American Made: 250 Years of American Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston July 7, 2012–January 1, 2013
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Joseph Badger, Portrait of John Gerry (detail), 1745, oil on canvas; American, Boy's Body Coat, c. 1745, wool, linen, and silk taffeta, the MFAH, the Bayou Bend Collection, gifts of Miss Ima Hogg.
Wenzel Friedrich, Rocking Chair, c. 1880–90, steer horn, jaguar hide, iron, chrome-plated iron, and wood, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, gift of William J. Hill.
John Steuart Curry, The Return of Private Davis from the Argonne, 1928–40, tempera and oil on canvas, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum purchase funded by the Caroline Wiess Law Accessions Endowment Fund. © John Steuart Curry Estate, Kiechel Fine Art
Designed by Clara Driscoll, Dragonfly Hanging Lamp, c. 1906, stained glass, lead, and bronze, the MFAH, gift of Mr. and Mrs. John Mecom, Jr.
Morgan Russell, Synchromy, c. 1914, oil on composition board, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum purchase. © Jean-Pierre Joyce
John James Audubon, The Birds of America: from Original Drawings, 1827–38, hand-colored etching and aquatint, Private Western Collection.
American, Baltimore Album Quilt, 1846–50, cotton and cotton appliqué, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
Helen Torr, Corrugated Building, 1929, oil on panel, the MFAH, gift of The Brown Foundation, Inc., and Isabel B. Wilson in memory of Peter C. Marzio.
Elie Nadelman, Tango, c. 1918–24, cherry wood and gesso, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Meredith Long. © Estate of Elie Nadelman
American Made: 250 Years of American Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston reveals the depth, breadth, and richness of American artistic innovation from the 18th to the mid-20th century. For the first time in MFAH history, the museum galleries present an installation that integrates the collection of American paintings and sculpture with decorative arts, Native American art, photography, and works on paper. More than 200 objects are showcased, including artworks from the collections of the two MFAH house museums: Bayou Bend and Rienzi.
The MFAH collection of American art has expanded enormously through gifts, bequests, and purchases, and many of its treasures are newly conserved. Among the recent acquisitions on view are Corrugated Building by Helen Torr and The Return of Private Davis from the Argonne by John Steuart Curry. The many other highlights include Edward Hicks’s beloved Peaceable Kingdom; Louis Comfort Tiffany’s iridescent peacock-feather Vase; the poignant marble sculpture The Last of the Tribes by Hiram Powers; Albert Bierstadt's spectacular landscape Indians Spear Fishing; Georgia O'Keeffe's masterpiece Grey Lines with Black, Blue and Yellow; and the shimmering E. Martin Hennings painting Passing By.
This exhibition is organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Generous funding is provided by:
Kinder Foundation
Education programs for this exhibition are made possible by Mr. and Mrs. Michael C. Linn.