To see a video about the Whistler House Museum of Art featured on “The Artist’s Loft”, on YouTube visit this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFAuz1WF-3Y

In the Parker Gallery:

Cape Cod School & Provincetown Artists
April 26 through June 21, 2008
Reception: Saturday, May 3, 2 pm - 4 pm

The Whistler House Museum of Art presents The Cape Cod School and Provincetown Artists in a new exhibition in the Parker Gallery. Featuring nine artists, the exhibit showcases the many diverse styles that have come to signify the art of the Cape Cod School and the artists who call Provincetown their home. Curated by Whistler House Museum of Art Executive Director, Michael H. Lally and assisted by Jim Dyment, Exhibits & Gallery Manager the show is a brilliant display of color and light. Several of the artists in the show are Plein Air Impressionist painters who capture the ever changing light conditions of the Cape using traditional techniques. Each of the featured artists maintains studios or are represented by galleries in Provincetown and the Cape Cod area.

Provincetown, Massachusetts was a quiet fishing village on the tip of Cape Cod at the turn of the Twentieth Century when Charles W. Hawthorne discovered the luminous quality of the light which was favored by the French Impressionists. Hawthorne established the Cape Cod School in 1899, the first American school dedicated to the ideals of Impressionist painting. His reputation as a painter and educator attracted scores of other artists and Provincetown soon became the largest art colony in the world.

Hawthorne and his successor, Henry Hensche are credited with keeping American Impressionism alive in the United States. Today, Provincetown continues to be a destination for artists with galleries and studios lining the many picturesque streets and lanes.

Artists in this exhibit include: Midge Battelle, John Cascio, John Choly, Robert Louis Del Russo, Lynne Foy, Mary Giammarino, Dennis Lucas, Michael Moss, Hilda Neily, and Johniene Papandreas.

Attached image: The Lily Farm Series - 16×20 oil on panel by Robert Louis Del Russo

Sample paintings from the “Works from the Permanent Collection” Exhibit

Shown here are (top) “Curiousity” by

Arthur P. Spear (1879-1959)

and (bottom) 

Harold C. Dunbar (1882-1953) Bay Farm

Harold C. Dunbar (1882-1953) Pleasant Bay

Charles Demetropoulos (1912-1976) Portrait of My Father

Thomas Bayley Lawson (1807-1888) Jenness Boy

Charles Demetropoulos (1912-1976) Portrait of My Mother

Marion P. Sloane Blue Hill, Red Barn

In the Parker Gallery:

March 1 to April 19, 2008

Reception, March 1 from 2 to 4 PM

In celebration of the centennial of the Whistler Museum of Art, we are proud to feature rarely exhibited works from the permanent collection. These 19th and early 20th century works spotlight some of New England’s outstanding representational artists. Among the artists exhibited are: Charles H. Allen, John I. Coggeshall, Walter L. Dean, Charles Demetropolis, Emile A. Gruppe, Aldro T. Hibbard, Lester G. Hornby, Louis Kronberg, Thomas B. Lawson, David Dalhoff Neal, William McGregor Paxton, William Preston Phelps, Arthur P. Spear, and Sarah Wyman Whitman. Of the names listed above, the work of Thomas Bayley Lawson (1807- 1888), the founder and first president of the Lowell Art Association (LAA), will be displayed twice. One of his works, is his self portrait (1878) – the year the LAA was organized. The other is titled Jenness Boy, which has been on display in the main gallery for a number of years. Lawson was a well known portrait painter, originally from Newburyport, MA.Peter Kostoulakos, a local expert on restoration, will be speaking briefly about restoring art work at the reception. The talk will be followed by a question and answer session.

