“The Map” A group of sensitive portrayals of women and children produced by American artist Mary Cassatt during the most productive and creative period of her printmaking, between 1889 and 1897, is being showcased at the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University, New Brunswick.
For “Mary Cassatt Prints: In the Company of Women,” the museum is presenting 17 exquisite drypoint prints from its own renowned graphic arts collection, alongside five of Cassatt’s groundbreaking color prints, lent from a private collection. A highlight of the showing is a remarkable suite of 12 prints, known as the “Set of Twelve” (1890), executed with the drypoint technique, depicting women and children in reflective moments.
“With this exhibition, we focus on treasures from our collection that are rarely displayed due to their inherent fragility as light-sensitive works on paper,” said Suzanne Delehanty, director of the Zimmerli. “As well, we continue our tradition of organizing important exhibitions of prints and focusing on the achievements of women artists.” She adds, “The works in this exhibition also complement the Zimmerli’s renowned collection of Japonisme by demonstrating the important influence of Japanese art on Cassatt’s print oeuvre.”
“Reflection” Cassatt excelled at depicting the world of women and children, imbuing her subjects with both a timeless monumentality and contemporary specificity in her prints, paintings and pastels. The Zimmerli’s exhibition showcases Cassatt’s keen ability to capture the specific moods, relationships and spaces of the women of her day. The two girls intently studying in “The Map,” the dignified young woman in “Reflection,” and the focused mother and child in “The Stocking” are three examples of Cassatt’s mastery in conveying moments of quiet female intimacy and absorption in thought.
The Zimmerli will present a screening of the documentary “Mary Cassatt: A Brush with Independence” at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 18. The film is free with museum admission. The museum is located at 71 Hamilton St., New Brunswick. Hours are Tuesday Friday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday-Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Admission is $6 for adults; $5 for adults over 65, and free for museum members and children under 18. For more information, visit www.zimmerlimuseum.rutgers.edu.