2021 Virtual Exhibition:
Winslow Homer's Hurley – An Artist's View

In 2019 the Hurley Museum introduced a collection of twenty-six Winslow Homer artworks, every one of which was inspired by the landscape, houses, and people of Hurley, NY. The display includes vivid color reproductions of paintings as well as six original 19th century wood engravings from the pictorial press of the day.  The complete exhibition plus some exciting additions is presented here in virtual form so you may browse from the comfort of your home while the museum is closed.

Homer, one of the most famous American artists of his time, visited Hurley several times during the 1870s and captured his personal view of rural life in America.  His Hurley work was a departure from the art he created during the Civil War while embedded with the Union troops, and preceded a move to the Maine coast where he made his celebrated marine paintings.  Some of Homer's Hurley works are well-known images. Some are in private collections and rarely viewed by the public. All are evocative of Hurley's ambience and traditions.  The exhibition includes "Then and Now" photographs of locations associated with the artworks.  You will come away with a new appreciation for just how much this tiny hamlet inspired one of the greatest American artists of the 19th century.

Select a Gallery

Exhibition credits:

  • Exhibition committee:
    • Gail Whistance - chairperson
    • Judy Howard
    • Julia Morini - SUNY New Paltz intern
    • Viola Opdahl
    • Iris Oseas
    • Bruce Whistance
  • Art historian and author:  Reilly Rhodes
  • Historical consultation:  Michael Paul
  • Exhibition consultation:  Ward Mintz

References:

  • Cikovsky, Jr., Nicolai and Franklin Keith, Winslow Homer, with contributions by Judith Walsh and Charles Brock. Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art; New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995.
  • Goodrich, Lloyd, Record of Works by Winslow  Homer, Volume II, 1867 through 1876, edited and expanded by Abigail Booth Gerdts. New York: Spanierman Gallery, LLC, 2005.
  • Griffin, Randall C., Winslow Homer: An American Vision.  London: Phaidon, 2006.
  • Rhodes, Reilly. Winslow Homer From Poetry to Fiction – The Engraved Works.  Laguna Niguel, CA: Contemporary and Modern Exhibitions, 2017.
  • Sotheby's Auction Results, American Paintings, Drawings & Sculpture, Dec. 2, 2010, New York. http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2010/american-paintings-drawings-sculpture-n08684/lot.69.html [Accessed Mar. 31, 2019].