Montana Museum of Art & Culture

Labor & Leisure: Impressionist and Realist Masterpieces from a Private Collection 
Meloy Gallery
September 6, 2012 - January 5, 2013

This selection of masterpieces from a Private Collection features scenes of labor and leisure by important 19th and early 20th century artists including: Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renior, William Adolphe Bouguereau, John William Waterhouse, Jules Breton, Pierre Eugene Montezin, Leon August Lhermitte, Stanhope Alexander Forbes, Eugene Boudin, Edouard Bisson, John William Godward and Sir Alfred James Munnings.  The 19th century marked a time of major social, cultural and economic change.  The Industrial Revolution dramatically transformed human existence.  Technology advanced, rural populations declined and urban centers flourished.  The exhibition brings together select Impressionist and Realist masterpieces that document these radical changes.  Numerous 19th century artist were drawn to subjects such as nostalgic scenes of rural life and pastoral themes.  In contrast, many Impressionist artists depicted images of leisure, including boating scences, promenades, picnics and grand-fetes.

Image: Claude Monet (1840-1926), Prairie de Limetz,  ca. 1887-1888, oil on canvas, 25 1/2 x 31 3/4 inches, Courtesy of a Private Collection

Impressionism: Masterpieces on Paper 
Paxson Gallery
September 6, 2012 - January 5, 2013

This exhibition combines selections from the MMAC Permanent Collection and private loans to highlight seldom seen etchings and lithographs from important Impressionists.  Although Impressionism originated in France, this exhibition includes artists from England and Sweden as examples of how Impressionism revolutionized art history.  Artists include: Pierre-August Renoir, Berthe Morisot, Edgar Degas, Jean Louis Forain, Honore Daumier, Gustave Leheutre, Jean-Baptiste Armand Guillaumin, Jean-Francois Millet, James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Augustus Edwin John and Anders Zorn.

Nancy Erickson: Kindred Spirits

January 24- April 20, 2013    

Nancy Erickson’s artwork speaks to the dignity and integrity of individual wild creatures, whom she views as our equals.  A nationally recognized fiber artist, she is the 2013 Odyssey of the Stars featured artist.  Erickson was born in the Midwest and raised on a cattle ranch in Livingston, MT.  She holds a BA in Zoology and an MS in Nutrition from the University of Iowa and an MA and MFA from The University of Montana. Since the 1960s, she has created remarkable fabric constructions, quilts, paintings and drawings. Her work resides in numerous public and private collections and has been featured in over 500 exhibitions nationally, most recently in a fiber work invitational in Raleigh, NC and the Museum of Art & Design in NY.  Nancy Erickson: Kindred Spirits honors her achievements and features her pioneering large-scale, free-form textile compositions which combine paint and stitched fabric.  This exhibition highlights work inspired by the magnificent cave art found at Chauvet Pont d’Arc and Lascaux that is seldom seen or never before exhibited. Nancy Erickson: Kindred Spirits is presented in conjunction with a series of textile-related exhibitions across the UM campus.

Image: Nancy Erickson, Fire Season, Western Montana, 2012, detail, satin and cottons, fabric paints, oil sticks, machine stitched, appliques and quilted, 66 x 71 inches

Follow That Thread: Fashion and Textiles from the MMAC Permanent Collection

January 24- April 20, 2013

A selection from the MMAC Textile Collection, which numbers more than 1,800 objects, the exhibition includes 100 years of fashion spanning 1860 - 1960 from the vintage clothing collection accompained by an array of accessories.