Curator’s Conversation: Introduction to “Visions of Venice”

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Join Dana E. Cowen, Sheldon Peck Curator for European and American Art before 1950, for an in-depth look at Visions of Venice. In this virtual discussion, participants will learn more about the circumstances of Whistler’s 1879 trip to Venice, his unique views of the floating city, his experimental working method, and how his works were received back in London.

Visions of Venice: Etchings by James McNeill Whistler from the Collection of Ambassador C. Boyden Gray showcases thirty of Whistler’s etchings of Venice and explores some of the artist’s most picturesque and atmospheric views of the city. Through his use of varied lines, compelling compositional motifs, and creative printing techniques, Whistler depicted sites unknown to the average tourist, such as back alleyways, obscure canals, and working-class neighborhoods, that challenged the expectations of nineteenth-century viewers and still captivate us today.

James McNeill Whistler, “Palaces”, 1879- 80, etching, frame: 17 15/16 × 21 7/8 × 1 1/4 in. (45.6 × 55.6 × 3.2 cm). Collection of Ambassador C. Boyden Gray, L2021.1.28.