Salt Lake City – A rare gathering of stunning British landscape paintings and photographs by legendary artists opens at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA) on August 29 for a 15-week fall run. The UMFA is one of four exclusive U.S. museums to host The British Passion for Landscape: Masterpieces from National Museum Wales, and the only venue in the western United States.
“Not since the UMFA hosted Monet to Picasso from the Cleveland Museum of Art in 2008 have Utah audiences had access to artists of such art historical significance here at home,” says Gretchen Dietrich, UMFA’s executive director. “This exhibition gives Utahns a unique opportunity to experience Turner, Constable and Monet right here in Salt Lake City.”
The exhibition is organized by the American Federation of Arts and Amgueddfa Cymru–National Museum Wales. Curators are Tim Barringer, Paul Mellon Professor of the History of Art at Yale University, and Oliver Fairclough, Keeper of Art at National Museum Wales. The UMFA will offer several free public programs in conjunction with the exhibition, including a lecture by Barringer on Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm.
The British Passion for Landscape begins during the Industrial Revolution and explores the eras of romanticism, impressionism and modernism through the postmodern and post-industrial imagery of today. The work references both the poetry of landscape and the environmental threats posed by industrialism—key themes that persist in British art today and that will resonate with Utah audiences.
“Utah and Great Britain share some unique cultural ties and qualities,” Dietrich says. “Both places are famous for stunning scenery celebrated by many great artists over time, and both know the tensions that can arise between a bucolic and an industrial vision of the land. On a more personal level, many Utahns’ cultural roots are in Britain, so these places and their history will resonate with many in our region.”
Visitors can explore the landscape tradition more deeply, through examples made closer to home, elsewhere in the Museum this fall. Constructing the Utah Landscape, on view concurrently with The British Passion for Landscape, guides visitors of all ages in a hands-on exploration of landscape technique. The interactive exhibition, on view in the UMFA’s Emma Eccles Jones Education Gallery, showcases more than a dozen objects from the UMFA’s Art of Utah and the West collection, including works by Maynard Dixon, LeConte Stewart and V. Douglas Snow.
“Whether you’re an art historian, an artist yourself, or someone who is visiting an art museum for the very first time, you can immerse yourself in truly masterful works of great beauty and emotional depth that will resonate with your own personal experiences of the land around you,” says Luke Kelly, the Museum’s curator of antiquities and the curator in charge of The British Passion for Landscape’s installation in Utah.
Sponsorship
The exhibition is organized by the American Federation of Arts and Amgueddfa Cymru–National Museum Wales. The exhibition tour and catalogue are generously supported by the JFM Foundation, Mrs. Donald M. Cox and the Marc Fitch Fund. In-kind support is provided by Barbara and Richard S. Lane and Christie’s.
Presenting sponsors of the exhibition at the UMFA are the Katherine W. Dumke and Ezekiel R. Dumke Jr. Special Exhibition Endowment, the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation and the Sam and Diane Stewart Family Foundation. Major sponsors are the Willard L. Eccles Charitable Foundation, the John W. and Helen B. Jarman Family Fine Arts Endowment, MINI of Murray and Marva and John Warnock. Supporting sponsors include Big-D Construction, Merit Medical Systems, Inc. and Susan and Jim Swartz. Media sponsor is KUED, and community partner is The King’s English Bookshop.
Admission
From August 29–December 13, 2015, while The British Passion for Landscape: Masterpieces from National Museum Wales is on view, UMFA general admission prices are $14 for adults and $12 for seniors and youth.
Patrons who qualify for free admission will continue to receive this benefit: UMFA members; children ages 0-5; University of Utah students, staff and faculty; Utah public college students; and military families.
Free Days
Admission is free to all visitors on first Wednesdays and third Saturdays, thanks to the Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts and Parks Program.
$5 After 5
Admission will be $5 after 5 pm every Wednesday, except the first Wednesday of the month, which is always free all day.
Special Events
The British Passion for Landscape Premiere Gala
Thursday, August 27 | Ticketed Event
UMFA Members-Only Preview
Friday, August 28 | 10 am-5 pm | FREE for members
Members will also receive a 20% discount at the Museum Store Friday, August 28, and Saturday, August 29.
FREE Public Programming
Chamber Music Series
Wednesday, September 2 | 7 pm
Third Saturday for Families: Make a Cyanometer
Saturday, September 19 | 1-4 pm
An Evening with Mr. Turner
Wednesday, September 30
Museum admission | 5–8 pm | $5
Film screening | 7 pm | FREE
Open House for Teachers, Education Students and Their Families
Wednesday, October 14 | 4-7pm | FREE for teachers and their families
Chamber Music Series
Wednesday, October 21 | 7 pm | FREE
Curator Talk: Tim Barringer
Thursday, October 22 | 7-9 pm
Museum admission | 5-7 pm | FREE
Evening for Educators: The British Passion for Landscape:
Masterpieces from National Museum Wales
Wednesday, November 4 | 5:30-8:30 pm | FREE for teachers
Chamber Music Series
Wednesday, October 21 | 7 pm
About the Tour
The UMFA is the third stop on the exhibition’s four-city U.S. tour. The show opened at the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Florida, and then traveled to the Frick Art and Historical Center in Pittsburgh. It will be on view at the Princeton University Art Museum in spring 2016.
For More Information lease visit umfa.utah.edu/BritishLandscapes