John Singer Sargent, Man Reading (Nicola D’Inverno), about 1905-1910, oil on canvas, Museum Purchase, Reading Public Museum, Reading, Pennsylvania.
Cedar Rapids IA—Kicking off a year-long celebration of its 125th anniversary, the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art is proud to announce the presentation of Across the Atlantic: American Impressionism through the French Lens. This extraordinary exhibition, drawn entirely from the collection of the highly-respected Reading Public Museum, explores the path to Impressionism through the nineteenth century, and the complex relationship between French Impressionism of the 1870s and 1880s, and the American interpretation of the style in the decades that followed. More than seventy-five paintings and works on paper help tell the story of the new style of painting which developed at the end of the nineteenth century—one that emphasized light and atmospheric conditions, rapid or loose brushstrokes, and a focus on brightly colored scenes from everyday life. Some of the French artists featured in the exhibition include Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Camille Pissarro, among others, who exhibited in the official Impressionist exhibitions in Paris in the 1870s and 1880s. Among the earliest American artists to embrace the style were Mary Cassatt, John Singer Sargent, William Merritt Chase, Childe Hassam, and Frank W. Benson. Additional American artists embraced the style by the turn of the century are also highlighted in the exhibition, including Daniel Garber, Robert Lewis Reid, William Paxton, Chauncey Ryder, and Guy Wiggins.
Across the Atlantic: American Impressionism through the French Lens is on view February 1, 2020 through April 26, 2020.
Artists included
Walter Emerson Baum
Cecilia Beaux
Frank Weston Benson
Soren Emile Carlsen
John Fabian Carlson
Mary Stevenson Cassatt
Jean Charles Cazin
William Merritt Chase
Eugène Ciceri
Colin Campbell Cooper
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
Charles François Daubigny
Karl Pierre Daubigny
Edgar Degas
Narcisse Virgile Diaz de la Peña
Richard Blossom Farley
Nancy Maybin Ferguson
John Fulton Folinsbee
Daniel Garber
Arrah Lee Gaul
Charles Paul Gruppe
Frederick Childe Hassam
Charles Webster Hawthorne
John La Farge
William Langson Lathrop
Ernest Lawson
Albert Lebourg
Leon-Augustin Lhermitte
Maximilien Luce
Antonio Pietro Martino
Willard L. Metcalf
Richard Summer Meryman
Berthe Marie Pauline Morisot
Frederick John Mulhaupt
William McGregor Paxton
Camille Pissarro
Henry Ward Ranger
Edward Willis Redfield
George Agnew Reid
Mary Heister Reid
Robert Lewis Reid
Pierre Auguste Renoir
Paulette Van Roekens
Charles Rosen
Chauncey Foster Ryder
John Singer Sargent
Walter Elmer Schofield
John Sharman
Francis Hopkinson Smith
Arthur Watson Sparks
Robert Spencer
Augustus Vincent Tack
John Henry Twachtman
Alexandre René Veron
Victor Vignon
Harry Aiken Vincent
Fred Wagner
Guy Carleton Wiggins
Charles Morris Young
Felix F. G. P. Ziem
Required Image Captions:
Across the Atlantic: American Impressionism through the French Lens
Richard Blossom Farley, Blue and Gold, 1912, oil on canvas, Museum Purchase, Reading Public Museum, Reading, Pennsylvania.
Arthur Watson Sparks, Quai St. Catherine, Martigue, about 1910-1919, oil on board, Museum Purchase, Reading Public Museum, Reading, Pennsylvania.
John Fabian Carlson, Snowy Waters, about 1920-1927, oil on canvas, Museum Purchase, Reading Public Museum, Reading, Pennsylvania.
John Singer Sargent, Man Reading (Nicola d’Inverno), about 1905-1910, oil on canvas, Museum Purchase, Reading Public Museum, Reading, Pennsylvania.
Edgar Degas, The Laundress Ironing (La Blanchisseuse Repassant), about 1882-1886, oil on canvas, Museum Purchase, Reading Public Museum, Reading, Pennsylvania.
