Nature and the American Vision: The Hudson River School

press release: This February, the Milwaukee Art Museum invites visitors to explore the American frontier in Nature and the American Vision: The Hudson River School, a landmark exhibition of iconic 19th-century landscape paintings from the acclaimed collection of the New-York Historical Society. On view Feb. 26‒May 8, 2016, the exhibition includes some of the most important artworks of the first half of American history—powerful, breathtaking vistas that capture the beauty and drama of a young nation.

The exhibition's nearly 50 masterpieces—many monumental in scale—are among the most revered in the United States, and include works from 23 luminaries, including Thomas Cole, Asher Brown Durand, and Frederick Edwin Church.  Visitors can see the earliest views of now-legendary destinations—Niagara Falls, Sierra Nevada Mountains, Yosemite Valley— that inspired settlers and sightseers, and discover stories of the politics and personalities that shaped the country.

The exhibition culminates in a once-in-a-lifetime presentation of Thomas Cole’s epic The Course of Empire, considered the first great artwork to ever emerge from the United States. This five-painting series depicts the rise and fall of civilization, and will make its Milwaukee debut after a six-month presentation at the Louvre in Paris.

Nature and the American Vision also charts the rise of the Hudson River School, the nation's first original artistic movement. These New York-based poets, painters and writers, undertook arduous expeditions to see sites firsthand, looking to nature for spiritual inspiration and national pride—a uniquely American vision.

The Museum is open Tuesday–Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Fridays until 8 p.m. Admission is $17 for adults; $15 for students, seniors and active military; and free for Members and children age 12 and under. The first Friday of each month is Meijer Free First Friday and Museum admission is free.