The Addison Gallery, located on the campus of Phillips Academy in Andover, MA, is free and open to the public. Plan your visit >
Our Mission
Home to a world-class collection of American art, the Addison Gallery, located on the campus of Phillips Academy in Andover, MA, presents an adventurous exhibition program, hosts a vital artist-in-residence program, and works collaboratively with students and faculty at the Academy and in neighboring communities. Through our ongoing query What is America?, the Addison seeks to engage with the history of American art and American experience—past, present, and future.
About Our Collection
Comprised of more than 25,000 works in all media—painting, sculpture, photography, drawings, prints, and decorative arts—from the 18th century to the present, the Addison Gallery’s collection of American art is one of the most important in the world.
The museum’s founding collection included major works by such prominent American artists as John Singleton Copley, Thomas Eakins, Winslow Homer, Maurice Prendergast, John Singer Sargent, John Twachtman, and James McNeill Whistler.
In the nine decades since, aggressive purchasing and generous gifts have added works by such artists as Mark Bradford, Alexander Calder, Stuart Davis, Arthur Dove, Walker Evans, Robert Frank, Marsden Hartley, Hans Hofmann, Edward Hopper, Kerry James Marshall, Eadweard Muybridge, Georgia O’Keeffe, Jackson Pollock, Charles Sheeler, Lorna Simpson, John Sloan, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Frank Stella, Kara Walker, and Stanley Whitney.
Happy 112th birthday to the American titan of Abstract Expressionism, Jackson Pollock! Pollock was born Paul Jackson Pollock in Cody, Wyoming on this day in 1912. Learn more about Addison’s masterful Phosphorescence, a 1950 gift from Peggy Guggenheim, below…
In 1947, Jackson Pollock developed his artistic idiom, dripping and looping thin skeins of paint across his canvases and squeezing thick daubs from the tube directly on their surfaces to create spatially complicated, intricately textured abstractions. These works, dubbed “action paintings” by critic Harold Rosenberg, reflected his interior life, as Pollock stated: “The modern artist . . . is working and expressing an inner world–in other words expressing the energy, the motion, and other inner forces.” Here, Pollock used a metallic house paint that lends the work a silvery shimmer. The title of the painting may refer to the light emitted by aquatic life around his home at East Hampton, New York.
In 1955, five years after he accepted this painting as a gift to the Addison Gallery, its then director, Bartlett Hayes (he was actually offered two (2) free Jackson Pollock paintings and turned one down—hey, judge not, lest ye be judged, etc.), urged the viewer to study the work until "its web-like structure and consistent texture become evident." He went on to state that:
“the painting is an undefined symbol for anything the observer would like to make it, including the point of view that it is a spontaneous performance without any attempt at communication. That this view may be close to the facts, does not imply that spontaneity is unrelated to inner moods or convictions. Indeed, it is a common experience for an artist to make a thing simply because it seems right for him to do so.”
Jackson Pollock (1912-1956). Phosphorescence, 1947. Oil, enamel, and aluminum paint on canvas. 44 x 28 inches. Gift of Peggy Guggenheim, 1950.3
#phosphorescence #jacksonpollock #pollock #abex #abstractexperssionism #peggyguggenheim #jackthedripper #americanart #whatisamericanart #addisongalleryofamericanart
Happy birthday, @ruthasawaofficial! Asawa was born on this day in 1926 in Norwalk, California! Did you know that the Addison was the first museum to exhibit and acquire Asawa’s work?
Celebrated for her signature biomorphic hanging wire sculptures, Figures on Green is an early work from Ruth Asawa’s time at Black Mountain College in rural North Carolina. After World War II, during which Awasa, then a teenager, and her Japanese American family were interned, she discovered a freedom of expression at the progressive Black Mountain College, founded by émigré Joseph Albers. His teachings on color, form, and negative space had a profound influence on Asawa, as she went on to develop her own distinct style and become an internationally acclaimed sculptor.
In 1948 the Addison became the first museum to exhibit works by Asawa (along with Kenneth Noland, and Andy Warhol) in the exhibition Art Schools U.S.A., and was subsequently the first museum to acquire a work by her.
