoh, Poppies in France, 1888, oil on canvas, Terra Foundation for American Art, Chicago, Daniel J. Terra Foundation

Bringing together brilliantly colored paintings of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the exhibition features 40 pictures of European and American gardens created by American impressionists and four bronze sculptures for gardens by American sculptors. From Giverny to Boston and Charleston, American painters captured the sensuous pleasures to be found in gardens, ornamenting their canvases with lush blossoms in fuchsia, persimmon, and daffodil yellow. Some celebrated American artists included in the exhibition are John Singer Sargent, Childe Hassam, Gari Melchers, Ernest Lawson, and Frederick Frieseke.

Admission information: FREE admission for members to this exhibition and the historic house and collections

Wednesday-Saturday: Admission $13 for adults / $10 for students and seniors / Free for children under 18

Sunday: Admission $5 for adults / $4 for students and seniors / Free for children under 18
with FREE admission to historic house and collections.

Related Events:

Docent-Led Tours of The American Impressionist in the Garden
Saturdays
February 19, 26; March 5, 12, 19, 26;
April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30; May 7, 14; 1:30 p.m.
Free with admission. No reservations

Gallery Talks with Chief Curator Lynne Ambrosini.
Friday, February 25, 1:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 10, 1:30 p.m.
Friday, April 15, 1:30 p.m.
Free with admission. RSVP: (513) 684-4515

Third Sunday Funday: Flower Power
March 20, 1–4 p.m.
Family activities, crafts, puppet show. Free. No reservations

Lecture: From Paris to Cincinnati: Impressionism Comes to the Queen City
March 24, 7 p.m.
By Julie Aronson, Ph.D., Curator of American Paintings, Sculpture, and Drawings, Cincinnati Art Museum.
Free members & students / $10 public. RSVP: (513) 684-4515

Being Green in Cincinnati
April 2, 1–4 p.m.
With Gerald Checco, Rita Heikenfeld, and Ron Wilson.
$5 members & students. $15 public. RSVP: (513) 684-4515

In Living Color: Floral Watercolors Studio
April 9, 1–4 p.m.
With Anissa Lewis, Adjunct Faculty, Art Academy of Cincinnati.
$30 members and students / $45 public. RSVP: (513) 684-4515

ArtsWave Sampler
Sponsored by Macy’s
April 10, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
11:30 a.m.—Lost in Holland
12–2 p.m.—Make an origami bunny
2 p.m.—ArtReach: The Rockin’ Adventures of Peter Rabbit
4 p.m.—Vocal Arts Ensemble
Free admission. No reservations

Lecture: Who is Having Lunch at Renoir’s Boating Party
April 17, 3 p.m.
By Richard Brettell, Ph.D., Chair of Art and Aesthetics, University of Texas at Dallas.
Presented with the Woman’s Art Club of Cincinnati Foundation.
$10 members /$12 public, RSVP: (513) 684-4515

Lecture: Fine Paintings as Inspiration for Garden Design
April 21, 7 p.m.
By Gordon Hayward, nationally recognized garden designer, writer, and lecturer.
Free members & students /$10 public. RSVP: (513) 684-4515

Mother’s Day Brunchay 8, 11 a.m.–2 p.m
Treat Mom to a delicious brunch prepared by Executive Chef Mark Bowers.
$30 Adults. $20 Children, 4–15. Free Children 3 and under.
Reservations required: (513) 352-5140

The Taft Museum of Art is one of the finest small art museums in America. A National Historic Landmark built in 1820, the Taft is home to an extensive art collection that includes European and American master paintings, Chinese porcelains, and European decorative arts. See major works by Rembrandt, Hals, Goya, Gainsborough, Reynolds, Turner, Ingres, Whistler, and Sargent, as well as the greatest Gothic ivory sculpture in America.

The Taft Museum of Art 316 Pike Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 (513) 241-0343

www.taftmuseum.org

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