Impressionist Women and the Land

The exhibition “Impressionist Women and the Land” offers a vital new perspective on the history of Impressionism by highlighting the deep, often overlooked connection that women artists forged with the natural world. As the first exhibition devoted entirely to landscapes and representations of nature by women impressionists, it shifts the focus beyond domestic subjects—long emphasized in scholarship—to reveal the breadth and power of their work outdoors.

Gathering nearly sixty works, the exhibition spotlights major figures such as Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt, Marie Bracquemond, and Blanche Hoschedé-Monet, while also featuring celebrated Salon artists like Rosa Bonheur. It explores how, between 1860 and 1910, depictions of nature played a crucial role in the artistic development and public recognition of women painters, offering them a creative space freed from the constraints of the studio.

The selection—paintings, pastels, and drawings—reflects a wide range of themes: marine and agricultural scenes, gardens and parks, landscapes observed during daily walks, and more intimate outdoor moments. Highlights include Morisot’s views of the Bois de Boulogne, Bracquemond’s landscapes in Sèvres, and Cassatt’s depictions of the Château de Beaufresne after 1894. Together, these works illuminate how each artist shaped her vision and asserted her place within the modern art world.

Organized by Simon Kelly, curator of modern and contemporary art, with the support of Abigail Yoder, the exhibition offers a compelling reflection on territory, the female gaze, and the emergence of a modernity championed by artists too often relegated to the margins. It restores an essential dimension of their work: nature as a space of freedom, movement, and artistic emancipation.