M.C. Escher, Ascending and Descending, lithograph, 13.189 x 11.22”, Herakleidon Museum, Athens, Greece. All M.C. Escher works (c) The M.C. Escher Company B.V. - Baarn - the NETHERLANDS


M.C. Escher, Reptiles, lithograph, 13.15 x 15.157”, Herakleidon Museum, Athens, Greece. All M.C. Escher works (c) The M.C. Escher Company B.V. - Baarn - the NETHERLANDS

M.C. Escher: Impossible Reality
July 16 - Nov. 14, 2010
Opening Reception
5:30-7 p.m., Thurs., July 22, 2010

From July 16 through Nov. 14, 2010, the New Britain Museum of American Art proudly presents M.C. Escher: Impossible Reality. One hundred and thirty works of this artist of worldwide fame will be on view including seminal and instantly recognizable pieces such as Ascending and Descending, Drawing Hands, and the extremely rare lithograph stone for the making of Flat Worms. The exhibition will be organized into multiple sections among them Impossible Worlds, Infinity, Metamorphosis and Tesselation.

Maurits Cornelius Escher (1898-1972) has earned worldwide acclaim as a master printmaker, draftsman, book illustrator, and muralist. Though never having studied extensively in mathematics, the mind-bending techniques and impossible realities depicted in M.C. Escher’s works prove him a brilliant mathematician. Much of Escher’s work is intuitive; without focusing on labels, Escher created what came to him instinctively.

M.C. Escher: Impossible Reality features the artist’s woodcuts, lithographs, sculptures, as well as rare preparatory drawings for an in-depth view of not only the finished product of Escher’s iconic works, but also each of the mediums he entertained and his varying creative processes for each. A robust schedule of related programming is being planned, which includes a symposium, lectures, film, and music. Studio classes will also focus on Escher and the Museum Shop will showcase Escher merchandise.

M.C. Escher: Impossible Reality is presented with the generous support of Melinda and Paul Sullivan Foundation for the Decorative Arts and in cooperation with the Herakleidon Museum, Athens, Greece, www.herakleidon.com. The exhibition will travel from New Britain to the Akron Museum of Art, Akron, Ohio.

Dan Truth, After the Repast, oil on canvas, 12 x 28", Collection of William and Jennifer Roehl


Dan Truth, Spanish Onions, oil on canvas, 14 x 22", Collection of Conrad Kronholm

Dan Truth: Realism/Impressionism
June 25 - Sept. 2, 2010
Opening Reception
5:30-8 p.m., First Friday, July 2, 2010

His work recalls that of the Old Masters in both style and virtuoso technique. Using a sampling of various painting traditions, Truth creates unique and timeless masterpieces.

Dan Truth’s landscapes, portraits and still lifes will be on display at the NBMAA from June 25, 2010 through September 2, 2010 in the Davis Gallery. Originally from Michigan, Truth now resides in Mystic, Connecticut and has derived inspiration from the state’s seaside scenery.

Truth studied extensively in Spain under both Ricardo Lecarcel Sr. and Jose Maria de Juan. His work reflects a strong European influence as well. He lists J.S. Chardin and Luis Melendez among his influences. Truth’s early work focused on landscape and some still life along with portraiture and figure composition. Most recently, he has poured his energy into still lifes. His work varies between impressionistic compositions and realism based in both the European and American traditions. Dan Truth: Realism/Impressionism will provide viewers with a small cross section of this unique artist’s beautiful range of work.

His work has been exhibited in the National Academy of Design, the Lyman Allyn Art Museum and the Slater Memorial Museum. This will be his first solo show at the New Britain Museum of American Art.

Dalton M. Ghetti, Sewing Needle and Spool, 2003, graphite and wood of a #2 pencil with razor blade and sewing needle without magnifying glass, collection of the artist, photo by STHPHOTO.com

Les Lourigan, The Alphabet Series, n.d., pen and marker on paper, 11 x 8.5”, Stephen B. Lawrence Fund

Jennifer Maestre, Naiad, pencils, 10.5 x 10.5 x 10.5”, collection of the artist

Meticulous Masterpieces: Contemporary Art by Dalton Ghetti, Les Lourigan and Jennifer Maestre
Apr. 2 - Aug 29, 2010
Opening Reception
5:30-8 p.m. First Friday, Apr. 2, 2010
Artist Remarks 6 p.m.

Sculpted pencils, visionary alphabets, unusual media, and painstaking attention to detail are common elements in the works of three contemporary artists on view in the Batchelor Gallery beginning April 2. The vivid colors and eye-catching detail contained in these small objects, that measure around a foot or less, will leave you astounded and amazed.