Ooh La La : French Works From the Riley Collection
Mary Cassatt (1844-1926), Study for Augusta Reading to her Daughter, about 1910, oil on canvas, 25 x 22 inches framed, Collection of Tom and Nan Riley
Claude Monet (1840-1926), Étretat: Falaise d’Amont, Gros Temps (Étretat: Upper Cliff, Stormy Weather), about 1884-1886, pastel on brown paper, 17 ½ x 22 ¾ inches framed, Collection of Tom and Nan Riley
Hippolyte Petitjean (1854-1929), Baigneuse (Bathers), about 1898, oil on board, 18 x 23 inches framed, Collection of Tom and Nan Riley
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Nature Morte aux Ceries (Still Life with Cherries), 1945, oil on canvas, 12 ¼ x 15 ¼ inches framed, Collection of Tom and Nan Riley
Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919), Untitled (The Bather), date unknown, oil on canvas, 18 x 16 1/8 inches framed, Collection of Tom and Nan Riley
Companion Events:
Across the Atlantic and Ooh La La Public Reception
In celebration of the first exhibitions during our 125th anniversary year, the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art is holding a public reception for our landmark exhibition Across the Atlantic: American Impressionism through the French Lens and its companion exhibition Ooh La La: French works from the Riley Collection. The reception will be held on January 30 from
5:00 PM-7:00 PM with remarks beginning at 5:30 PM. Light refreshments will be served. We invite you to join in our celebration and to view these extraordinary exhibitions.
Across the Atlantic Lecture Series
French and American Impressionism, by Kate Kunau, Associate Curator of Collections and Exhibitions.
Sunday, February 9, 1:00 PM-2:00 PM, Free.
The masters of French Impressionism are names that echo through the art history canon: Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and others. Join Associate Curator Kate Kunau for a deep dive into the similarities and differences between French and American Impressionism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Across the Atlantic: Stravinsky’s Dumbarton Oaks Concerto, with Tim Hankewich, Music Director, Orchestra Iowa, and Kate Kunau, Associate Curator of Collections and Exhibitions. Sunday, February 23, 1:00 PM-2:00 PM. Free.
Join Maestro Tim Hankewich and Curator Kate Kunau as they discuss various aspects surrounding Igor Stravinsky’s Dumbarton Oaks Concerto. Art, patronage, and music will be discussed in this informal yet informative presentation about the upcoming performance at Orchestra Iowa.
Across the Atlantic: Women Impressionists, by Sean Ulmer, Executive Director.
Sunday, March 8, 1:00 PM-2:00 PM, Free.
Join Executive Director Sean Ulmer as he discusses some of the various women artists involved in the Impressionist movement. In addition to considering the four most famous women Impressionists (Mary Cassatt, Berthe Morisot, Eva Gonzalès, and Marie Braquemond), Ulmer will consider other female Impressionists on both sides of the Atlantic, including those in the Across the Atlantic exhibition.
Across the Atlantic: French Film in the Brinton Collection, by Michael Zahs.
Sunday, March 22, 1:00 PM-2:00 PM, Free.
Michael Zahs, star of the recent documentary Saving Brinton, will speak about early French film and its impact in the United States. Admission is free but space is limited so get your seat early.
Degas in New Orleans, by Dorothy Johnson, Roy J. Carver Professor of Art History, University of Iowa.
Sunday, April 5, 1:00 PM-2:00 PM, Free.
Edgar Degas is famed for his paintings of young ballet dancers and horse races, but a lesser known aspect of his work is the time he spent in New Orleans. Join Dorothy Johnson, Roy J. Carver Professor of Art History at the University of Iowa, to discuss this unfamiliar aspect of Degas’ career.
Light, Color, & Dance: The Genius of Loie Fuller, by Carol Rezabek.
Sunday, April 19, 1:00 PM-2:30 PM, Free.
Born in Illinois, Loie Fuller became one of Europe’s most wildly celebrated dancers. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec featured her in a number of his prints, August Rodin commissioned a series of photographs of the dancer with plans to sculpt her; and the Lumière brothers released a film about her in 1897. Fuller’s famed Serpentine Dance personified the Art Nouveau in elegant flowing lines of her billowing silk gowns, which she moved using bamboo dowels sewn into her sleeves. As she danced “colored lights were projected onto the flowing fabric, and as she twirled, she seemed to metamorphose into elements from the natural world: a flower, a butterfly, a tongue of flame.” Carol Rezabek presents this fascinating program on this visionary performer and technological trailblazer.
