The Greenwich Historical Society unveiled an array of artworks by the celebrated American Impressionist artist John Henry Twachtman at a VIP and members reception, attended by over 200 people, including 14 descendants of the artist.
“This exhibition is a major milestone for the Historical Society and a tremendous opportunity for art lovers to view the works of a towering figure in American art who had a direct link to Greenwich,” said Historical Society Executive Director and CEO Debra Mecky.
“Twachtman became a founder of American Impressionism when he taught and painted at our doorstep on the grounds of the Holley House in the late 19th century along with esteemed colleagues including Childe Hassam and J. Alden Weir. He reached artistic maturity during the years he lived in Greenwich and painted the home and landscape he loved – the subject of this exhibition.”
Featuring 18 artworks on loan from museums and private collections, Life and Art presents a unique view into an era when Twachtman earned a reputation as the most original of the leading American Impressionists.
Known during his lifetime as a “painter’s painter” whose works were appreciated by fellow artists more than the general public, today Twachtman is regarded as among the most innovative American artists of the late-19th century. His paintings are present in many of the country’s leading museums and collections of American art.
Life and Art is curated byLisa N. Peters, Ph.D., an independent scholar and the author of John Henry Twachtman: An American Impressionist (High Museum of Art, Atlanta), as well as several other publications on Twachtman and American art. The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue featuring an essay by Dr. Peters, incorporating insights gleaned from architectural study of Twachtman’s house, now privately owned.
The exhibition runs from October 19 – January 22, 2023, at the Greenwich Historical Society, located at 47 Strickland Rd., Cos Cob, Conn. The Historical Society’s galleries are open Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 12:00 to 4:00 pm. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for students and seniors, and free to children under 18 and Greenwich Historical Society Members. For more information: https://greenwichhistory.org/twachtman/.
Life and Art has been made possible with support from the Henry Luce Foundation for American Art, the Jane Henson Foundation and First Republic Bank. A generous grant from the Wyeth Foundation for American Art supported the publication of the exhibition’s catalogue.