'An American Odyssey: The Warner Collection of American Art' at the New Britain Museum of American Art

Written by Conrad Walkenhorst Friday, 19 August 2011 21:37

New Britain, CT.- Until July 3rd 2011 the New Britain Museum of American Art’s McKernan Gallery features 'An American Odyssey: The Warner Collection of American Art'. The exhibition is composed of works from the personal collection of Jonathan “Jack” Warner and his wife Susan Austin Warner and the collection of The Warner Foundation. Jack Warner started his private collection in the 1950s when he bought a series of prints by John James Audubon (1785-1851). Today the Warner Collection is one of the premiere collections of American art in the world. Warner’s collection reflects his belief in learning American history through art and his passion for America.

His collection includes historical and genre paintings, portraiture, landscapes, and works from specific schools such as Impressionism and The Eight. Each of these artworks helps the viewer understand a different aspect of the American story. Works by Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902), Mary Cassatt (1844-1926), Frederic E. Church (1826-1900), Thomas Cole (1801-1848), Winslow Homer (1836-1910), and James Peale (1749-1831) are featured in the collection. Because the Warner Collection closely parallels the permanent collection of the New Britain Museum, the exhibition allows a number of opportunities to compare and contrast works in the two collections.



The New Britain Museum of American Art, is a cultural gem located next to historic Walnut Hill Park. The Museum traces its beginnings to the New Britain Institute, which was chartered in 1853 to foster learning by a community of newly arrived immigrants who worked in the city’s numerous factories. In 1901 the Institute moved from rented spaces to a new building in town that accommodated 75,000 volumes, a children’s room, and a history room. The site also included a windowless “art room” in which portraits of prominent figures were displayed. In 1903 John Butler Talcott, former New Britain mayor and chairman of the Institute’s building committee, established the first purchase fund for “original modern oil paintings either by native or foreign artists. Further encouragement came in 1934 when a New Britain philanthropist left the Institute an endowment and a stone mansion to the Institute. There, the Art Museum of the New Britain Institute opened to the public on July 1, 1937. In 1937 with its new, inherited space for its collection, the New Britain Institute further refined its collecting mission under the guidance of Robert Macbeth, the son of its first art advisor.

The Museum remained committed to local, emerging talent, annually exhibiting the work of artists in and from the area. The 1949 exhibition “Young Talent” showcased the work of Sol LeWitt, who was raised in New Britain. Less than a decade later, the 1957 show “Five Decades of Your Museum’s Progress” highlighted the Museum’s active exhibition program and burgeoning collection. The New Britain Museum of American Art continues to build on its successes. Its collection dates from 1739 to the present and has grown to approximately 10,236 works of art as a result of purchases and donations. It includes oil paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, photographs and illustrations.



Exhibitions continue to strike a balance between the historic and the contemporary, emphasizing the importance of art’s past and its relevance to the present. As one of the first institutions dedicated solely to American art, the New Britain Museum of American Art continues to play a vital role in shaping the understanding of the rich history of the nation’s art and the art's dynamic relationship with community. The collection ranges from John Singleton Copley, Frederic Church, and Thomas Cole, to Georgia O’Keeffe, Thomas Hart Benton and Sol LeWitt. The collection is especially rich in American Impressionism; Mary Cassatt, William Merritt Chase, Theodore Robinson, Childe Hassam, John Henry Twachtman, Julian Alden Weir, Willard Metcalf, Frank Benson, Frederick Frieseke, Richard Miller, Arthur Clifton Goodwin, Ernest Lawson, Maurice Prendergast, and Guy Wiggins are all well represented. Also of special interest to visitors is the Sanford B. D. Low Memorial Illustration Collection. Begun in 1964 and comprising more than 1,700 works, the Low Illustration Collection is the nation’s first museum-based collection covering the history of American illustration from the 19th century to the present. In response to the challenges of a new century, the Trustees embarked on a capital fund drive for the future of the Museum including expansion and renovation of the facility. The new Chase Family Building, a 43,000-square-foot building with 10 new galleries, opened in April, 2006. It is part of a $26.2 million project that has made the New Britain Museum of American Art one of New England’s largest museums. The expanded Museum is now better positioned to carry out its mission of drawing diverse segments of the community together in appreciating and understanding their common humanity through art. Visit the museum's website at ... http://www.nbmaa.org

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