Slow Art Day
Saturday, April 4, 10:00 AM–1:00 PM
One day each year, people all over the world visit local museums and galleries to look at art slowly. Participants look at five works of art for 10 minutes each and then meet together to talk about their experience. Simple by design, the goal is to focus on the art and the art of seeing. Participants are encouraged to bring their own lunch. Associate Curator of Collections and Exhibitions Kate Kunau will facilitate the discussion. Free with paid museum admission.
Art Bites
Join us for this series of short 30-45 minute in-gallery presentations by Associate Curator Kate Kunau on some aspect of the current exhibitions. Free.
Across the Atlantic: American Impressionism through the French Lens
Wednesday, February 5, 12:15 PM
Join Associate Curator Kate Kunau to walk through this extra-large exhibition of French and American Impressionism as she explains the layout, narrative, and highlights of the show, which includes works by Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and John Singer Sargent. A can’t-miss for anyone interested in Impressionism!
Across the Atlantic Spotlight: Landscape Painting
Wednesday, March 4, 12:15 PM
Landscape painting is central to the Impressionist movement, but how much do you know about the genre as a whole? Join Associate Curator Kate Kunau for a discussion on where the genre of landscape began and how the Impressionist movement shaped it for the future.
Artist Spotlight: Mary Cassatt
Wednesday, April 1, 12:15 PM
Our temporary exhibitions have given us an embarrassment of riches: so many Mary Cassatt works in one place! Join Associate Curator Kate Kunau for a discussion of Cassatt’s life and work, and what the pieces on display tell us about her phenomenal career.
Art Lovers Book Club
Ross King, The Judgment of Paris: The Revolutionary Decade that Gave the World Impressionism
Thursday, February 20, 4:00 PM
While the Civil War raged in America, another revolution took shape across the Atlantic, in the studios of Paris: The artists who would make Impressionism the most popular art form in history were showing their first paintings amidst scorn and derision from the French artistic establishment.
Jean Renoir, Renoir, My Father
Thursday, March 19, 4:00 PM
In this delightful memoir, Jean Renoir, tells the life story of his father, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, the great Impressionist painter. Recounting Pierre-Auguste’s extraordinary career, beginning as a painter of fans and porcelain, recording the rules of thumb by which he worked, and capturing his unpretentious and engaging talk and personality, Jean Renoir’s book is a wonderful double portrait of father and son.
Camille Laurens, Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen: The True Story Behind Degas’s Masterpiece
Thursday, April 16, 4:00 PM
This absorbing, heartfelt work uncovers the story of the real dancer, Marie van Goethem, behind Degas’s now-iconic sculpture, and the struggles of late nineteenth-century Parisian life.
Stand Alone Tours
Join us for any of these public exhibition tours to provide visitors with conversation-based insights and experiences focusing on selected artworks and artists. No reservations are necessary, but space is limited and available to visitors on a first-come, first-served basis.
Free with paid museum admission.
Tuesday, February 11, 1:00 PM
Wednesday, February 26, 3:00 PM
Thursday, March 12, 4:00 PM
Friday, March 27, 2:00 PM
Thursday, April 9, 7:00 PM
Friday, April 24, 1:00 PM
Special Tour: Grant Wood, Impressionist
Thursday, February 13, 7:00 PM
On Grant Wood’s birthday, join this docent-led tour of some of the Impressionistic works by Grant Wood currently on view. See how this American master turned to Impressionism—the prevailing style in the early twentieth century—before arriving at his mature, signature style after 1930. No reservations are necessary, but space is limited and available to visitors on a first-come, first-served basis. Free with paid museum admission.
Special Tour: Saving Daylight
Saturday, March 7, 1:00 PM
Reflect on the importance of sunlight to the Impressionists in this docent-led gallery tour. No reservations are necessary, but space is limited and available to visitors on a first-come, first-served basis. Free with paid museum admission.
Special Tour: eARTh Day
Wednesday, April 22, 12:30 PM
Celebrate Earth Day through the eyes of the Impressionists. This docent-led gallery tour focuses on nature’s beauty, as well as the physical record of the French and American landscapes captured on canvas. No reservations are necessary, but space is limited and available to visitors on a first-come, first-served basis. Free with paid museum admission.
