Childe Hassam: American Impressionist in 10 Paintings

Childe Hassam (1859–1935) was a leading American Impressionist known for urban and coastal scenes. His 'Avenue of the Allies' series (1917) depicts Fifth Avenue, New York, with flags and 'Buy Liberty Bonds' banners, reflecting WWI patriotism. He frequently painted the Isles of Shoals, Maine; a 2016 exhibition at Peabody Essex Museum, North Carolina Museum of Art, and Shoals Marine Laboratory reunited over 39 works from that locale. Hassam studied in Paris, painting rainy streets like 'Une Averse, Rue Bonaparte' (1887), exhibited at the Paris Salon. He received multiple medals and prizes. Interior scenes such as 'Improvisation' (1899) show women in domestic settings. 'At Dusk (Boston Common at Twilight)' (1885–86) captures modern urban life. He also created mythological works like 'Pomona' (1900), symbolizing American culture. Hassam co-founded the Ten American Painters group with John Henry Twachtman and J. Alden Weir. His painting 'Pont Royal, Paris' (1897) was the first acquired by a museum (Cincinnati Art Museum). 'Oregon Still Life' (1904) features regional fruits from the garden of Scott Wood, a Portland Art Museum founder. A 1932 short film documents his life.