Wednesday, November 29, 2023

Fenimore Art Museum Announces Acquisition of Eight Major Artworks for Its American Art Collection

 Fenimore Art Museum has announced 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:

Portrait of Laurence Millet (1887), John Singer Sargent (1856-1925). Oil on canvas. Collection of Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, New York. Gift of Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust N0013.2023. Photograph by Richard Walker.




Brown and Tan Leaves (1928), Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986). Oil on canvas. Collection of Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, New York. Gift of Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust N0014.2023. Photograph by Richard Walke


Mrs. Hassam in the Garden (1896), Childe Hassam (1859-1935). Oil on canvas. Collection of Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, New York. Gift of Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust N0017.2023. Photograph by Richard Walker.


St. Germain l’Auxerrois (1897), Childe Hassam (1859-1935). Oil on canvas. Collection of Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, New York. Gift of Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust N0018.2023. Photograph by Richard Walker.


The Pet Lamb (1873), Eastman Johnson (1824-1906). Oil on canvas. Collection of Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, New York. Gift of Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust N0016.2023. Photograph by Richard Walker.


The Lady in White (1894), William Merritt Chase (1849-1916). Oil on canvas. Collection of Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, New York. Gift of Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust N0019.2023. Photograph by Richard Walker.


Seated Girl with Strawberries (ca. 1803-1805), Joshua Johnson (ca. 1763-ca. 1824). Oil on canvas. Collection of Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, New York. Gift of Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust N0015.2023. Photograph by Richard Walker.

Snowy Day, Boston (ca. 1907-1910), Maurice Brazil Prendergast (1859-1924). Oil on canvas. Collection of Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, New York. Gift of Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust N0021.2023. Photograph by Richard Walker.

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.