Two people are standing in the galleries at GRAM looking up at three large-scale artworks on the walls.

Installation view of Impressionism, Expressionism, In Between and Beyond at GRAM.

 All Exhibitions

Impressionism, Expressionism, In Between and Beyond

Jul 1, 2022 — Dec 17, 2022
Level 1 Galleries

Impressionism and Expressionism each originated in Europe as modernist art movements in the late 19th and early 20th century. As stylistically distinct as they are culturally formative, these movements have continued to play a pivotal role in art made since that time. 

This exhibition, drawn primarily from GRAM’s Permanent Collection, salutes the vast aesthetic impact of these art periods, not only in painting, but also in prints, drawings, photographs, and video. This eclectic selection contains 45 works, ranging from early 19th-century Japanese woodblock prints to digital art created in 2012. Featuring both visitor favorites and works that are rarely on view, Impressionism, Expressionism, In Between and Beyond is organized to reveal correspondences and contrasts across style, media, and method. 

Impressionism first surfaced in 1860s Paris among painters who emphasized working outdoors to capture a particular time and place, often depicting the changing natural light through short, thick brushstrokes. These techniques are displayed throughout In Between and Beyond in works by Helen Mosely, Childe Hassam, Mathias Alten, and Jennifer Bartlett. Expressionism, however, can take representational and abstract forms. While German Expressionism focused on translating emotional, subjective experiences through bright colors and exaggerated outlines, the Abstract Expressionism developed in New York in the 1940s featured large canvases dominated by gestural brush strokes and an ​“all-over” composition, reflected in works by Stephen Duren, Richard Diebenkorn, and Joan Snyder, among others featured in this exhibition.

With Impressionism and Expressionism as its central focus, this exhibition celebrates how artists have interpreted and expanded these movements’ trademark styles to create new paths forward.