Americans in London

Magazine Antiques, April, 2006 by Miriam Kramer

There is a noticeably American accent to three exhibitions currently in London. At the National Gallery two exhibitions explore the role of Paris as the center of the art world in the second half of the nineteenth century and its role as a magnet for American art students, artists, and collectors from the 1860s. Americans in Paris 1860-1900, of which the curator is Kathleen Adler and the sponsor the banking group Rothschild, is on view until May 21. It includes work by such well-known artists as James McNeill Whistler and John Singer Sargent, alongside less familiar ones like Henry Ossawa Tanner, Ellen Day Hale, and Cecilia Beaux.

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The accompanying catalogue, with essays by the curator and other scholars, is distributed in North America by Yale University Press. Following its London showing, the exhibition will be seen at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, from June 25 until September 24, and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City from October 17 until January 28, 2007.

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A complementary show entitled Mary Cassatt: Prints is on view at the National Gallery until May 7. It contains nineteen prints by the artist from the collection of the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa. The accompanying catalogue is written by Kathleen Adler, who is also the curator of this exhibition. It is distributed in North America by Yale University Press.

At the Dulwich Picture Gallery, the first one-man exhibition in Great Britain to be devoted to Winslow Homer is on view until May 21. It then moves to the Musee d'art americain in Giverny, France, from June 18 until September 24.

The timing of the exhibition is not accidental as Homer was another of the American artists who was drawn to Paris. The show is entitled Winslow Homer: Poet of the Sea and concentrates on landscapes and seascapes. The curators are Sophie Levy and Eric Shanes who contributed to the accompanying catalogue along with Marc A. Simpson and Judith Walsh. The catalogue is distributed in North America by University of Chicago Press.

Benjamin Franklin lived in London from 1757 to 1775. As the representative for a number of the American colonies, he conducted political negotiations, particularly with Prime Minister William Pitt the Elder, on the eve of the American Revolution. His home served as his base for much of his scientific work.

His house at 36 Craven Street opened to the public in time for Franklin's three hundredth birthday in January. There are no original furnishings, but interpretation through sound and light provide an idea of how Franklin lived there. The house is open from Wednesday to Sunday each week, and full details are available on the Website www.BenjaminFranklinHouse.org.

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