In times like these, beautiful art is a welcome feast for the eyes and the soul. The exhibition, Whistler to Cassatt: American Painters in France features more than 100 inspiring works by the first wave of expatriate artists to cross the Atlantic.
This tour de force exhibit is on display at Richmond’s Virginia Museum of Fine Art through July 31, 2022.
The young artists were seeking instruction, critical acclaim, and patronage in Paris, the center of the art world. Most returned home to become some of the greatest influencers on American art, although others, including Mary Cassatt, Elizabeth Jane Gardner and Henry Ossawa Tanner, chose to remain in France. There are 18 works by Mary Cassatt in the exhibition, it was breathtaking to sit in a gallery full of them!
And I got to see one of Cassatt’s paintings in the collection of the Wichita Art Museum, Kansas, that I have always wanted to see; Mother and Child.1890, likely the most stunning piece in the show.
If you are anywhere near Richmond, VA in July, you won’t want to miss this!