Ruth Asawa (1926-2013). Figures on Green, 1947-48. Oil on Masonite. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. Vandenbergh, 1950.11/ @ruthasawaofficial
#ruthasawa #asawa #americanart #blackmountaincollege #whatisamerica #addisongalleryofamericanart
The Addison was abuzz (insert joke about Buzz Aldrin here that will make sense once you read the next sentence) this past weekend! Today we’re highlighting one of the amazing hands-on programs offered last weekend—Shoot for the Moon!
Inspired by a recent gift of spectacular images of the Moon produced during NASA’s Lunar Orbiter program, this program allowed participants to spend an afternoon as a NASA engineer! Angela Parker, the Addison’s Educator for Academy Engagement, and Dr. José Zorrilla, Instructor in Physics at @phillipsacademy led attendees in a discussion of how NASA scientists have created images of the Moon and how lunar landers help astronauts land safely on its surface. Participants then built and tested their own lunar landers using ordinary household materials and, most importantly, marshmallows. Then it was off to the Andover Observatory to view the Moon! Tang and astronaut ice cream were not, unfortunately, included in the program but, by all accounts, a great time was had by all!
Check out a selection of these amazing Lunar Orbiter images until February 11th in Free Association: New Acquisitions in Context!
#lunarorbiter #nasa #moon #moonlanding #orbiter #rocketscience #physics #teachingmuseum #museumeducation #familyprogram #americanart #whatisamerica #addisongalleryofamericanart
Happy birthday to the great American expatriate painter John Singer Sargent! Sargent was born on this day in Florence, Italy in 1856!
Two spectacular works by Sargent from the Addison’s permanent collection—Val d’Aosta: A Man Fishing, c. 1907 and Cypress Trees at San Vigilio, 1913—will soon appear in Laying the Foundation: Exploring the Nucleus of the Addison’s Collection, opening soon! Let’s explore the latter, which hasn’t been on view since 2015!
San Vigilio is a Northern Italian village that lies on the country’s largest lake, Lago di Garda. It overlooks the expansive southern section of the lake, where the water resembles an inland sea. Beautiful trees abound on its sheltered shores, including citrus, oleander, olive, and cypress. For a late summer vacation in 1913 Sargent, his sister Emily, and a group of their friends spent several weeks in the Italian Alps and Venice before their stay in San Vigilio in October. Cypress Trees at San Vigilio was painted on a hill with a magnificent view across the lake. Sargent’s composition contrasts the rugged boulders and tall trees in the foreground with the vast luminous atmosphere that opens up beyond them. He depicted the stately, somber cypresses with long, broad strokes of dark blue, green, and brown, and used their forms as bold vertical divisions in his design. Golden sunlight reflects on the surface of the lake and gives a ruddy edge to the cypress at the left. The sun is not visible, but one has the sense that it is disappearing behind the distant shore, either blocked from view by one of the cypresses or out of the frame of the composition. This painting was made as the seasons were turning, and it is not surprising that Sargent would have relished the beautiful sunlight, knowing that he would soon have to face a London winter. (Trevor Fairbrother)
John Singer Sargent (1856-1925). Cypress Trees at San Vigilio, 1913. Oil on canvas. Gift of Cornelius N. Bliss, 1928.52
#johnsingersargent #sanvigilio #italy #cypresstrees #americanart #whatisamerica #addisongalleryofamericanart
Guess what? Robert Frank and Todd Webb: Across America, 1955 opens at the Addison in less than a month! Don’t miss your opportunity to experience this groundbreaking exhibition right here in Andover from February 10th through July 31st!
In 1955, two photographers received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation for U.S. survey projects: Robert Frank and Todd Webb. Frank’s cross-country trip by car would result in the celebrated book The Americans. Webb was awarded a grant to walk, boat, and bike across the United States to depict “vanishing Americana, and the way of life that is taking its place.”
Though the men had no knowledge of each other during the application process, both secured a recommendation from famed photographer Walker Evans, and both completed their cross-country surveys—though in radically different ways. Frank’s resulting work became a landmark text in the history of photography, and Webb’s project remains almost entirely unknown. Robert Frank and Todd Webb: Across America, 1955 brings together both 1955 projects for the first time.
