Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art presents two new temporary exhibitions featuring American genre painting, on view from May 11 through Aug. 12.
Genre painting—scenes of everyday life—flourished in the United States during the mid-19th century. These narrative scenes depicting the everyday activities of “stock” or “typed” characters captivated American audiences. Genre paintings helped to express a distinctly “American” character, often through the exploration of racial, regional, or class differences.
Two new temporary exhibitions focusing on American genre painting open at Crystal Bridges on Saturday, May 11. The first of these: American Encounters: Genre Painting and Everyday Life, is the second exhibition in a four-year partnership between Crystal Bridges; the musée du Louvre in Paris; the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, GA; and the Terra Foundation for American Art. The second exhibition: American Experience: Genre Scenes on Paper from Crystal Bridges’ Permanent Collection, features never-before-exhibited watercolors and drawings from the museum’s collection. www.crystalbridges.org