Addison Gallery at Andover

Addison Gallery at Andover

I have often seen works from the Addison Gallery on loan to important exhibits in major galleries.  But it wasn't until May 2015 when the ESA met at Andover that I was able to actually visit this truly fine museum. 

The following overview was provided by the Addison website. The Addison Gallery of American Art has one of he most important collection so American art in the country.  The museum's founding collection included major works by such prominent American artists as John Singleton Copley, Thomas Easkins, Windlow Homer, Maurice Pendergast, John Singer Sargent, John Twachtman and James McNeill Whistler.  Aggressive purchasing and generous gifts have added work by such artists as Alexander Calder, Stuart Davis, Arthus Dove, Marsden Hartley, Han Hofman, Edward Hopper, Georgia O'Keeffee, Jackson Pollock, Charles Sheeler, John Sloan, Frank Stella, Mark Bardford and Kara Walker.  

The Addison's collection of nearly 7,600 photographs spans the history of American photography and includes in-depth holding in key individual artists.

Today, the collection is comprised of more than 17,000 works in all media-painting, sculpture, photography, drawings, prints, and decorative arts- from the eighteenth century to present.

The exhibition I viewed in May featured the art of Alfred Maurer and it did not disappoint!

Alfred Maurer: At the Vanguard of Modernism

April 25 - July 31, 2015

Considered the most accomplished American artist to adopt Fauvism, Alfred Maurer (1868–1932) tirelessly explored the boundaries of artistic expression throughout his career. From his cross-fertilization of Fauvism between French and American circles to his channeling of abstraction in his late radical works, Maurer proved to be a formidable creative force in expanding the potential for artistic expression in American art.

Consisting of over 70 master works, Alfred Maurer: At the Vanguard of Modernism, a major traveling exhibition organized by the Addison Gallery, assesses Maurer’s singular accomplishments and contributions to American painting in the early decades of the twentieth century. Tracing themes that run throughout the full scope of his work, the exhibition illustrates the invaluable contributions this progressive artist made to the development of modernism in America.

While Maurer is often characterized as a painter of divergent, seemingly contradictory aesthetics, careful study of his oeuvre reveals steady interest in thematic ideas as well as formal experimentation with color, form, and abstraction, all of which will be revealed in this significant exhibition. 

Co-curated by independent scholar Dr. Stacey Epstein and Addison curator Susan Faxon, the exhibition will travel to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in the fall of 2015.

The video that the Addison prepared celebrating the opening on the exhibition is very instructional.

Click to hear Curator Speaks about exhibition

I tend to enjoy more traditions works for some of my favorites were:

The detail and colors were just amazing.  The white of the blouse was amazing as was the use of the red in the second picture.  It seems that Mauer did not name most of his painting, so the titles derive from simple descriptions of each work.

It is always interesting to see portraits of the artist himself and here are a few I found while trying to learn more about this inventive artist.

As Mauer moved through his career his work became more abstract as the images of two women show.

His landscapes also show how his art evolved and become more abstract.

While abstract, I so loved the colors that I added them to my favorites.

When I left the Addison Gallery I found that I was deeply jealous of the students and faculty who live next door to this wonderful gallery.  I hope to be able to return to visit it again, but until that time, I will surely make regular virtual visits.