A Shared Vision: The Macon and Joan Brock Collection of American Art

Chrysler Museum of Art.​​​​​​

December 8, 2023 — March 10, 2024

Featuring more than 45 paintings, pastels, watercolors, and prints, this exhibition showcases one of the most significant collections of American art assembled in the twenty-first century.

William Merritt Chase (American, 1849–1916), At her Ease, ca. 1889, Pastel on panel, Promised gift to the Chrysler Museum of Art from the Macon and Joan Brock Collection of American Art

The Brock Collection spans nearly one hundred years of American art, from just after the Civil War to the mid-twentieth century. Works by a wide range of artists from Winslow Homer, Childe Hassam, John La Farge, Thomas Wilmer Dewing and John Singer Sargent, to Marsden Hartley, Max Weber, George Bellows, Charles Sheeler, and Milton Avery chart a broad history of American art. 

John Singer Sargent (American, 1856–1925), Olives at Corfu, 1909, Oil on canvas, Promised Gift of the Macon and Joan Brock Collection to the Chrysler Museum of Art

Poverty Hump, Maine

Artist:George Benjamin Luks (American, 1867-1933)

Date:ca. 1922

Medium:Oil on canvasGift of the Macon and Joan Brock Collection of American Art
Less well-known figures like Mary Fairchild MacMonnies, Helen Corson Hovenden, and Sally Michel Avery bolster the rich depth of the collection and propose new contours to the shape of American art history. Together the works included in the exhibition contribute a fresh look at one of the most vital and dynamic periods of American art.

Charles Sprague Pearce (American, 1851–1914), Young Lady with Flowers, ca. 1875-80, Oil on canvas, Promised gift to the Chrysler Museum of Art from the Macon and Joan Brock Collection of American Art

George Bellows (American, 1882–1925), Upper Broadway, 1907, Oil on board, Promised gift to the Chrysler Museum of Art from the Macon and Joan Brock Collection of American Art

At the same time, this presentation celebrates the generosity and vision of collectors Macon and Joan Brock whose gift of the Macon and Joan Brock Collection of American Art to the Chrysler represents the most transformative addition to the institution’s collection since Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.’s foundational gift more than 50 years ago.

Marsden Hartley (American, 1887–1943), Volupte, 1919, Oil on canvas, Promised gift to the Chrysler Museum of Art from the Macon and Joan Brock Collection of American Art

The Brocks exercised great foresight in the construction of a collection for the public’s benefit and the gift of the collection elevates the stature of the Chrysler’s American art holdings and programs, transforming it into a national leader in the exhibition, study, and appreciation of American art. 

The exhibition is accompanied by a scholarly catalogue, featuring entries written by leading historians of American art. Together the exhibition and catalogue build upon a legacy of scholarship in American art at the Chrysler, one that has been greatly enhanced by the generosity of Macon and Joan Brock.

A Shared Vision: The Macon and Joan Brock Collection of American Art is organized by the Chrysler Museum of Art.