Vibrant Watercolors by Alfred Jacob Miller Capture Spirit of the Early American West

Kansas City, MO June 17, 2010
Vibrant and masterful mixed media works on paper by the artist Alfred Jacob Miller, depicting the American West inspired by a six-month expedition in 1837, will be on view in Romancing the West: Alfred Jacob Miller in the Bank of America Collection, an exhibition that opens this fall at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Mo., then travels to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and to the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2011.

Baltimore native Alfred Jacob Miller (1810–1874) was one of the first American artists to paint the “Far West,” considered at the time as exotic and distant by people living in the East. Bank of America’s 30 sheets, which have not been on view to the public since 1964, feature poetic images of the stunning landscape of early America, the daily life of Native Americans and mountain men, and the exotic wildlife and fauna he observed.

Miller traveled in 1837 with an American Fur Company expedition at the invitation of Scotsman Capt. William Drummond Stewart. The group left in April 1837 from St. Louis and followed what would become the Oregon Trail, then traveled by way of the Green River to Wyoming’s Wind River Mountains.

Miller made more than 100 field sketches during the expedition, and his adventure became the inspiration for at least a thousand paintings and watercolors. For nearly three decades, he received commissions for albums of watercolors and full-sized oil paintings that he produced in his studio. These works from the Bank of America Collection represent intermediary work based on his field sketches and in preparation for works commissioned by patrons.

“We are thrilled to share Miller’s work with the general public,” said Margaret C. Conrads, Samuel Sosland Senior Curator, American Art, at the Nelson-Atkins and curator of the exhibition. “Viewers will find that fact mixes with fantasy to reflect life on the frontier both as it was and as it was imagined to be.”

The exhibition has given curators an opportunity to study Miller’s technique, his view of the West, his broader connection to European and American art, and the importance of his art in a larger context. A catalogue that accompanies the exhibition includes scholarship by Conrads; Stephanie Knappe, Assistant Curator, American Art, at the Nelson-Atkins; Lisa Strong, an independent Miller scholar; William H. Truettner, Senior Curator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum; and Kathleen A. Foster, the Robert L. McNeil, Jr., Senior Curator of American Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Nancy Heugh, a paper conservator, also conducted technical analysis of Miller’s work.

This exhibition is organized by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and is part of Bank of America’s Art in our Communities program. Additional support is provided by the Campbell-Calvin Fund and Elizabeth C. Bonner Charitable Trust for exhibitions.

“Bank of America is committed to strengthening artistic institutions and in turn, the communities we serve,” said Spence Heddens, Kansas City Market President, Bank of America. “Sharing our collection with the public through partners such as the Nelson-Atkins not only makes business sense for the bank, but also helps support one of Kansas City’s finest local cultural anchors.”

Through its Art in our Communities program, Bank of America has transformed its collection into a unique community resource from which museums and nonprofit galleries may borrow complete exhibitions. By providing these exhibitions and the support required to host them, this program helps sustain community engagement and generate vital revenue for the nonprofits, creating stability in local communities. By the end of 2011, Bank of America will have loaned more than 40 exhibitions to museums worldwide.

Exhibition dates are: the Nelson-Atkins, Sept. 25, 2010 – Jan. 9, 2011; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Feb. 13 – May 8, 2011; and the Philadelphia Museum, June 4 – Sept. 18, 2011.

Bank of America and the Arts
As one of the world’s largest financial institutions and a major supporter of arts and culture, Bank of America has a vested interest and plays a meaningful role in the international dialogue on cultural understanding. As a global company, Bank of America demonstrates its commitment to the arts by supporting such efforts as after-school arts programs, grants to help expand libraries, programs to conserve artistic heritage as well as a campaign to encourage museum attendance. Bank of America’s unique program offers customers free access to more than 120 of the nation’s finest cultural institutions through its acclaimed Museums on Us® program, while Art in our Communities shares exhibits from the company’s corporate collection with communities across the country through local museum partners. The Bank of America Charitable Foundation also provides philanthropic support to museums, theaters and other arts-related nonprofits to expand their services and offerings to schools and communities. Bank of America partners with more than 6,000 arts institutions worldwide.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
The Nelson-Atkins in Kansas City is recognized nationally and internationally as one of America’s finest art museums. The Nelson-Atkins serves the community by providing access and insight into its renowned collection of more than 33,500 art objects and is best known for its Asian art, European and American paintings, photography and modern sculpture. Housing a major art research library and the Ford Learning Center, the Museum is a key educational resource for the region. The institution-wide transformation of the Nelson-Atkins has included the 165,000-squarefoot Bloch Building expansion, renovation of the original 1933 Nelson-Atkins Building, and reinstallation of the European, American, American Indian and Egyptian art galleries. It continues with renovation of Chinese galleries.

The Nelson-Atkins is located at 45th and Oak Streets, Kansas City, MO. Hours are Wednesday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; Thursday/Friday, 10 a.m.–9 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Sunday, Noon–5 p.m. Admission to the Museum is free to everyone. For Museum information, phone 816.751.1ART (1278) or visit nelson-atkins.org/.

Image caption: Alfred Jacob Miller, American (1810–1874). War Path. Oil and glazes over graphite, ink and possibly watercolor on cream, wove paper. 9 x 12 1/4 in. Bank of America Collection.