Haggin Museum

This weekend is your last chance to see Arthur Beaumont: Art of the Sea at the Haggin Museum. The exhibition features a remarkable collection of over 50 watercolors by artist Arthur Beaumont. To the artist, Arthur Beaumont (1890-1978), the sea and the vessels that sailed on it held endless fascination. He sought to create an artistic record of the activities and accomplishments of the U.S. Navy, from the launching of the U.S.S. Constitution in 1797 to the fierce battles of W...orld War II, to the Atomic Bomb tests at Bikini Atoll, and to the expeditions to the North and South Poles. All of these historic events and more are recorded in his paintings. Pictured Planes Roar into Action from the U.S. Aircraft Carriers Wasp and Enterprise (1941) by Arthur Beaumont. This work for The National Geographic Magazine features what the article’s author called ‘the traveling airfields of the ocean. The USS Wasp was lost after being attacked by a Japanese submarine in 1942. The USS Enterprise was more fortunate, participating in more major actions against the Japanese than any other U.S. ship. She was decommissioned in 1947. Watercolor, Courtesy of the Irvine Museum Collection at the University of California, Irvine.

Throwback Thursday | THE ART BOOKS OF HENRI MATISSE: PROVIDED BY BANK OF AMERICA ART IN OUR COMMUNITIES PROGRAM. In 2009 the Bank of America and Haggin Museum presented The Art Books of Henri Matisse, an exhibition of original illustrations and text by one of the preeminent artists of the 20th century. Best known for his boldly colored paintings, Matisse began experimenting with printmaking in 1903 and eventually illustrated 12 books, each issued in a limited edition and sign...ed by the artist. The exhibition included text and original illustrations from four of Matisse’s most artistically significant books. Henri Matisse | Widely regarded as one of the most important painters of the 20th century, Henri Matisse influenced a diverse number of art movements, artists, and schools of thought. His influence and innovations continue to inspire scholarship, interest and appreciation among art historians and lovers of art. Over the course of his 60-year career, he created a body of work that comprised paintings, drawings, prints, cutouts and sculpture, as well as costume and stage set designs. Matisse was in his sixties and a renowned artist when he began to make books. Though the making of books was a new artistic realm for Matisse, he regarded the prints he created for books as an extension of drawing. The same flowing lines that characterized so many of his paintings carried over to the printmaking medium and related illustrations. Among the printmaking techniques he used were etching, linoleum cuts, and lithography. While there are many shared elements between Matisse’s painting and his book illustration, there were some constraints that informed his process and approach. In book illustration, the goal was to establish a relationship between drawing and the existing text. Working within the defined space of a book also created practical limitations not typical in painting. Visual images can be absorbed instantaneously, while the absorption of text requires a slower process of reading and analysis. For this reason, book illustration is valuable not only as an art form but also as a unique combination of the written word and visual art. All of the works in the exhibition were from the Bank of America Art Collection, one of the largest and most significant corporate art collections in the world. This exhibition was organized by Bank of America Corporate Art Group, which allows audiences to experience the extraordinary works of art from the Bank of America Collection, some of which have never been on view to the public.

Born in Germany, Joseph Christian Leyendecker (1874-1951) and his family came to Chicago in 1882. Young Leyendecker was apprenticed at the age of 16 to the engraving house of J. Manz & Company. He advanced to a full-time staff artist and furthered his artistic training at the Chicago Art Institute. It was during this time that Leyendecker produced his first commercial work, including 60 images for an illustrated edition of The Bible published by Manz. In 1896 he and his broth...Continue reading

A Rainy day in Spring depicts an opening in a peaceful, understated forest. Marco Calderini (1850-1941) creates a moody, yet interesting, rhythm in this painting that moves the eye from foreground to background, from left to right. He accomplishes this movement across the canvas using vertical and horizontal compositional strategies to balance light and darkness. The glossy stream meanders down the middle of the canvas, helping the eye to move up toward the curling clouds. Th...ree light-colored birch trees frame the abundance of lush greenery and help illuminate the shadowy atmosphere of the forest. Calderini believed that a direct experience of a scene was critical to successfully capturing it, and therefore he would not paint a landscape unless he had spent several months in the area. Though he painted Italian landscapes rather than French, Calderini’s approach to painting nature had much in common with the Barbizon painters. Pictured A Rainy day in Spring by Marco Calderini, Haggin Museum Collection.

Very limited viewing at the Haggin Museum through Sunday, November 1, 2020. We greatly appreciate that James Irvine Swinden and The Irvine Museum Collection at the University of California, Irvine extended this exhibition allowing us to have it on view during our reopening (at 25% of capacity). Arthur Beaumont: Art of the Sea features a remarkable collection of over 50 watercolors by artist Arthur Beaumont. To the artist, Arthur Beaumont (1890-1978), the sea and the vessels ...that sailed on it held endless fascination. He sought to create an artistic record of the activities and accomplishments of the U.S. Navy, from the launching of the U.S.S. Constitution in 1797 to the fierce battles of World War II, to the Atomic Bomb tests at Bikini Atoll, and to the expeditions to the North and South Poles. All of these historic events and more are recorded in his paintings. Beaumont’s body of work includes numerous portraits of specific naval vessels, including mighty aircraft carriers and battleships as well as personal yachts of presidents and celebrities. His art portrays not only admirals but also common sailors and soldiers. They formed the core of his series of significant wartime commissions for National Geographic Magazine. In 1958, Beaumont was named Artist Laureate of the U.S. Fleet. Arthur Beaumont: Art of the Sea is curated by James Irvine Swinden and includes works in The Irvine Museum Collection at the University of California, Irvine. Image Caption: Backbone of Sea Power, Arthur Beaumont, watercolor on board, 1941, The Irvine Museum Collection at the University of California, Irvine.

The Haggin is thrilled to be participating again! Make sure you check out https://familydayatthepark.com/ EVERYDAY, for new daily videos and activities. Perfect for kids and families!