‘Burchfield And Marsh: Exaggerated Visions’ Is A Rare Offering

NEW BRITAIN — The dramatic works of Charles Burchfield and Reginald Marsh, two of the most renowned American artists of the 20th Century, will be featured in an exhibition opening April 4 at the New Britain Museum of American Art (NBMAA).

“Burchfield and Marsh: Exaggerated Visions” will showcase 60 watercolors, oil paintings and drawings, including many works by Marsh that have never before been on public view. An opening reception is scheduled for Sunday, April 4, from 4 to 6 pm, and is included with museum admission. “Exaggerated Visions” will be on view through July 3.

Drawn to a great extent from the largest collection of Marsh’s work in this country and housed at the William Benton Museum at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, the exhibition also will include works from the Art Complex Museum in Duxbury, Mass., and other public and private collections.  NBMAA’s permanent collection is rich in works by both artists as well.

Now considered to be masters of watercolor painting, the artists were contemporaries, each known for his uniquely dramatic style.

Realist painter Reginald Marsh was born in Paris in 1898 and attended Yale University and the Art Students League of New York, where his teachers included George Luks and John Sloan.  Marsh’s work typically tells stories drawn from the daily life of America’s big cities – people at work and play depicted in the artist’s lively, original and eloquent style. Like Burchfield, Marsh made his mark as a serious artist in the 1930s, having begun his career as an illustrator.

While at Yale, Marsh became friendly with fellow-student William Benton, who later became a prominent public figure in Connecticut.  During his lifetime, Marsh maintained his friendship with Benton and gave many works of art to him.

The William Benton Museum was so designated in 1972 to honor its namesake who had become a US Senator and served as a University of Connecticut Trustee. Shortly before his death, Benton gave the university museum a large selection of his Reginald Marsh works.  Much of the art from that collection is included in the new exhibition and has never before been on public view.

Born in Ohio in 1893, Charles Burchfield attended the Cleveland School of Art, now Cleveland Institute of Art, where he studied illustration and was greatly influenced by Asian art.

After a short stay in New York City, Burchfield returned to Ohio where he painted the landscape of his environment.  Burchfield produced a series of watercolors destined to be exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1930.  It was this exhibition that established a national reputation for him.

In 1973, NBMAA organized a highly successful exhibition of work by Edward Hopper and Burchfield entitled Sound and Silence. 

“The current exhibition of works by Marsh and Burchfield is similarly a natural pairing of work by two artists who, like Hopper, celebrated art in rural and urban New York State,” notes NBMAA Director and Curator Douglas Hyland. “This exhibition offers insights into two of the most important artists of the first half of the 20th Century.”

The New Britain Museum of American Art, at 56 Lexington Street in New Britain, is open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday from noon to 5 pm; Wednesday, noon to 7 pm; and Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm. Call 860-229-0257 or visit www.nbmaa.org for additional information.

Docent-guided tours for adults and children are available by appointment during the morning and public hours. Sunday gallery talks are scheduled throughout the year. Call for information.