The Frick Art & Historical Center Presents Small But Sublime: Intimate 19th-Century American Landscapes

Exquisite works illuminate historic view of our country

PITTSBURGH, May 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The exhibition Small but Sublime: Intimate 19th-Century American Landscapes features 22 small-scale paintings and drawings by 18 American artists, which range from the realistic style of Hudson River School to the brilliantly colored canvases of the American Impressionists. The works, selected from the superb collection of the Newark Museum, provide an overview of the varied approaches to landscape in the 19th century and illustrate shifts in broader social attitudes towards nature and American identity. Small but Sublime opened at The Frick Art Museum on May 14 and will remain on view through September 5, 2010. Admission is free.

The Frick Art Museum provides a warm and personal venue for these works, which were meant to be displayed in domestic spaces. This intimacy reflects the belief of Helen Clay Frick, the museum's founder, that works of art are best displayed in surroundings that evoke a comfortable and well-appointed home. Visitors will be able to take their own journey through the development of American landscape painting from the Hudson River School artists, including  Albert Bierstadt and Asher B. Durand, to the American Impressionists and forerunners of modernism, such as George Inness. While the paintings and drawings in this exhibition are small, their detail and skill reward close inspection.

"The Frick is privileged to provide Pittsburgh residents with this special opportunity to view a carefully selected group of intimate 19th-century landscapes from the Newark Museum's important collection of American Art, which is one of the finest in the country," says Frick Art & Historical Center Director Bill Bodine. "This exhibition also complements the Frick's mission of utilizing artworks to engage audiences with the history of our nation, and we look forward to helping our visitors make connections between the works in the exhibition and works by artists in the Frick's permanent collections."

Small but Sublime: Intimate 19th-Century American Landscapes was organized by the Newark Museum. The exhibition has received funding for conservation support from the Henry Luce Foundation and from the Newark Museum Volunteer Organization and from Barbara and Bill Weldon.

The Pittsburgh presentation is made possible through the generous support of the Allegheny Foundation. Additional funding has been provided by First National Bank.

For more information, visit www.TheFrickPittsburgh.org  

SOURCE Frick Art & Historical Center