Making American Artists: Stories from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1776-1976
A new exploration of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts' storied collection, Making American Artists presented over one hundred of the most recognizable American artists, including Mary Cassatt, Barkley L. Hendricks, Edward Hopper, Georgia O’Keeffe, Laura Wheeler Waring, and many more. Learn about the exhibition in a talk by Dr. Anne O. Marley, PhD, Chief of Curatorial Affairs and Kenneth R. Woodcock Curator of Historical American Art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
Charles Willson Peale, The Artist in His Museum, 1822, oil on canvas, 103 3/4 x 79 7/8 in., Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia. Gift of Mrs. Sarah Harrison (The Joseph Harrison, Jr. Collection). 1878.1.2. Photograph by Adrian Cubillas.
The Albuquerque Museum, in collaboration with the American Federation of Arts (AFA), was pleased to present Making American Artists: Stories from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1776–1976, opening May 18, 2024.
Featuring an iconic collection of historic works of American art alongside stellar pieces by traditionally underrepresented artists, Making American Artists explored with a critical eye the Pennsylvania Academy of Arts’ (PAFA) impressive collection. Comprising over 100 paintings and sculptures, the exhibition chronicled remarkable changes in our national artistic identity, weighing what it meant to be an “American” artist from when the institution was founded to the late twentieth century.
Painter and scientist Charles Willson Peale and sculptor William Rush founded PAFA in 1805 to champion American art and artists. This exhibition chronicled the broad impact of their vision which led to the first public display of a nude painting in the United States—John Vanderlyn’s Ariadne Asleep on the Island of Naxos (1809–14)—and PAFA’s first acquisition of a work by a Black artist, Henry O. Tanner’s Nicodemus (1899), in 1900.
Within this expansive selection emerged the compelling stories of underrepresented artists who found unparalleled support and inspiration at PAFA, including Mary Cassatt, Barkley L. Hendricks, Edward Hopper, Alice Neel, Georgia O’Keeffe, Laura Wheeler Waring, and Sonia Sekula.
The show also featured icons of PAFA’s history and collection, such as Gilbert Stuart’s George Washington (The Lansdowne Portrait) (1796) and Charles Willson Peale’s The Artist in His Museum (1822).
Curated by Anne O. Marley, PhD, Chief of Curatorial Affairs and Kenneth R. Woodcock Curator of Historical American Art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the exhibition was accompanied by a beautifully illustrated catalog with contributions from leading international scholars.
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Making American Artists: Stories from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1776–1976 was co-organized by the American Federation of Arts and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Lead support was provided to PAFA by the William Penn Foundation, with additional support from the Richard C. von Hess Foundation and donors to PAFA's Special Exhibitions Fund. In-Kind support is provided by Christie's and Gill & Lagodich Fine Period Frames, New York.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF ARTS
The American Federation of Arts is the leader in traveling exhibitions internationally. A nonprofit organization founded in 1909, the AFA is dedicated to enriching the public’s experience and understanding of the visual arts through organizing and touring art exhibitions for presentation in museums around the world, publishing exhibition catalogues featuring important scholarly research, and developing educational programs.
ABOUT THE PENNSYLVANIA ACADEMY OF THE FINE ARTS
As the first art school and museum in the United States, PAFA celebrates the transformative power of art and art-making. Founded in 1805, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts offers undergraduate and graduate programs in the fine arts, innovative exhibitions of historic and contemporary American art, and a world-class collection of American art. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, PAFA’s esteemed alumni include Mary Cassatt, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Thomas Eakins, William Glackens, Barkley L. Hendricks, Violet Oakley, Louis Kahn, David Lynch, and Henry Ossawa Tanner.
