Alfred Sisley (1839-1899): Impressionist Master

January 21, 2017 - May 21, 2017

 

Sponsored by The Charles M. and Deborah G. Royce Exhibition Fund; Florence Gould Foundation; David T. Langrock Foundation;The Malcolm Hewitt Wiener Foundation; First Republic; Guardian Life Insurance Company of America; Robert Lehman Foundation; State of Connecticut; A Committee of Honor chaired by Gale and Bob Lawrence, Pam and Bill Lawrence, Kathleen L. Metinko and Jan Rogers Kniffen, Viriginia and Juan Meyer, Leah and Bob Rukeyser; and Honorary Chair Mrs. Bénédicte de Montlaur, Cultural Counselor of the French Embassy in the United States.

The Bruce Museum and the Hôtel de Caumont Centre d’Art in Aix-en-Provence, France, are mounting a major monographic exhibition of the art of the French Impressionist Alfred Sisley (1839 – 1899). The first retrospective in the United States in over twenty years of this purest of all the major Impressionists, the show is comprised of about 50 of Sisley’s paintings from private collections and major museums in Europe and North America. The Bruce Museum will premiere the exhibition and be the only venue in the United States.

Click here for exhibition programs.

A friend of Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Sisley initially worked in the naturalistic landscape tradition of the Barbizon School but increasingly adopted a proto-Impressionistic style, creating a body of work that has an impressive internal consistency and cumulative authority. Throughout his career, Sisley adhered to the style of divided light and color, momentary effects of illumination, and an acute responsiveness to atmosphere that are the signature attributes of Impressionism. He dutifully painted en plein air in all manner of weather, recording his favorite sites in the environs of Paris – Bougival, Louveciennes, Marly-le-Roi, Saint-Mammès – in exhaustive detail, in all seasons, and under ever-changing skies. Born in Paris to British parents, Sisley studied the landscape paintings of Constable and Turner before enrolling in Charles Gleyre’s studio where he met Monet and Renoir. Little biographical information about his life has survived so his art must speak for itself, and does so with haunting beauty. The magic with which he was able to capture light sparkling on water, winter sun on snow, and trees rustled by a breeze create some of the most memorable Impressionist images.

The exhibition was curated by MaryAnne Stevens, an authority on Sisley, with contributions to the catalogue by Richard Shone, who wrote a book on the painter, and Kathleen Adler, a nineteenth-century French specialist. The exhibition Alfred Sisley (1839-1899): Impressionist Master is organized by the Bruce Museum, Greenwich, Connecticut, and Culturespaces.

​An audio tour in the gallery is available for your cell phone. Inquire at admissions for instructions.

Programs related to the exhibition: Alfred Sisley (1839-1899): Impressionist Master.

Evening Art Lectures

January 25, 6:00-8:00 PM. Evening Art Lecture. Reflections on Monet’s Water Lilies by Dr. Paul Hayes Tucker, professor of art at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. He is the author of Claude Monet: Life and Art, Monet at Argenteuil, Monet in the 90s, and Monet in the Twentieth Century. Claude Monet’s most famous paintings arguably are the nearly 200 he executed of his water lily garden in Giverny from approximately 1900 until his death in 1926. This lecture will examine the intricacies of these remarkable works and their many levels of meaning. Advance registration suggested. Admission: Free for Bruce members, $10 for non-members. At the door: $10 Bruce members, $20 non-members.

February 2, 6:00-8:00 PM. Evening Art Lecture. John Singer Sargent and Landscape Painting by Dr. Erica E. Hirshler, Croll Senior Curator of American Paintings, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Dr. Erica Hirshler will explore Sargent’s fascination with landscape painting, from his earliest sketches of the Alps to his engagement with Impressionism in the mid-1880s and his glorious abstracted mountain imagery of the twentieth century. Advance registration required. Admission: Free for Bruce members, $10 for non-members. At the door: $10 Bruce members, $20 non-members.

Monday Morning Lecture Series

Monday, February 6, 10:00 - 11:00 AM. Monday Morning Lecture Series. Dr. Susan Strauber, Professor of Art History at Grinnell College, will will speak about Sisley and Impressionism. Free and open to the public.

Monday, February 13, 10:00 - 11:00 AM. Monday Morning Lecture Series. Alison Hokanson, Assistant Curator, Metropolitan Museum of Art, will explore The Met's holdings of paintings and drawings by Sisley, spanning the years from the dawn of Impressionism in 1872 to just before Sisley's death in 1899. Free and open to the public.

Monday, February 27, 10:00 - 11:00 AM. Monday Morning Lecture Series. Laura Dickey Corey, PhD candidate at the Institute of Fine Arts, NYU, will speak about Mary Cassatt's continuing ties to the US, in her art, life, and art advising, even while taking up permanent residence in France. Free and open to the public.

Monday, March 6, 10:00 - 11:00 AM. Monday Morning Lecture Series. Heidi Hirschl, Curatorial Assistant, MoMA, will speak about Degas: Impressions, which will consider Degas’s engagement in printmaking through the creation of Impressionist landscape monotypes. Free and open to the public.. Free and open to the public.

Graduate Student Symposium and Young Scholar Day

March 5, 1:00 - 4:00 PM. “Framing Nature” Graduate Student Symposium. MA/PhD students will present interdisciplinary papers that engage the multifaceted ways that artists and architects frame nature in their work. Advance registration through Eventbrite suggested: Free for Bruce members, and students and educators with ID, $10 for non-members. At the door: $10 Bruce members, and students and educators with ID, $20 non-members.

Film Series. The Great Artists: Their Lives, Times and Works – The Impressionists

Wednesdays from 10:30-11:45 AM. Free and open to the public. No reservations required. This film series chronicles the life, times and works of each featured artist and explores their stylistic trademarks. The programs also place each artist in historical context, highlighting the events that inspired his work and providing a clearer understanding of the creative process. The five programs in this collection provide an in-depth look into the fascinating world of the Impressionists and their art.
April 5: Manet
April 12: Pissarro
April 19: Monet
April 26: Degas
May 3: Renoir