Mementos of the Artist-Traveler

How do you recall a place? What helps you remember a moment?

From the Latin word meaning “to remember,” a memento enhances a memory by giving it a tangible form. Some American artists, like many of us, create their own mementos to commemorate travels and experiences.

The artist-travelers highlighted in this installation found inspiration in far-ranging locales and a variety of encounters. Some of the mementos they created interpret the spirit of a place, while others deliver an “it’s-like-you-are-there” realism.

While these works of art hold the memories of their creators, they may also stimulate the imaginations of viewers — inspiring wanderlust or conjuring past adventures.

About Gallery 214 in the American Galleries
Exhibitions in this gallery change every six months to showcase the variety of the museum’s collections and to protect the light-sensitive art from overexposure.

For groups interested in learning more about the artwork on view in this exhibition, please request an American Art Collection tour and request in the notes that the exhibition be included as part of the tour.

Top: John Taylor Arms, American (1887-1953). Isola Bella, Lago Maggiore (detail), 1920. Color etching with aquatint on paper, ed. 6/100, 5 7/8 x 13 5/8 inches. Purchase: acquired through the Print Duplicate Fund, and exchange of the bequests of Mrs. Peter T. Bohan and Frances M. Logan and the gifts of Allene Reese, Fred D. Frick, and the Woodcut Society, 84-42. Bottom: Stuart Davis, American (1892-1964). Hôtel de France, 1928. Oil on canvas, 28 7/8 x 23 7/8. Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust and Nelson Gallery Foundation through the exchange of bequests and gifts of numerous donors, 96-21. Childe Hassam, American (1859-1935). The Concord Meadow, ca. 1891. Pastel and gouache on canvas, 18 x 22 1/8 inches. Gift of Pauline A. Dierks in memory of Mae G. Sutherland, F83-46.