American Encounters: Genre Painting and Everyday Life

American Encounters
Genre Painting and Everyday Life
May 11- August 12
Genre painting flourished in the United States during the mid-nineteenth century. These narrative scenes depicting the everyday activities of “stock” or “typed” characters captivated American audiences. Genre paintings helped to express a distinctly “American” character, often through the exploration of racial, regional, or class differences. This exhibition of five paintings includes works by George Caleb Bingham, Eastman Johnson, and Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait — American painters whose works illustrate three very different cultural experiences within the greater context of the United States. These are exhibited alongside two paintings from the Louvre that present the Dutch and English schools which helped to inspire American genre artists. This exhibition will debut at the Louvre from Jan. 23– Apr. 22, 2013, then travel to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (May 11– Aug. 12, 2013) and the High Museum of Art (Sept. 14, 2013- Jan.14, 2014). Visit http://crystalbridges.org/Exhibitions/american-encounters-2013 for more information.
This exhibition is part of a multi-year collaboration between Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, the musée du Louvre and the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Supported locally in part by Crystal Bridges’ Global Initiative Fund, Chuck and Terri Erwin, and the Stella Boyle Smith Trust