In 2011 we visited this incredible little gem of a museum located in the wilds of the far northwestern corner of Massachusetts, a space that seems almost dedicated to those who seek out the French Impressionists. At that time the the museum was in the process of expanding into a new space and most of the French Impressionist work was loaned out. Well, the good news is Renoir, Degas, Manet, Morisot and their comrades are back from their tour -- and the new building and environment is not to be missed.
It gets better: here you can also find an incredible collection of Winslow Homer juxtaposed neatly with several moving pieces by Frederick Remington. Plus there are a few other treasures to be found and savored; Giovanni Boldini being one of our discoveries this trip. His work is small in scale but huge in effect. And of course there's the Alfred Stevens room and the numerous works by Corot, Daubigny, and Sargent, three more "favorites" of ours.
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| Undertow 1886 by Winslow Homer |
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| child with bird (Mademoiselle Fleury in Algerian costume) 1882 by Renoir |
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| Venice, the Doge's Palace 1881 by Renoir |
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| Portrait of a young woman 1874 by Renoir |
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| Woman crocheting 1875 by Renoir |
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| a box at the theatre (concert) 1880 by Renoir |
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| Marie Therese Durand-Ruel sewing 1882 by Renoir |
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| the bath 1885-86 by Berthe Morisot |
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| the cliffs of Etretat 1885 by Claude Monet |
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| Comte Henri Amedee Mercure Turenne d'Aynac 1816 by Jacques Louis David |
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| Trumpeter of the Hussars 1815-20 by Théodore Géricault |
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| featured exhibition: Magna Carta |
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| Dance of the masked dancers 1879 by Degas |
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| Mery Laurent wearing a small toque 1882 by Edouard Manet |
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| Jane Avril 1891-92 by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec |
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| dancers in the classroom c. 1880 by Degas |
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| the dancer by Degas |
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| young woman crocheting 1875 by Giovanni Boldini |
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| young woman reading 1875 by Lucio Rossi |
By the time we arrived at it was getting later in the lunch hour and so our first order of business was to grab something to eat. We were pleasantly surprised to find the food at the Clark Cafe quite tasty.
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| the back side of the cafe |
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| turkey wrap |
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| flatbread with roast beef |
Without a doubt this is one of the finest art museums on the East Coast. It's
not easy to get to but then nothing worthwhile is ever easy, right?
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| looking out toward the reflecting pool |
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| the reflecting pool |