This exhibition is organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (@mfahouston). The Addison’s presentation is generously supported by the Mollie Bennett Lupe and Garland M. Lasater Exhibition Fund.
Todd Webb, Between Lovelock and Fernley, NV, 1956, printed 2023, inkjet print, courtesy of Todd Webb Archive. © Todd Webb Archive (@toddwebbarchive)
Robert Frank, U.S. 285, New Mexico, 1955, gelatin silver print, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum purchase funded by Jerry E. and Nannette Finger. © The June Leaf and Robert Frank Foundation (@leaffrankfoundation)
#robertfrank #toddwebb #acrossamerica #theamericans #roadtrip #1950s #1950samerica #documentary #documentaryphoto #america #americanart #whatisamerica #addisongalleryofamericanart
THE ADDISON WILL BE CLOSED TODAY (1/7) DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER.
Please join us when the weather is more clement and do stay safe and warm out there.
Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946). Winter on Fifth Avenue, 1893. Photogravure. Gift of James T. Curtis (PA 1980) in honor of Margaret (PA 2012) and Henry (PA 2015), 2015.55
#alfredstieglitz #photogravure #americanart #whatisamerica #addisongalleryofamericanart
Please join us on Zoom this Thursday (January 4th) at 1:00 for Wanderer and its Legacy: A Conversation with Margie Scoby!
Learn about the real-life history behind Yinka Shonibare CBE, RA’s Wanderer, a model ship that both memorializes the nineteenth-century pleasure yacht turned slave ship and interrogates the relationship between the transatlantic slave trade, colonialism, and power. Addison curators will be joined by Margie Scoby, a genealogist, historian, and founder and curator of Finding Our Roots African American Museum in Houma, Louisiana, who will discuss the history of this illegal slave ship and her research tracing the stories of those ancestors who survived the transatlantic crossing of the Wanderer, including her own.
This program is free but registration is required. Please click the link in our bio for more information!
Shonibare’s Wanderer can currently be seen in Sea Change, now extended through January 7th!
Yinka Shonibare CBE, RA (born 1962). Wanderer, 2006. Wood, plexiglass, fabric, and brass. Museum purchase, 2016.38
#yinkashonibare #shonibare #wanderer #thewanderer #findingourroots #margiescoby #slavery #slaveship #transatlanticslavetrade #modelship #shipmodel #americanart #whatisamerica #addisongalleryofamericanart
We’re continuing our Year in Review: Gifts Edition with another transformative gift to the Addison’s permanent collection—Hale Woodruff’s Picking Cotton, c. 1926. This early Woodruff masterwork was given to the Addison by the extraordinarily generous Stefan Kaluzny (PA 1984). We are honored to be the permanent stewards of this important work by one of America’s greatest artists and educators.
Described as “one of the most quietly influential painters and teachers of the 20th century,” Hale Woodruff created paintings, prints, and murals depicting the historic struggle and resilience of African Americans. Oscillating between figural representation and abstraction throughout his career, Woodruff strove to create art that simultaneously spoke about Black experience and universal humanity.
Likely painted in Chicago c. 1926, Cotton Pickers was commissioned by Kaunders & Steuber Company, a Chicago-based cotton corporation. Despite its early date, this dynamic painting foreshadows the signature blending of realism and abstraction for which Woodruff is best known. Utilizing broad brushstrokes and expressive color to render the sea of cotton plants in which the pickers toil, Woodruff conveys the ceaseless, repetitive nature of the labor and infuses the scene with a rhythmic, emotional energy. Evoking the direct carving of African wood sculpture, the solidly formed and boldly outlined figures assert a powerful presence within their abstracted environment.
This spectacular and monumental work will make its Addison debut this spring in Finding American Form: Twentieth-Century Selections from the Permanent Collection.
