Marine Paintings
February 28, 2013 - May 7, 2014
Back to Past Exhibitions
Ship portraits, harbor scenes, and romanticized riverscapes from the City Museum’s permanent collection.
This installation showcases newly conserved marine paintings from the Museum’s important collection of Maritime art, many of which have not been on public view in decades. The collection includes works by celebrated American marine painters of the 19th century, including Fitz Henry Lane, Thomas Birch, James Buttersworth, and Edward Moran. The paintings represent a range of artistic styles and movements, from ship portraits commissioned by captains and owners to the romantic riverscapes of the Hudson River school. Together, they illuminate New York’s rich maritime history, including the shipping lines that made the city the nation’s commercial and manufacturing center in the 19th century, luxurious Gilded Age sporting yachts, and naval parades in New York Harbor. Conservation of the Marine paintings was made possible by the generous support of the J. Aron Charitable Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
*Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
