Americans in Venice: Late 19th and Early 20th Century Prints

On September 19, 1879 American artist James McNeill Whistler arrived in Italy with a commission from the Fine Arts Society of London to create twelve etchings of Venice. Over the ensuing fourteen months the artist produced a body of prints that are among the most important of his career. The prints from Whistler’s Venice period are distinguished by the artist’s original approach to capturing the city’s landmarks and out of the way locations, and to his use of etching and drypoint; they are instrumental to an understanding of Whistler’s genius as a printmaker. His etchings and lithographs have arguably become some of the most studied prints in the history of art and they had a significant influence on the art of those who followed him to Venice.

This exhibit presents six prints by Whistler from this period, placing them alongside the work of other Americans who were practicing in Italy in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. 

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.