"The Dutch Italianates: 17th-century Masterpieces from Dulwich Picture Gallery" will present views of the Italian landscape of the seventeenth century as seen through Dutch artists’ eyes. The Museum is the final venue for this exhibition, which will be on view in Oklahoma City from October 8, 2009, through January 3, 2010.

This exhibition will display a group of thirty-nine paintings by the famed masters of the Dutch Italianate style. Including masterpieces by Aelbert Cuyp, Nicolaes Berchem, Karel Dujardin, Philips Wouwermans, and Adam Pynacker, this exhibition offers an exceptional opportunity to view works from the world-class collection of Dulwich Picture Gallery, England’s oldest purpose-built public art gallery.

Italy has always exerted a powerful influence on artists of all kinds. The 17th century proved to be one of Italy’s most influential periods, as artists from all over Europe flocked to Rome to work alongside their Italian colleagues. Perhaps the most remarkable and prolific artistic influx of painters to Italy in this period was that of the Dutch.

These artists turned to the Italian campagna for their subject matter, playing a crucial role in the birth of a new genre of pure landscape. Painters such as Jan Both and Nicolaes Berchem brought back with them seductive visions of mountains and peasants basking under golden skies to flat and often cloudy Holland. Dutch patrons could not get enough of the genre, inspiring Cuyp, Wynants, Wouwermans, and Weenix to create their own interpretation of a landscape they may never have seen.

For the founders of Dulwich Picture Gallery, collecting in the 1790s, these artists were at the height of their value and reputation, although they were subsequently overlooked in favor of better-known Dutch artists. This exhibition will introduce audiences to the artists responsible for a style that profoundly influenced the 18th-century aesthetic, particularly in France, but in England also – and even carried over to 19th-century America.

This selection of works from the permanent collection has been lent by permission of the Trustees of Dulwich Picture Gallery, London. The exhibition tour is organized by International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC and will include the following venues: Muscarelle Museum of Art, College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA (November 13, 2008 - January 25, 2009); Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art & Science, Fresno, CA (April 11, 2009 - June 21, 2009); Frick Art & Historical Center, Pittsburgh, PA (July 11, 2009-September 20, 2009); Oklahoma City Museum of Art (October 8, 2009 - January 3, 2010).

Dulwich Picture Gallery in London, UK, seeks to encourage the enjoyment of the visual arts in as original and accessible a way as possible, while preserving and interpreting its unique heritage as a world-class gallery. Dulwich Picture Gallery was founded in 1811 through the bequest of Sir Peter Francis Bourgeois R.A., painter, collector and art dealer.

International Arts & Artists in Washington, DC, is a non-profit arts service organization dedicated to increasing cross-cultural understanding and exposure to the arts internationally, through exhibitions, programs and services to artists, arts institutions and the public. Visit www.artsandartists.org

The Oklahoma City Museum of Art is accredited by the American Association of Museums, serves 135,000 visitors annually from all fifty states and over forty foreign countries, and hosts special exhibitions drawn from throughout the world. The Museum boasts a collection of European and American art, including an extensive collection of Dale Chihuly glass, and the Midwest’s premiere repertoire cinema, which presents the finest international, independent, and classic films. Amenities include the Museum School, which offers classes for students of all ages as well as fall, winter, and summer camps for youths; a library; the Museum Store, and the Museum Cafe, whose French-fusion cuisine is complemented by a full-service bar complete with cocktails, specialty coffees, and afternoon tea.

VISITOR INFORMATION
The Oklahoma City Museum of Art is located in the heart of downtown Oklahoma City’s Arts District, at 415 Couch Drive. Museum hours are Tuesday - Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. The Museum is closed on Monday and major holidays. (405) 236-3100. Cafe hours are Sunday Brunch, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Monday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. (405) 235-6262.

Website: www.okcmoa.com/pressroom/TheDutchItalianates

Categories: Arts & Crafts, Exhibits, Fine Arts

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