A steadfast devotion to American art

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. - In 1903, museums and collectors tended to look to Europe and the Far East for their art, but a central Connecticut institute received a $20,000 gift with instructions to buy only American "modern oil paintings."

That became the seed money for the country's first museum devoted to American art. The New Britain Museum of American Art today counts more than 5,000 paintings, prints, drawings, photographs, and sculptures from the 18th century to the present in its permanent collection.

With 400 of its works on display at any time, the museum also presents traveling and collaborative shows of its holdings.

Here, art is everywhere. The LeWitt Staircase showcases Lisa Hoke's "The Gravity of Color," an installation with 20,000 plastic and paper cups attached to the wall and ceilings. The colorful array almost outshines a recently purchased chandelier by glass artist Dale Chihuly.

Upstairs, the New/Now Gallery changes about every three months with solo shows by the up-and-coming. "The Eye Deceived: Paintings by Michael Theise," a body of work executed in the the trompe l'oeil style, is up through Jan. 4. In another gallery, "The Life of Terror and Tragedy: September 11, 2001," Graydon Parrish's huge painting, 8 feet tall by 18 feet long, dominates one wall. A family who lost a member in the World Trade Center attack and the museum commissioned the work.

The museum's profile and ability to show off its rich collection took a giant leap forward two years ago when the 43,000-square-foot Chase Family Building opened. The handsome stone-and-glass, two-story wing added a dozen galleries, a store, cafe, auditorium, and courtyards to the museum, located 9 miles southwest of Hartford.

As part of the $26 million project, the adjacent Landers House, the museum's home since 1937, was renovated for art studios, a library, and offices. With walls of windows, the museum capitalizes on its setting on the edge of Walnut Hill Park, a creation of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.

A transparent corridor links the Chase and Landers. For first-time visitors, a free audio guide featuring Douglas Hyland, the museum director, is invaluable.

If time is limited, don't miss Thomas Hart Benton's "The Arts of Life in America," a 1932 mural commissioned by the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. The museum purchased the mural in 1953 for $500 after the Whitney decided it no longer wanted it.

An important exhibit through Feb. 22 draws on the museum's renowned Sanford B.D. Low Memorial Illustration Collection. In collaboration with the Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford, Pa., guest curator Richard Boyle and the museum focus on 50 works for "Double Lives: American Painters as Illustrators, 1850-1950," featuring the works of such artists as Winslow Homer, Frederic Remington, and Childe Hassam.

Even fashion finds a place here. Through Feb. 3, "Judith Leiber Handbags" features original, handcrafted purses from private collections.

Jan Shepherd can be reached at jshep@earthlink.net.