On Beauty and the Everyday: The Prints of James McNeill Whistler

August 21 - November 28, 2010

UMMA’s rare and important collection of James McNeill Whistler works on paper represents one of the finest holdings of Whistler’s graphic output in North America. This major exhibition will feature more than 100 works of art from UMMA’s Whistler collection, which covers the artist’s entire career in Europe, ranging from his student days and exposure to the vanguard artistic movements of the 19th century to the groundbreaking and atmospheric lithographs and etchings of his mature style. It is the first exhibition devoted to Whistler’s works at UMMA since 1994. Nearly all of the Whistler works came to the Museum through the bequest of Margaret Watson Parker, an early collector of both Whistler’s prints as well as Japanese art. The exhibition will explore Whistler’s illustrious life and career; his artistic themes and concerns, including portraiture and his well-known series from England, Italy, and France; the interests and legacy of early-20th-century Whistler collector Margaret Watson Parker; and the tools and techniques that Whistler employed as a printmaker.

This exhibition is made possible in part by the University of Michigan Health System, the University of Michigan Office of the Provost, the Friends of the University of Michigan Museum of Art, and the Doris Sloan Memorial Fund.

Timeline

Exhibition Timeline

SatAug 21
Exhibition Opens
Sat
Sep 18
Relief Printing Workshop
1:30pm4:00pm
Artmaking / Exhibitions Related
Wed
Sep 29
Evening for Educators
4:00pm9:00pm
Artists and Curators / Exhibitions Related / Gallery Talks and Tours
Sun
Oct 3
Lecture: Whistler's Seriousness
3:00pm6:00pm
Artists and Curators / Exhibitions Related
Sat
Oct 16
Jazz Age Paris
8:00pm11:00pm
Exhibitions Related / Performing Arts
Tue
Oct 26
UM Percussion Ensemble: Expatriations
8:00pm11:00pm
Exhibitions Related / Performing Arts
Sun
Nov 14
Doris Sloan Memorial Lecture: "Exotic, Egregious, Decaying, or Dead": Everyday Chelsea in the Work of Whistler
3:00pm5:30pm
Exhibitions Related
Sun
Nov 21
Curator's Talk
3:00pm3:30pm
Artists and Curators / Exhibitions Related
SunNov 28
Exhibition Closes
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