Members’ Nights
With your CRMA membership, you are able to visit the Across the Atlantic exhibition as many times as you like during its run in Cedar Rapids (February 1-April 26). However, as a special thank you, we will have special after-hours events for members starting at 5:00 PM on the following days. Light refreshments will be served, and special discounts will be available in the Museum Store. Come join fellow members for a less-crowded, more intimate viewing of the exhibition.
Friday, February 14 (Make it a part of your special Valentine’s Day evening), 5:00 PM-7:00 PM.
Wednesday, March 11, 5:00 PM-7:00 PM.
Tuesday, April 7, 5:00 PM-7:00 PM.
Free Third Thursdays on Third
Join us on the third Thursday of the month (on Third Avenue) for free admission to the entire museum from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Enjoy all that the CRMA has to offer, including our special temporary exhibitions Across the Atlantic: American Impressionism through the French Lens and Ooh La La: French Works from the Riley Collection.
Thursday, February 20, 5:00 PM-8:00 PM
Thursday, March 19, 5:00 PM-8:00 PM
Thursday, April 16, 5:00 PM-8:00 PM
Family Programs:
Bonjour, Artistes! Family Fun Day at the CRMA
Saturday, February 8, 11:00 AM–3:00 PM
Stop by today for free admission to our newest exhibitions, Across the Atlantic: American Impressionism through the French Lens and Ooh La La: French Works from the Riley Collection. There will be scavenger hunts and make-and-take art projects for all ages, inspired by the greats–Degas, Monet, Renoir, and more! Say “bonjour” to a day full of fun for all ages!
Discovering Oil Pastels with Kimberly Machovec-Smith
Thursday, February 27, 6:00 PM-7:30 PM, $15
Explore the medium of oil pastels with artist Kimberly Machovec-Smith. Oil pastels do not require solvents or mediums, there are no brushes to clean and no leaky tubes of paint. Learn which tools are helpful to have, how to effectively blend and layer colors, and how to help them set up when the image is complete. Materials will be provided. For ages 12 and up. A $15 materials fee is required, payable to the artist. Due to limited space, preregistration is required by Feb. 24th. To preregister contact CRMA Education Director Erin Thomas at 319-366-7503 or ethomas@crma.org.
Spring Break Activities
March 16-March 20
Join us for a week-long series of programs and art-making activities. Travel to France without leaving home with this series of programs associated with Across the Atlantic and Ooh La La.
Pajama Storytime at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art
Pajama Storytime: The View from the Top
Thursday, January 16, 6:30 PM, Free.
Climb all the way to the top of the Eiffel Tower with some silly—but true—stories, and then we’ll paint a spectacularly speckled picture of this legendary landmark. Wear your PJ’s and bring a stuffed friend to cuddle with. We’ll meet in the galleries for stories at 6:30 PM and then create a work of art to take home. It’s free for kids and their adult companions.
Pajama Storytime: Under the Big Top
Thursday, February 20, 6:30 PM, Free.
Ever wondered what it might be like to perform in a traveling circus? Join us for daring feats, thrilling stunts, and maybe a little clowning around. Wear your PJ’s and bring a stuffed friend to cuddle with. We’ll meet in the galleries for stories at 6:30 PM and then create a work of art to take home. It’s free for kids and their adult companions.
Pajama Storytime: Museum Heist
Thursday, March 19. 6:30 PM, Free.
Learn about this Paris museum’s famous portrait, the Mona Lisa, and when it was stolen. Then we’ll create our own portraits for an “exhibition,” and don a disguise before we stage a heist! Wear your PJ’s and bring a stuffed friend to cuddle with. We’ll meet in the galleries for stories at 6:30 PM and then create a work of art to take home. It’s free for kids and their adult companions.
Pajama Storytime: Notre Dame
Thursday, April 16, 6:30 PM, Free.
Notre Dame Cathedral is famous for its gargoyles, bells, stained glass windows, and also for a certain hunchback… Stop in for some silly stories and a cool craft inspired by this Gothic landmark. Wear your PJ’s and bring a stuffed friend to cuddle with. We’ll meet in the galleries for stories at 6:30 PM and then create a work of art to take home. It’s free for kids & their adult companions.