October 2 to 18

Reception, Tuesday, October 9^th at 6:00 PM

Special Exhibit

October being Breast Cancer Awareness month; The Whistler House Museum of Art in conjunction with the Lowell General Hospital Cancer Center and the Eli Lilly Pharmaceutical Company present: “Lilly Oncology on Canvas: Expressions of a Woman’s Cancer Journey” a limited exhibit of 25 works from the Lilly Oncology International Art Competition and Exhibition. According to Edmundo Muniz, Vice President of Lily Research Laboratories and Oncology Platform Team, the exhibit was created to recognize those women diagnosed with cancer who have used art as a powerful emotional outlet to inspire others as a means of self-discovery and self-expression.

Open to women from around the world diagnosed with cancer, their families and friends, as well as, health care professionals involved in their care the competition attracted over 2,000 entries from 43 countries. A total of 450 works were chosen for the final exhibit which was juried at the Royal College of Art (RCA) in London, UK.

Please join us for a public reception on Tuesday, October 9^th at 6:00 PM in the Parker Gallery for this extraordinary and emotionally beautiful exhibit. The Whistler House Museum of Art is one of only a handful of venues in the North East to host this special exhibit.

Michael, Whistler is known as a very important etcher and printmaker as well as a painter. What is etching?
Although he is most famous for his portrait of his mother, artist James Abbott McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903) is also acknowledged as the finest etcher since Rembrandt. Etching is an intaglio printing process whereby an artist draws with a steel needle-like instrument into the surface of a copper, zinc or steel plate which has been inked or varnished. The theory of etching is that when the plate is covered with an acid resisting ground it will resist the acid, “biting” the etched lines which make possible a fluid and calligraphic manner of drawing. After the plate has been “bitten” and washed with water, it is ready to be inked and printed. An artist studies the first proof or impression from the press, making subsequent changes, and “pulls” a new series of proofs. The later impressions are called “second states of the print”. Several states can be produced until the final run of impressions is authorized by the artist. From Whistler comes the custom of signing the print in pencil. When the initials and/or signature of an artist are printed simultaneously with each impression, it signifies that each print is “signed in the plate”. Some of the finest treasures of etched prints fall into this category. When time has elapsed between first and subsequent printing, and if no alterations have been made in the plate, they may be “re-issued” and become “restrikes”, although they rarely possess the brilliance of the earlier impressions. Restrikes are considered an original work of art since they are printed from the plate of the first edition, although when considerable time has elapsed dates should be indicated.

How important are Whistler’s etchings?
Whistler (1834-1903) was a major figure in renewing popular interest in intaglio printmaking in Europe during the mid-19th century. He had seen William Hogarth’s prints as a boy living in Russia. Later, Seymour Haden, his brother-in-law, introduced him to the images of Hollar and Rembrandt. Exposure to these old masters acted as a catalyst on Whistler and was partially responsible for his choosing a career as an artist. He learned etching while employed at the U.S. Coast Survey, but only started to use the technique aesthetically after his arrival in Paris in 1855. Over the next quarter century, the artist continued to refine his etching technique. His style evolved from one based on Realism to a more personal aesthetic that revealed his highly adept skills as a printer. Over his lifetime, he produced nearly 450 prints, 20 of which are in our permanent collection and 14 are currently on display.

Are the paintings left on display during private functions?
Yes, the art collection is essential to the elegant settings the WHMA offers for weddings, corporate and other private functions. Imagine having your reception or your corporate sales strategy meeting while surrounded by art treasures and antiques!

What is the background on the Whistler’s statue in the Whistler Sculpture Park?
The statue of James Abbott McNeill Whistler was presented on October 10, 2002, in memory of the artist’s 100th anniversary and the statue’s designer, Mico Kaufman, was honored. A resident of Tewksbury, Massachusetts, Mico’s art is on display throughout the United States and Europe. Some of his most inspiring public works are in Tewksbury and Lowell, including Debussey, the Wamesit Indian, Homage to Women. He is recipient of many artistic awards, including one from the American Numismatic Society. (For more information, visit www.sculpturesbymico.com)

(Sources: Taft Museum, Cincinnati; University of Louisiana Lafayette; Antiques & Art Around Florida, Lorena Overstreet Allen, M.Ed., ISA)