Grandma Moses For A New Generation

HARTFORD — During the 1940s and 50s, Anna Mary Robertson (“Grandma”) Moses was one of the most popular artists in the United States and one of the most famous American artists in the world. An elderly farmer and homemaker from upstate New York, she first came to public attention in 1940 as part of a wave of interest in contemporary self-taught artists.

As the general burst of appreciation for self-taught art waned in the 1950s, Grandma Moses went on to even wider renown. She was featured on the covers of Time and Life magazines, in the then-infant medium of television, in film, and in best-selling books. Her work appeared on millions of holiday greeting cards.

Through February 15, 2004, The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art is presenting “Grandma Moses in the 21st Century,” a fresh look at the artist’s art, reexamining it on both its own merits and within the context of modern art history. It charts the development of Ms Moses over a 20-year career and is enhanced by major loans from collections in the Northeast.

Between her mid-70s – when she began painting in earnest – until her death in 1961 at age 101, “Grandma” Moses created approximately 1,600 works of art. The exhibition is a testament that it is never too late to undertake new things in life.

The exhibition was organized by Galerie St Etienne in New York, based on an exhibition originally organized and circulated by Art Services International, Alexandria, Virginia.

The main telephone number for the museum, located at 600 Main Street in Hartford, is 860-278-2670. The museum’s website is www.WadsworthAtheneum.org.