Art critic Christian Brinton cautioned in 1916: “It must not be assumed that American Impressionism and French Impressionism are identical. The American painter accepted the spirit, not the letter of the new doctrine.”

One hundred years later, Brinton’s words still ring true. From the late nineteenth through the early twentieth centuries, French Impressionism provided a jumping off point for American artists yearning to break free from the academic system and join the modern movement. American artists created a beautiful yet divergent interpretation of the French style that focused heavily on nostalgic landscapes. This exhibition will feature major works by Childe Hassam, Theodore Robinson, William Merritt Chase and others who adapted the Impressionist style into a meaningful expression of American values and aesthetics.