Celebrating Maine

For most of the artists who have worked in Maine during the past century and a half, the state’s striking physical beauty has been its primary attraction. The state’s stunning coastline as well as its verdant forests, rushing streams, tranquil ponds and lakes, and picturesque mountains have inspired countless painters, printmakers, and photographers, With the advent of abstraction in the early twentieth century, however, and particularly with the multiple languages of form embraced by American artists after World War II, Maine’s physical attributes may have been less important as a source for subject matter than the peaceful lifestyle and modest cost of living offered to those who decided to live here, whether as summer or year-round residents.

This exhibition offers a range of responses a number of nationally, indeed in some cases internationally, significant artists have had as a result of their decisions to live and work in Maine. Their works are ample demonstrations of the diverse voices that Maine’s artists have brought to the larger and ongoing narrative of the history of American art. There are also works donated to the museum by artists who have long time associations with our state.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.