Hale Woodruff (1900-1980). Picking Cotton, c. 1926. Oil on Masonite. 36 x 72 inches. Gift of Stefan Kaluzny (PA 1984), 2023.170
#halewoodruff #americanart #whatisamerica #addisongalleryofamericanart
The Addison, unlike Blanche DuBois, relies on both the kindness of strangers AND close friends. Each year the Addison is generously presented with incredible works of art that greatly enhance our renowned holdings of American art from the 17th century to the present. 2023 was no exception! We thought we’d highlight some of the amazing gifts of works of art that the Addison was fortunate enough to bring into its collection this year. We’re starting with a BIG one—Richard Diebenkorn’s Untitled, 1977. While only 12 x 9 inches, this spectacular work on paper packs a major punch! We cannot thank Sally and John Van Doren (PA 1980) enough for this transformative addition to the Addison’s collection of 20th century abstraction.
From 1967 to 1988, Richard Diebenkorn created hundreds of paintings, prints, and works on paper inspired by the view outside of his window in the Ocean Park neighborhood in Santa Monica, California. After a number of years working in a more representational style, Diebenkorn returned to abstraction, rendering impressions of the coastal landscape through luminous color, sensuously worked surfaces, and a geometric division of space. Translucent veils of color are contained within a linear, architectonic scaffolding. The Ocean Park paintings are composed of multiple thin layers of paint, a technique that allowed Diebenkorn to experiment with his palette and explore light and structure in his painting. Each canvas would begin with the artist making a choice between an overall cool or warm tone. He would then embark on a journey of trial and error and lengthy contemplation. Diebenkorn’s untitled 1977 work demonstrates this process of arrival, with earlier pentimenti of graphite lines visible beneath washy layers of gouache and acrylic in blues, grays, and rust.
Diebenkorn’s Untitled, 1977 will make its Addison debut this March in Finding American Form: Twentieth-Century Selections from the Permanent Collection!
Richard Diebenkorn (1922-1993). Untitled, 1977. Gouache, acrylic, and graphite on paper. Gift of Sally and John Van Doren (PA 1980), 2023.129
#richarddiebenkorn #diebenkorn #oceanpark #abstractart #abstraction #californiaartist
Have you visited the Addison’s new Reflection Station in the museum library? Share your thoughts on our prompt, chosen to actively support personal meaning-making through connection to exhibition themes. Our current prompt asks “How is the ocean a metaphor in your life?”
Prompts may be chosen by staff, faculty, students, visiting artists, and community members, as well as submitted by visitors through a prompt suggestion box. What should we ask next? Keep it PG.
“In “Turning a Big Ship,” Reggie Burrows Hodges affirms the significance of his contribution to a conversation about American life, confronting the difficulty of the country’s layered histories with a narrative of dynamic movement and forward momentum.” —Hilary Irons
Thank you @bostonartreview for featuring Reggie Burrows Hodges, Turning a Big Ship! Don’t miss your
chance to see this exhibition before it closes on December 31st!
#reggieburrowshodges #turningabigship #hayesprize #addisongalleryofamericanart #whatisamerica
Join curators Gordon Wilkins and Rachel Vogel virtually on Tuesday, December 12th at 2:00 for a tour through the works and themes presented our current exhibition Free Association: New Acquisitions in Context! The program is free but registration is required—click the link in our bio to sign up.
Free Association (on view through February 11th) demonstrates how recently acquired works complement the Addison’s current holdings, drawing out new narratives, juxtapositions, and conversations across time and media. The entire second floor is given over to nine thematic galleries—the American West, interiors, the street, light, the body and nature, queer modernism, classical mythology, Bauhaus legacies, and the grid–each anchored by new acquisitions situated in conversation with works that entered the Addison’s collection at earlier moments in its nearly 100-year history. Taken together, this constellation of installations offers new ways of looking at a collection that is endlessly generative and constantly reinterpreted.
If you don’t happen to have a nice block of unstructured time on a Tuesday (not to romanticize the pandemic but I miss having nothing to do on a workday—other than “working from home” of course—just kidding…) the talk will be recorded and made available for your viewing pleasure.
Installation photography by @juliafeatherphoto.
#freeassociation #newacquisition #collecting #americanart #whatisamerica #addisongalleryofamericanart
