Rarely-Seen Dutch Impressionist Works from Private Collections On View at Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art

LAKELAND, Fla., Nov. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art at Florida Southern College is pleased to present "Dutch Impressionism: The Hague School, 1860-1930," on view now through February 23, 2025, in the Museum's Dorothy Jenkins Gallery and Harper Family Gallery. This exclusive exhibition features more than 80 paintings from private collections in the Netherlands and was developed in partnership with the Hoogsteder Museum Foundation. It marks the first time these rarely-seen works are being shown in the United States.

While many museum visitors are familiar with French and American Impressionism, the story of Dutch Impressionism is less widely known and studied less often. As embodied by The Hague School, Dutch Impressionism evolved over two generations, as artists in The Hague initially drew inspiration from the landscape painting of French artists of the Barbizon School, including Theodore Rousseau, Jean-Francois Millet, and Jean Baptiste Camille Corot, and then in turn instilled in a new set of young painters the ideals of plein-air painting back home.

By the late 19th century, The Hague School had gained international fame with its brushy, magnificent depictions of vast skies over endless flat, open country and expressively-rendered scenes of everyday life in the city and countryside. With a mix of open-air studies, studio-based paintings, and even artists' sketchbooks and etchings, the exhibition traces out the incredible story of Dutch Impressionism from its roots in Barbizon, where its most prominent artists began their artistic journeys, to the countryside of Oosterbeek, Dutch farming villages, and even the dunes of The Hague with depictions of fisherfolk along its beaches. Most prominent among the Hague School artists were Willem Roelofs, the Maris brothers (Jacob, Matthjis, and Willem), and Willem de Zwart, all of whom have dedicated chapters in the exhibition, featuring their works alongside those of more than 30 other male and female artists of the movement.

"Impressionism is a perennial hit with museum audiences, but a large-scale exhibition of Dutch Impressionist masterworks offers a new and fresh take on the story of modern art for our visitors," said Dr. H. Alexander Rich, executive director and chief curator of the Museum. "All of the works in the show usually reside in private homes, and we are thrilled to welcome The Hague School to our galleries for our audience's exclusive enjoyment."

Visitors to the Museum will discover that, in addition to developing their own variations upon impressionist styles and manners, the artists of The Hague School defined what we now see as the traditional Dutch landscape, with its windmills, outstretched cloudy skies, and cattle, which remain the characteristic image of the Netherlands today.

"Dutch Impressionism: The Hague School, 1860-1930" will be on view at the Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art from October 5, 2024, through February 23, 2025. "Dutch Impressionism: The Hague School, 1860-1930" has been organized by the Hoogsteder Museum Foundation and is sponsored by Florida Southern College, Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Foundation, and CORE Wealth Advisors. For more information, visit agbmuseum.org/dutchimpressionism. Additional exhibition programming and educational opportunities can be found at agbmuseum.org/events.

About the Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art at Florida Southern College

The Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art is a not-for-profit, academic and community museum whose enduring mission is to engage audiences of all ages with world-class exhibitions, programs, and experiences and to offer avenues for lifelong learning and reflection on our shared world through art and visual culture. It is the largest and only nationally accredited visual arts organization in Polk County and the only Smithsonian Affiliate art museum in Central Florida. The Museum is nearing completion on its $8 million expansion and renovation project, adding an additional 14,000 sq. ft. of education and exhibition space, including six new galleries, as well as multi-functional classroom and event spaces. The expansion and renovation project is projected to be completed in January 2025. The Museum's hours are Tuesdays–Saturdays 10 am to 4 pm, Sunday 1 pm to 5 pm, and closed Mondays and major holidays. The facility is handicap-accessible and special needs assistance is available. Admission is free, thanks to our Strategic Partner, the Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Foundation.

SOURCE Florida Southern College