Pajama Storytime: Happy Birthday CRMA!
Thursday, May 21, 6:30 PM, Free.
Celebrate the museum’s 125th birthday with us! We’ll read birthday books together and then make party favors to take home! Wear your PJ’s and bring a stuffed friend to cuddle with. We’ll meet in the galleries for stories at 6:30 PM and then create a work of art to take home. It’s free for kids & their adult companions.
Doodlebugs at the North Liberty Community Library
Doodlebugs at the NLCL: Look , No Hands!
Wednesday, January 29, 10:30 AM, Free.
French artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir had terrible arthritis later in his life, but that didn’t stop him from creating art. Try painting in a surprising way today, just like he did!
Doodlebugs at the NLCL: Color Outside the Lines
Wednesday, February 26, 10:30 AM, Free.
Meet Fernand Leger, a French artist who literally colored outside the lines. We’ll make layered artwork with shapes and colors, and add the lines LAST!
Doodlebugs at the NLCL: Dancing with Degas
Wednesday, March 25, 10:30 AM, Free.
Create some oil-pastel ballerinas, just as Edgar Degas drew, and then learn some beautiful ballet steps with our friend Carol Rezabek from the Dancer’s Edge!
Doodlebugs at the NLCL: Make an Impression
Wednesday, April 29, 10:30 AM, Free.
Claude Monet may be the most famous Impressionist, but everybody who was anybody learned this style of painting. And now, Doodlebugs will be Impressionists too!
Doodlebugs at the Hiawatha Public Library
Doodlebugs at the Hiawatha Public Library: Look No Hands!
Friday, January 31, 10:30 AM, Free.
French artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir had terrible arthritis later in his life, but that didn’t stop him from creating art. Try painting in a surprising way today, just like he did!
Doodlebugs at the Hiawatha Public Library: Color Outside the Lines
Friday, February 28, 10:30 AM, Free.
Meet Fernand Leger, a French artist who literally colored outside the lines. We’ll make layered artwork with shapes and colors, and add the lines LAST!
Doodlebugs at Hiawatha Public Library: Dancing with Degas
Friday, March 27, 10:30 AM, Free.
Create some oil-pastel ballerinas, just as Edgar Degas drew, and then learn some beautiful ballet steps with our friend Carol Rezabek from the Dancer’s Edge!
Doodlebugs at the Hiawatha Public Library: Shake It Up!
Friday, April 24, 10:30 AM, Free.
Inspired by Toulouse-Lautrec’s poster advertising confetti, we’ll shake things up a bit and make
confetti-splattered pictures to take home.
Doodlebugs at the Marion Public Library
Doodlebugs at the Marion Public Library: Express Yourself!
Tuesday, January 28, 10:45 AM, Free.
Learn about the Expressionists—like Jackson Pollock and Georges Rouault. Create your own art that, more importantly than looking realistic, expresses how you feel and who you are.
Doodlebugs at the Marion Pubic Library: Drawing with Scissors
Tuesday, February 25, 10:45 AM
Learn how to draw with scissors like Henri Matisse as we learn more about shapes & colors.
Doodlebugs at the Marion Public Library: Good Point!
Tuesday, March 31, 10:45 AM, Free.
We’ll look at Georges Seurat’s famous Sunday Afternoon painting and create Pointillist works of art. Make it a “point” to be there!
Doodlebugs at the Marion Public Library: Make an Impression
Tuesday, April 28, 10:45 AM, Free.
Claude Monet may be the most famous Impressionist, but everybody who was anybody learned this style of painting. And now, Doodlebugs will be Impressionists too!
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The mission of the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art is to excite, engage, and educate through the arts. The Museum’s collection contains more than 7,800 works of art by hundreds of artists, including the world’s largest collection of works by Grant Wood. For more information on exhibitions or related programs call the Museum at 319.366.7503 or visit the Museum’s website at www.crma.org. Museum Hours: noon to 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday; noon to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday; 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. Grant Wood Studio Hours: noon to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday (April-December). For more information please visit www.crma.org or find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
For more information contact:
Lori Tofanelli, Communications Coordinator
Cedar Rapids Museum of Art
410 Third Avenue SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
319.366.7503 ext. 206
Images attached.
For High Res Images contact Lori Tofanelli
