Harvey Dunn (1884-1952), “Nightclub Scene,” c. 1930. The Kelly Collection of American Illustration Art.
Stockbridge, MA, November 16, 2015—In conjunction with its newest exhibition, Masters of the Golden Age: Harvey Dunn and His Students, Norman Rockwell Museum will present an art talk on Harvey Dunn and other Golden Age illustrators on Saturday, November 21, starting at 5:30 p.m. Elizabeth Alberding, curator and collections manager of The Kelly Collection of American Illustration Art (which loaned many of the works on view in the exhibition), will discuss the process of building a world-class illustration collection, and explore the lives and art of the field’s most celebrated practitioners. The event is free for Museum members, or with regular Museum admission.
The Kelly Collection of American Illustration is a private collection dedicated to the acquisition, preservation, research and exhibition of Golden Age American illustration. The Collection consists of several hundred original painting and drawings by significant American illustrators from 1890-1935 as well as an extensive reference library of related books and magazines. The Kelly Collection embraces its role in the preservation of this area of American visual culture for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations. Learn more at: thekellycollection.org
Masters of the Golden Age: Harvey Dunn and His Students
On view through March 13, 2016
When illustrator Harvey Dunn died in 1952, his obituary in The New York Times bore the headline “Harvey Dunn, 68, Artist, Teacher.” Known for depicting the harsh realities of World War I combat as well as the healing comfort of life on the prairie, Dunn also served as an important instructor for a number of successful artists.
Masters of the Golden Age: Harvey Dunn and His Students highlights Dunn’s stunning, painterly illustrations for the prominent periodicals of his day, including Scribner’s, Harper’s, Collier’s Weekly, Century, Outing, and The Saturday Evening Post. It also features powerful works created for the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I, in which he recorded the unforgettable realities of war, as well as the artist’s prairie paintings, inspired by his life-long love of South Dakota’s landscape and history. Featuring over 85 paintings, the exhibition also includes original artworks by Dunn’s prodigious students, including Dean Cornwell, Henry C. Pitz, Mead Schaeffer, Harold von Schmidt, Frank Street, Saul Tepper, John Clymer, Lyman Anderson, and James E. Allen, among others.
Organized by Norman Rockwell Museum in collaboration with the South Dakota Art Museum, the exhibition is made possible through generous support from First Bank & Trust.