This capsule retrospective of the work of Marsden Hartley (1877–1943) charts the American Modernist artist’s experimentation with abstraction, still life, and landscape, showcasing his wide horizons. The installation features oil paintings reflecting a range of subjects that captured Hartley’s fascination, including urban pageantry, natural splendor, and inspiring individuals. Presented together for the first time, the selection is drawn from several Yale collections and complemented by two long-term loans to the Gallery.
Hartley is best known for the colorful compositions of symbols that he created in Germany before World War I and the expressive landscapes of his home state of Maine that he painted during his last years. Beyond these two periods, his work varied widely, influenced by travel and several styles of Modernism. Hartley spent formative stretches of his career in France and Germany and later adopted an itinerant lifestyle in North America, never staying more than a year in a given area. Whether it was Mexico, New England, New York, Nova Scotia, or the Southwest, each place infused his work with distinct character.
The installation is on view in the second-floor Richard and Jane Manoogian Foundation Galleries through fall 2025.