American Impressionism December 11, 2008

Revisiting The Phillips Collection's artistic roots, this exhibition will highlight paintings that were among the museum's earliest acquisitions. Featured artists will be Childe Hassam, Ernest Lawson, Maurice Prendergast, Theodore Robinson, Robert Spencer, Augustus Vincent Tack, John Henry Twachtman, and Julian Alden Weir, among others. As members of the first generation of American painters to absorb the technique, brighter palette, and subject matter of impressionism from their French counterparts, these artists painted atmospheric landscapes, park and beach scenes, urban views, and charming interiors, with particular interest in optical effects, light, and different seasons. The exhibition will show how American painting around the turn of the twentieth century was enriched by the impressionist aesthetic. The exhibition and national tour are made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts as part of the American Masterpieces program. Additional support for the exhibition is provided by the Phillips Contemporaries.