UMMA’s rare and important collection of James McNeill Whistler works on paper represents one of the finest holdings of Whistler’s graphic output in North America. This major exhibition features more than 100 works of art from UMMA’s Whistler collection, which covers the artist’s entire career in Europe, ranging from his student days and exposure to the vanguard artistic movements of the 19th century to the groundbreaking and atmospheric lithographs and etchings of his mature style. It is the first exhibition devoted to Whistler’s works at UMMA since 1994.
Nearly all of the Whistler works came to the Museum through the bequest of Margaret Watson Parker, an early collector of both Whistler’s prints as well as Japanese art. The exhibition explores Whistler’s illustrious life and career; his artistic themes and concerns, including portraiture and his well-known series from England, Italy, and France; the interests and legacy of early 20th-century Whistler collector Margaret Watson Parker; and the tools and techniques that Whistler employed as a printmaker.
This exhibition is made possible in part by the University of Michigan Health System, the University of Michigan Office of the Provost, the Friends of the University of Michigan Museum of Art, and the Doris Sloan Memorial Fund.