Dalton Ghetti, of Bridgeport, Connecticut, has been making his pencil creations since he was a schoolboy in Brazil. Using a variety of simple razors and needles, he carves incredibly detailed miniature sculptures out of the lead core of pencils without the aid of technology or even a magnifying glass. Alphabet, 2005, comprised of 26 individual pencils, is his most famous work.

In the history of American art, there is a long tradition of folk artists who create drawings and paintings inspired by their inner calling to express themselves artistically. Les Lourigan, of Wethersfield, Connecticut, is one such artist. Recently, the NBMAA purchased the Alphabet series which will be included in this exhibition. Alphabet truly displays Lourigan’s unique vision of color, line, form, and abstraction.

Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and educated in Massachusetts, Jennifer Maestre has been making her creature- and nature-inspired colored pencil sculptures for the past ten years. Inspired by the possibility of creating something dangerous yet beautiful, she weaves the sharp tips of colored pencils together to form her organic and elemental figures.

Frederic Edwin Church, The Parthenon, 1871, oil on canvas, 44.5 x 72.625", The Metropolitan Museum of Art

George Inness, Delaware Water Gap, 1861, oil on canvas, 36 x 50.25", The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Hudson River Paintings from
the Metropolitan Museum of Art
March 13, 2009 - Nov. 2010

Large-scale and dynamic describe the selections from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Paintings and Sculpture Department collections which will be on view in the Henry and Sharon Martin gallery through Sept. 2010. “I believe you will be astonished by their beauty and significance,” says Director Douglas Hyland.

The Metropolitan’s loan includes masterpieces by Hudson River School artists Frederic Church (1826-1900), Asher B. Durand (1796-1886), George Inness (1825-1894) and John Frederick Kensett (1816-1872).

The Hudson River School artists traveled out of crowded, industrialized cities to the Hudson River, as well as abroad and into the West, to capture images of nature untouched by man. Church’s The Parthenon, 1871, a six-foot wide masterpiece, was painted after the artist visited Greece, where he had the opportunity to make many studies and oil sketches.Their punctiliously accurate works sought to pay tribute to the innate beauty of the American landscape, as well as to serve as an instrument for spiritual contemplation.

The Hudson River School paintings included in the exhibit are Church’s The Parthenon, Durand’s High Point: Shandaken Mountains, Inness’s Delaware Water Gap, and Kensett’s Sunset on the Sea, Hudson River Scene and Eaton’s Neck, Long Island, all of which impeccably capture the veracity of American landscapes.

Accompanying the selection of Hudson River School paintings is the masterpiece Harvest Scene, by Winslow Homer (1836-1910), the leading 19th-century genre painter.

The Museum is most grateful to Board of Trustees of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to Kevin Avery, associate curator, Department of American Paintings and Sculpture and the entire American department at the Metropolitan for their support in arranging this significant loan. The exhibition is presented with the support of members of the NBMAA Executive Committee: Kathryn Cox, John Rathgeber, Henry Martin, Timothy McLaughlin, Linda Tomasso and Kimberly Zeytoonjian.

Lisa Hoke, The Gravity of Color, New Britain, 2008, installation, Stephen B. Lawrence Fund and the Edwin Austin Abbey Mural Fund of the National Academy of Design

Lisa Hoke, The Gravity of Color, New Britain (detail)

Hoke is a 2008 recipient of a fellowship sponsored by the Edwin Austin Abbey Endowment at the National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts. More than 50 artists from throughout the U.S. submitted proposals for the project, coordinated in conjunction with NBMAA Director Douglas Hyland. A panel of six judges reviewed applications for the project, including three Museum representatives -- Hyland, NBMAA Chairman Timothy McLaughlin and Trustee Linda Cheverton-Wick.

Hoke’s work will replace The Eye, an installation created by Stephen Hendee in 2006 for the opening of the Chase Family Building.

Hoke is known for the innovative use of “found” materials in her work. Her NBMAA installation will be created with clear plastic cups coated with vibrantly colored paints, as well as new and vintage opaque paper cups found through a variety of sources.

Each of thousands of cups will be attached to Museum walls with a grommet, or glued, creating a breathtaking, jewel-like visual impact with swirls of color and texture. During her installation, Hoke will work with several assistants to choreograph the work from the wall at the top of the staircase, around the windows and up the inner wall next to the staircase as it extends to the second floor.

Hoke’s installation, like Stephen Hendee’s work The Eye, is a temporary piece which will be replaced in two to five years by another commissioned work of art. Hoke has created similar installations for other U.S. museums.