Cherished: The Art of Clementine Hunter
July 11–October 13, 2024

Cherished: The Art of Clementine Hunter includes paintings and objects from the collections of the LSU Museum of art, the LSU Rural Life Museum, the Alexandria Museum of Art, private collectors, and Hunter’s descendants.

Clementine Hunter was born in 1886 on the Melrose Plantation near Natchitoches, Louisiana. She was completely self-taught and began painting in her fifties, rendering her first composition on an old window blind using art supplies left by a visitor. Painting in the evenings after work, Hunter was prolific, producing vibrant and expressive scenes drawn from her memories of plantation life, celebrations, religious events, and everyday activities. Well-known throughout the region for her paintings, Louisiana State University (LSU) hosted an exhibition of her work at the campus library in 1971, when the artist was in her eighties. National recognition was to follow, with additional museum shows and significant awards, including an invitation to the White House from President Jimmy Carter, an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Northwestern State University of Louisiana, and the designation as a Louisiana honorary colonel and aide-de-camp. After her passing in 1988, Hunter’s work and life continued to surge in popularity, being collected by museums across the nation.

With over forty objects on view, visitors will get a glimpse into the life of one of Louisiana’s most renowned artists. Hunter used painting as a visual diary—her art was a vehicle to preserve her memories. Cherished explores some of her most repeated patterns, subjects, and motifs, including brightly colored zinnias, church scenes, and women picking cotton, bringing together multiple examples to highlight the subtle variations found in individual objects.

This exhibition is sponsored by Taylor Porter Law Firm and the Traditional Fine Arts Organization.

In a New Light: American Impressionism 1870–1940, Works from the Bank of America Collection
August 22–November 17, 2024

A sweeping survey of American Impressionism embracing precursor, contemporary, and subsequent movements, In a New Light explores the reinterpretation of American landscape painting. Presenting works by a diverse group of more than 75 artists, the exhibition traces not only the development of Impressionism in the United States, but also the emergence of a uniquely American style.

The show presents a thought-provoking historical context for American Impressionism by positioning it between the Hudson River School—whose majestic landscapes influenced, and then gradually gave way to, French Impressionist-inspired works—and the modernist trends evident in the later pieces. The works included reflect the changing mindset of America from the mid-nineteenth to the early-twentieth century. Concentrating on regional artists’ colonies established across the United States, In a New Light explores the ways in which local artists interpreted America’s rural, maritime and urban spaces and portrayed daily life using the Impressionist devices of capturing the moment with brisk brushstrokes, a vibrant palette and atmospheric effects.

This exhibition is made possible through the Bank of America Art in our Communities® program.