This summer, the High Museum of Art will present “Paper Trees” (July 31, 2026-Feb. 21, 2027), an exhibition that ponders the role and presence of trees in American art from the 19th century to the present. Featuring nearly 50 prints, drawings and sculptures from the High’s collection as well as loans from the Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking and Clark Atlanta University Art Museum, the exhibition will trace different schools of thought in the depiction and representation of landscape and the natural world.
“By bringing these works together, we invite audiences to consider how artists have helped inspire reverence for nature, using the tree as a beautiful symbol of life,” said Rand Suffolk, director of the High.
In addition to a core selection of 19th- and 20th-century prints and works on paper from the High’s American collection, the exhibition will feature modern and contemporary works from across the museum’s collecting areas, including folk and self-taught art and decorative arts and design. Together, the artworks forefront the tree as the primary visual vehicle for the study of nature, from unfinished sketches made en plein air (drawn from life in nature rather than in a studio environment) to finished works made of or after trees as material and metaphor.
“The exhibition is an artist-driven exploration of the relationship between the visual arts and the natural world. While organized around the idea of the tree study, each artwork widens our understanding of the genre and emphasizes artistic practice and technique across multiple schools of art,” said Anni Pullagura, the High’s Margaret and Terry Stent associate curator of American art. “We’re particularly thrilled to be able to present rarely seen objects from the museum’s holdings of American works on paper, and to see these artworks in dialogue with root sculptures and woodturning, showing the multiple ways that trees and treelife continue to inspire artistic practice today.”
Exhibition Organization and Support
“Paper Trees” is organized by the High Museum of Art, Atlanta.
Images
The Ashepoo Swamp
Alice Ravenel Huger Smith (American, born Charleston, South Carolina, 1876–1958), The Ashepoo Swamp, early twentieth century, watercolor on paper, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, J. J. Haverty Collection, 25.2.
The Oak and the Adobe
Ernest Haskell (American, born Woodstock, Connecticut, 1876–1925), The Oak and the Adobe, 1919, etching on paper, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, 58.89.
Restless Leaves Vase
Made by Michelle Holzapfel (American, born Woonsocket, Rhode Island, 1951), Restless Leaves Vase, 1988, cherry burl, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, gift of Martha and Pat Connell, 2014.407.
Donut Form
Made by Edward Allen Moulthrop (American, born Rochester, New York, 1916–2003), Donut Form, undated, orangewood, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, gift of Martha and Pat Connell, 2014.397.
Two Pines #2
David C. Driskell (American, born Eatonton, Georgia, 1931–2020), Two Pines #2, 1964, oil on canvas, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, gift of David C. and Thelma G. Driskell, 2000.203. © Estate of David C. Driskell.
Untitled (Tree Trunk)
Joseph Stella (American, born Muro Lucano, Italy, 1877–1946), Untitled (Tree Trunk), ca. 1910, etching on paper, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, gift of Carl and Marian Mullis, 1995.158.
The Spice Bush
Albert Barker (American, born Chicago, Illinois, 1874–1947), The Spice Bush, 1931, lithograph on paper, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, gift of Carl and Marian Mullis, 1994.163.
Beyond the Elm
Luigi Lucioni (American, born Malnate, Italy, 1900–1988), Beyond the Elm, ca. 1944, etching on paper, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, purchase with funds from the Lawrence and Alfred Fox Foundation for the Ralph K. Uhry Collection, 1991.189.
“Edge of the Pines,” Fla.
Walter Ronald Locke (American, born Winchester, Massachusetts, 1883–1983), “Edge of the Pines,” Fla., 1938, etching on paper, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, purchase with funds from the Lawrence and Alfred Fox Foundation for the Ralph K. Uhry Collection, 1991.183.
Large Oak Tree
William Thomas Livesay (American, born Richmond, Virginia, 1956), Large Oak Tree, 1985, etching, engraving, and watercolor on paper, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, gift of Katherine and Richard B. Jones, 1986.69.
Solitude
Mary Nimmo Moran (American, born Strathaven, Scotland, 1842–1899), Solitude, 1880, etching on paper, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Barry Blumberg, 1985.294.
Island Pine #1
Franklin T. Wood (American, born Hyde Park, Massachusetts, 1887–1945), Island Pine #1, undated, etching on paper, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, gift of Kent Hofmann in memory of Betty and Paul Hofmann, 1985.254.
A Woodland Pasture
Robert Swain Gifford (American, born Naushon Island, Massachusetts, 1840–1905), A Woodland Pasture, 1888, etching on paper, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, purchase with Stratton Industries Fund, 1985.124.
Solitude (Peck’s Beach)
Edith Loring Pierce Getchell (American, born Bristol, Pennsylvania, 1855–1940), Solitude (Peck’s Beach), 1884, etching on parchment paper, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, purchase with Stratton Industries Fund, 1984.103.
Sweet is the Hour of Rest
Henry Farrer (American, born London, England, 1844–1903), Sweet is the Hour of Rest, 1877–1885, etching on paper, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, gift of the Stratton Industries Collection, 1980.10.
Hemlock at Kauterskill Clove
Aaron Draper Shattuck (American, born Francestown, New Hampshire, 1832–1928), Hemlock at Kauterskill Clove, 1856, pencil on paper, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, purchase, 72.48.
Woods
William Trost Richards (American, born Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1833–1905), Woods, 1865, charcoal and white chalk on paper, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, purchase with Charles E. Merrill Trust Fund given in memory of Brigadier General William L. Plummer, 72.16.
Study of a Tree
Charles Demuth (American, born Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 1883–1935), Study of a Tree, ca. 1916, watercolor on paper, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, purchase, 67.16.
