The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) presents Seeing the Essential: The Sigmund M. and Mary B. Hyman Collection of American Art, an expansive exhibition showcasing more than 100 works from the collection of Baltimore philanthropists Sigmund M. Hyman (1921–2002) and Mary B. Hyman (1927–2024). Over more than 60 years, they built an art collection guided by an interest in modern American culture and history, visual beauty, their own personal tastes, and an appreciation for artists who depicted everyday life with honesty and imagination. On view from May 10 through September 13, 2026, the exhibition celebrates the Hymans’ gift to the BMA as well as their six‑decade commitment to American art, civic engagement, and public access to culture.
The title Seeing the Essential draws inspiration from Ashcan artist and educator Robert Henri, who wrote in 1923 that the ability “to see and to remember the essential” was fundamental to artistic purpose. Living with these works in their home, the Hymans embraced this philosophy, finding beauty, humor, and meaning in art that reflected lived experience.
Built from the 1960s through the early 2020s, the Hyman Collection centers on American modernist artists, with particular strength in works associated with the Ashcan School. United by a shared interest in representing everyday life, these artists turned their attention to city streets, domestic interiors, working people, performers, and the changing urban landscape. Their works offer vivid, often empathetic views of American life during a period of rapid social and industrial transformation.
The exhibition is organized around similar themes that illuminate how modern artists sought meaning in ordinary moments and familiar spaces.
Among the exhibition’s highlights are more than 20 works by John Sloan, a leading Ashcan School artist and former newspaper illustrator whose masterful compositions reveal both the spectacle and social complexity of urban life.
Other standout works include Guy Wiggins’s large‑scale Impressionist streetscape of New York City, Midtown Looking Down Fifth Avenue (mid‑20th century); John Singer Sargent’s striking charcoal portrait Miss Enid Morse (1911); and Provincetown (1916), Marguerite Zorach’s bold Cubist interpretation of the Massachusetts harbor rendered in prismatic color and dynamic form.
The exhibition also reflects the transnational and multi-cultural dimensions of American modernism, featuring works by Native American, immigrant, and European artists whose perspectives shaped—and challenged—dominant narratives of American art.
“Sig and Mary Hyman collected with an astute curiosity, an abiding belief in the power of history, and a sense of conviction,” said Asma Naeem, the BMA’s Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director. “The BMA is fortunate to have a significant portion of their collection, ensuring that these works and the stories they tell are accessible to the public. We are very grateful for their generosity as it reflects a deep belief in the power of artists to illuminate everyday life.”
Seeing the Essential: The Sigmund M. and Mary B. Hyman Collection of American Art is co‑curated by Virginia M.G. Anderson, BMA Senior Curator of American Art and Department Head, American Painting & Sculpture and Decorative Arts, and Robin Owen Joyce, BMA Assistant Curator of Academic Engagement.
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Arthur B. Davies. Lonely Lady. c. 1915.
Baltimore Museum of Art, Sigmund M. and Mary B. Hyman Collection, BMA 2025.86
Stuart Davis. Harbor, Gloucester, Massachusetts. 1924.
Baltimore Museum of Art, Sigmund M. and Mary B. Hyman Collection, BMA 2025.87
Dorothy Dehner. Landmarks. 1947.
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William J. Glackens. Sketch for Breakfast Porch, No. 2. c. 1925.
Baltimore Museum of Art, Sigmund M. and Mary B. Hyman Collection, BMA 2025.165
George Grosz. The Bowery. 1935.
Baltimore Museum of Art, Sigmund M. and Mary B. Hyman Collection, BMA 2025.101
John Heliker. In Louis' Studio. 1964.
Baltimore Museum of Art, Sigmund M. and Mary B. Hyman Collection, BMA 2025.102
Allan Houser. Plains Couple. c. 1991.
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Leon Kroll. Brooklyn Bridge, New York. 1911.
Baltimore Museum of Art, Sigmund M. and Mary B. Hyman Collection, BMA 2025.110. © Estate of Leon Kroll
Ernest Lawson. Croton Falls. c. 1920.
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Bennard Perlman. Orchestra Rehearsal (Pittsburgh). 1948.
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John Singer Sargent. Miss Enid Morse. 1911.
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Everett Shinn. Opening Night. c. 1915.
Baltimore Museum of Art, Sigmund M. and Mary B. Hyman Collection, BMA 2025.143
John Sloan. From Schoolhouse Hill, Gloucester. 1914.
Baltimore Museum of Art, Sigmund M. and Mary B. Hyman Collection, BMA 2025.165
John Sloan. Fun, One Cent. 1905.
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John Sloan. Barber Shop. 1915.
Baltimore Museum of Art, Sigmund M. and Mary B. Hyman Collection, 2025.164
Abraham Walkowitz. Isadora Duncan. n.d.
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Guy C. Wiggins. Midtown Looking Down Fifth Avenue. Mid-20th century.
Baltimore Museum of Art, Sigmund M. and Mary B. Hyman Collection, BMA 2025.175
Grant Wood. Fertility. 1939.
Baltimore Museum of Art, Sigmund M. and Mary B. Hyman Collection, BMA 2025.176
Marguerite Thompson Zorach. Provincetown. 1916.
Baltimore Museum of Art, Sigmund M. and Mary B. Hyman Collection, 2025.170. © The Zorach Collection
