American Impressionism and Realism: The Margaret and Raymond Horowitz Collection

National Gallery of Art

Washington, DC

202-737-4215

American Impressionism and Realism: The Margaret and Raymond Horowitz Collection

Forty-nine works by such major figures in American art as George Bellows, William Merritt Chase, Childe Hassam, John LaFarge, Maurice Prendergast, Theodore Robinson, John Singer Sargent, John Twachtman, and J. Alden Weir will be on view in American Impressionism and Realism: The Margaret and Raymond Horowitz Collection at the National Gallery of Art, January 24 - May 9, 1999.

The exhibition of superb oil paintings, pastels, watercolors, and drawings by twenty-five American artists is the first public display of the renowned collection in a quarter of a century.

"We are extremely grateful to Margaret and Raymond Horowitz for their long-standing generosity in lending works from their collection," said Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art. "Through painstaking and impeccable connoisseurship during almost forty years of collecting, they have formed one of the finest groups of American impressionist and realist works in private hands. We are proud to share their treasures with the nation."

Exhibition Highlights

Known for its exceptional quality, the Horowitz Collection is the result of deeply personal yet thoroughly informed choices. It embraces every category of subject, from portraits and self-portraits to figure and genre paintings to landscapes and still life. Important paintings by key figures in American impressionism include William Merritt Chase's radiant Shinnecock landscape The Fairy Tale (1892); Childe Hassam's exquisite Poppies (1891); Theodore Robinson's meticulously structured Low Tide, Riverside Yacht Club (1894); and Frank W. Benson's idyllic A Summer Day (1911). Striking realist paintings that will be on view are George Bellows' Emma in the Purple Dress (1919), a psychologically compelling portrait of the artist's wife, and Alfred Maurer's At the Shore (1901), a scene depicting a popular beach near New York City.

The collection includes exceptional works on paper. Among the breathtaking pastels are Chase's powerful Self-Portrait (c. 1884) and Back of a Nude (c. 1888), and Robert Blum's The Blue Obi (c.1890-1893). Drawings and watercolors by John La Farge, John Singer Sargent, Maurice Prendergast, and William Glackens are also on exhibit.

Some artists are represented by single works, as in Cecilia Beaux 's pastel portrait of Ethel Page (Mrs. James Large) (1890) and Robert Vonnoh's Springtime in France (1890), while other artists are represented several times in diverse media. The six Chases in the collection reflect the artist's achievement at its highest level of technical and expressive power, as do the four Robinsons, four Prendergasts, three Hassams, two Blums, and two Dennis Miller Bunkers.

The exhibition is organized by Nicolai Cikovsky, Jr., senior curator of American and British paintings at the National Gallery of Art. The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated 196-page catalogue with 85 black-and-white and 57 color reproductions. It is available in the Gallery Shops and by calling (301) 322-5900 or (800) 697-9350.

From top to bottom: Everett Shinn, Matinee, Outdoor Stage, Paris, 1902, pastel on paper, 18 x 26 inches, collection of Margaret and Raymond Horowitz; Edward Potthast, Beach Scene, c. 1915, oil on panel, 11 x 15 7/8 inches, collection of Margaret and Raymond Horowitz; Frank W. Benson, A Summer Day, 1911, oil on canvas, 36 1/8 x 32 1/8 inches, collection of Margaret and Raymond Horowitz; William Merritt Chase, Back of a Nude, c. 1888, pastel on paper, 18 x 33 inches, collection of Margaret and Raymond Horowitz; Cecilia Beaux, Ethel Page (Mrs. James Large), 1890, pastel on paper, 16 1/8 x 12 inches, collection of Margaret and Raymond Horowitz; Dennis Miller Bunker, Roadside Cottage, c. 1889, oil on canvas, 25 1/16 x 30 inches, collection of Margaret and Raymond Horowitz

Read NGA's online article by Raymond Horowitz: "Reminiscences and Reflections on Collecting."

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