Did you know that the first American sculptor was from New Jersey? Patience Lovell Wright, wax sculptor, was born in Bordentown in 1725. And John Frazee of Rahway became the first Native American marble sculptor in 1824. Noted landscape artists from New Jersey include George Inness and Asher Brown Durand. More recently, Roy Lichtenstein and Wendell Brooks are both examples of prominent New Jersey artists. August is American Artists Appreciation Month, and what better time to recognize some of New Jersey's artists, past and present. Here are a few museums with exhibits that feature New Jersey artists.
Jersey City Museum houses a great collection of pieces by New Jersey artists, including an impressive collection of photos by William Armbruster from the early 1900s.
Montclair Art Museum has a focus on Montclair's most famous artist, the great landscape painter George Inness. The upcoming exhibition (Nov. 6, 2011–April 1, 2012) George Inness: Private Treasures will include paintings from local collections.
Newark Museum houses a diverse collection, including impressive
Princeton University Art Museum's American Art collection is extensive, with a long-standing emphasis on American artists. (Photo shown is Kaaterskill Landscape by Asher Brown Durand. Mr. Durand was born in 1796 in Jefferson Village, NJ and died in Maplewood, NJ in 1886.)
And don't forget to visit Hoboken's Monroe Center when it holds Open Studio Days (the next one is November 6), offering visitors the chance to see working New Jersey artists in their studios.
You can learn more about New Jersey's long artistic history here.
Where is your favorite place to view art in New Jersey? Do you and your kids have a favorite New Jersey artist?
