Fenimore Art Museum announced today that it has acquired eight major works of art including works by Eastman Johnson, William Merritt Chase, John Singer Sargent, Childe Hassam, Maurice Prendergast, Joshua Johnson, and Georgia O'Keeffe. Acquisition of these works was generously funded by the Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust.
The acquisitions highlight the museum's effort to expand its already significant collection of American art. This group broadens the scope to include major works created from the 1870s to about 1930, allowing the museum to tell the story of American art and culture as it evolved after the Civil War.
"We are looking forward to sharing these magnificent acquisitions with our audiences," said Dr. Paul S. D'Ambrosio, Fenimore Art Museum President and CEO. "Moving forward, our goal is to create a renowned collection of American art that builds upon the early and mid-nineteenth-century works left to the museum by our original benefactor Stephen C. Clark. Likewise, we continue the legacy of the generous gift of the Eugene and Clare Thaw Collection of American Indian Art given to us in 1995 by the Thaws and housed in a new wing funded by Clark's granddaughter, Jane Forbes Clark."
The new works are currently on view through December 31 and will be on display throughout the 2024 season beginning April 1.
New acquisitions include:
John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) Portrait of Laurence Millet, 1887
Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986) Brown and Tan Leaves, 1928
Childe Hassam (1859-1935) Mrs. Hassam in the Garden, 1896
Childe Hassam (1859-1935) St. Germain l'Auxerrois, 1897
Eastman Johnson (1824-1906) The Pet Lamb, 1873
William Merritt Chase (1849-1916) The Lady in White, 1894
Joshua Johnson (ca. 1763-ca. 1824) Seated Girl with Strawberries, ca. 1803-1805
Maurice Brazil Prendergast (1859-1924) Snowy Day, Boston, ca. 1907-1910
About Fenimore Art Museum
Fenimore Art Museum, located on the shores of Otsego Lake—James Fenimore Cooper's "Glimmerglass"—in historic Cooperstown, New York, features a wide-ranging collection of American art including folk art, important American 18th- and 19th-century landscape, genre, portrait paintings, photography, and the renowned Eugene and Clare Thaw Collection of American Indian Art. Changing exhibitions have featured well-known artists including Keith Haring, Ansel Adams, Andrew Wyeth, M.C. Escher, and others. Museum admission is free for ages 19 and under. Visit FenimoreArt.org.