CHARLES ETHAN PORTER EXHIBITION

FEATURES STILL LIFE WORKS BY

AFRICAN-AMERICAN ARTIST

The New Britain Museum of American Art, located at 56 Lexington Street, will celebrate the works of Connecticut-born, African-American artist Charles Ethan Porter in a special exhibition of 52 paintings on view from January 12 through March 16, 2008.

Curated by well-known scholar Hildegard Cummings, formerly on the staff of the Benton Museum at the University of Connecticut, the exhibition “Charles Ethan Porter: African-American Master of Still Life” is the first museum exhibition of works by the artist. It will later travel to the Studio Museum in Harlem (April 1 – July 15, 2008) and to the North Carolina Central University Art Museum, Durham (August 3 – October 7, 2008).

Porter painted mainly flowers, insects, fruit, and landscapes — subjects that became his signature style. He was well-regarded among critics and the public, and his work caught the eye of Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) who introduced Porter and his work to influential circles both in the U.S. and abroad.

Porter was born in the late 1840s in Rockville, Conn., a section of Vernon. In 1871, he was accepted into the prestigious National Academy of Design in New York, a school for exceptionally gifted artists. Porter taught art lessons to support himself through school, then completed his studies in 1873 and opened a small studio in New York City. Living in the city was not easy, and like many African-Americans, Porter suffered the effects of prejudice. This did not deter his focus on his career in art, and he began to study with renowned artist Joseph Oriel Eaton.

In the late 1870s, Porter moved to Hartford, and his work began showing up in local exhibitions and art galleries. At this time he produced some of his better-known paintings such as “Fruit,” which seemed to be inspired by earlier still-life paintings by the Peale family in the 19th century. Porter died in 1923 having moved back to Rockville toward the end of his life.

The Museum has planned a series of special programs complimenting the exhibition (please visit nbmaa.org for details), and is producing a 100-page color catalogue documenting the exhibition which will be for sale in the Museum Shop.

Providing guidance for the exhibition was a distinguished Steering Committee which has met several times and has provided invaluable advice and support. The committee includes Dr. and Mrs. Frederick Baekeland, state Rep. Marie Kirkley-Bey (honorary chairperson), Danielle Burell, Olga Callender, Robert Charles Hudson, Meckla Pinnix Clark, Hildegard Cummings, Theresa Hopkins-Staten (chairperson), Harriet Kelley, Steven King, Jr., Beverly Jenkins, Richard LeGrier, Brenda Lopez, Donna Merritt, Loretta L. Pair, Esther Reynolds, Lew Robinson, Mike Scricco, Wanda Seldon, Rosemarie Tate, Martha Trask, and Eric Turner.

The exhibition is made possible through the generous support of the American Savings Foundation; Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism; Community Foundation of Greater New Britain; Connecticut Humanities Council; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; Greater Hartford Arts Council; David T. Langrock Foundation; Hartford Alumni Chapter of The Links, Inc.; Henry Luce Foundation.; National Council of Negro Women, Hartford Section.

For more information about the exhibit and for Museum hours and directions, please contact Paula Bender at 860-229-0257, ext. 212.