GOLDENDALE, Wash., February 20, 2019) —Maryhill Museum of Art, one of the Pacific Northwest’s most remote and beguiling museums, will open its doors for the season on Friday, March 15, with special exhibitions highlighting works on paper, still life paintings and sculpture from its own collections. The museum is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., from March 15 – November 15.
Set among 5,300 acres on a bluff overlooking the Columbia River Gorge, Maryhill also features permanent exhibitions of European and American painting, a full gallery of works by French sculptor Auguste Rodin, international chess sets, and Native American arts and artifacts. Outside of the museum visitors can enjoy several expansive lawns, shade trees and picnic areas, and the William and Catherine Dickson Outdoor Sculpture Park with works by many noted Northwest artists. The museum’s terrace offers stunning views of the Columbia River and Mount Hood.
The museum will present the following special exhibitions in 2019. Many of the exhibitions will be complemented by educational programs and special events. Please click here for the full program calendar.
SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS IN 2019
Mélange: Works on Paper from the Permanent Collection
March 15 – July 7, 2019
Mélange includes an array of more than 40 prints, drawings and watercolors drawn from Maryhill’s collection. Included are works by noted Northwest artists such as Rick Bartow, Betty LaDuke, Richard Thompson and Henk Pander. Also featured are a lithograph by Thomas Hart Benton and several prints by the French artist Marcel Augis, who trod World War I battlefields to depict the everyday lives of Allied troops. The subject matter of the works on view ranges from landscapes and nature studies to interiors, portraits, still life and abstract works.
West Coast Woodcut: Contemporary Relief Prints by Regional Artists
July 13 – November 15, 2019
Explore the natural and urban beauty, and the social worlds of the West Coast through woodcuts, linocuts and wood engravings by artists from Washington, Oregon and California. Among those featured are Oregon artists Berk Chappell, Dennis Cunningham, Erik Sandgren, Jonnel Covault, Manuel Izquierdo and Paul Gentry; Washington artist Yoshiko Yamamoto; and California artists Andrea Rich, Art Hazelwood, Daniel Gonzalez, Gordon Mortenson, Leonard Nuñez, Rik Olson and Tom Killion. The prints showcase not only the natural splendor of West Coast, but also address homelessness, migrant labor, emigration, Native fisheries, logging and environmental issues. All of the 60 works are drawn from the museum’s permanent collection.
Maryhill Favorites: Still Life
March 15 – November 15, 2019
Still life prints and paintings from Maryhill’s permanent collection, including work by Robert Douglas Hunter, Richard Lack, Henk Bos, Jakob Bogdani, Katja Oxman, and Oregon artists John Van Dreal and Robert Bibler. The exhibition includes a sumptuous painting of poppies and fruit by British artist Annie Feray Mutrie, considered one of the foremost flower painters of the Victorian era.
Théodore Rivière: Sculpture
March 15 – November 15, 2019
The 19th-century French artist Théodore Rivière (1857–1912) is best known for his small-scale sculptures with Orientalist themes. His works also frequently show Art Nouveau influences. On view are more than a dozen figurative sculptures in bronze, marble and terra cotta.
Théâtre de la Mode
March 15 – November 15, 2019
Created as a means to re-build France’s fashion industry after the devastation of World War II, this exhibition shows one-third human size mannequins wearing fashions created by the country’s finest designers. When it debuted at Louvre’s Museum of Decorative Arts in 1945, the opening drew 100,000 visitors. After touring Europe and the US in 1946, the exhibition languished in the basement of San Francisco’s City of Paris department store; the sets were destroyed, but the mannequins were saved by Alma de Bretteville Spreckels who championed their acquisition by Maryhill Museum of Art. Maryhill is now home to nine re-built sets and restored mannequins.
During 2019, three Théâtre de la Mode sets will leave storage and rotate onto view: André Beaurepaire’s “La Grotto Enchantée” (The Enchanted Grotto); Jean-Denis Malclès’ “Le Jardin Marveilleux” (The Marvelous Garden); and André Dignimont’s “Palais Royale.”
The sets feature garments and accessories by such celebrated designers as Worth, Jean Patou, Balenciaga, Nina Ricci, Mad Carpentier, Lanvin, Schiaparelli, Hermès, Pierre Balmain and Grès, among others.
EXHIBITIONS in the M.J. MURDOCK CHARITABLE TRUST EDUCATION CENTER
Exhibitions presented in the museum’s M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Education Center further the museum’s educational mission and feature collaborative exhibitions with regional arts educators, academies and art groups. The following exhibitions will be presented in the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Education Center in 2019:
Washington Art Education Association Exhibition
Teachers as Artists – Exploring Identity
March 15 – May 26, 2019
Teachers as Artists is an annual juried exhibition in the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Education Center showcasing the talents of WAEA members who are current or retired arts educators. This year we invited art teachers to submit works in any genre that explore identity. Presented in partnership with Washington Art Education Association. Juror: Karen Giles, Lifelong Museum Educator and retired Manager of Adult and Community Programs at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
2019 Plein Air Painting in the Columbia River Gorge
August 4 – 24, 2019
An annual showcase of works created by artists during the Pacific Northwest Plein Air Event. Forty artists from the northwest and across the country spend four days plein air painting in the Columbia River Gorge, capturing the incredible light and landscape, from snowcapped Mount Hood and surrounding orchards, to wineries, high plateaus and waterfalls. Paintings are on view and available for purchase in the museum’s M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Education Center. As work is sold and removed, other work created during the paint-out will replace it. A portion of the proceeds support Maryhill Museum of Art.
Works on Paper: Drawing Reality
June 1 – July 17, 2019
Presented in collaboration with Aristides Atelier at Seattle’s Gage Academy, this exhibition examines importance of developing drawing skills, as well as understanding drawing as a finished art form.
Exquisite Gorge
September 3 – 25, 2019
View a unique 60-foot print created with a steam roller on the grounds of Maryhill. Ten artists were selected to create a woodblock carving inspired by and in collaboration with communities along the Columbia River from the Snake to the Willamette. Similar to the Surrealist practice of “exquisite corpse,” each artist’s unique print block was joined with the others to form a continuous image, with the Columbia River running through it.
Oregon Art Education Association Exhibition
Teachers as Artists – Beyond the Demo: Exploring Idenity
October 1 – November 15, 2019
Teachers as Artists is an annual juried exhibition in the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Education Center showcasing the talents of OAEA members who are current or retired arts educators. This year we invited art teachers to submit works in any genre that explore identity. Presented in partnership with Oregon Art Education Association. Juror: Veronica Alvarez, Ed D., Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Director of School and Teacher Programs.
For more information or images, please contact Rachel Bucci at rachel@maryhillmuseum.org.
ABOUT MARYHILL MUSEUM OF ART:
Housed in a glorious Beaux Arts mansion on 5,300 acres high above the Columbia River, Maryhill Museum of Art opened to the public May 13, 1940 and today remains one of the Pacific Northwest’s most enchanting cultural destinations. The museum was founded by Northwest entrepreneur and visionary Sam Hill, who purchased the property and began building the house with dreams of establishing a Quaker farming community. When that goal proved untenable, Hill was encouraged by friends Loie Fuller, Queen Marie of Romania, and Alma de Bretteville Spreckles to establish a museum.
Maryhill Museum of Art boasts a world-class permanent collection, rotating exhibitions of the highest caliber, and dynamic educational programs that provide opportunities for further exploration by visitors of all ages. On view are more than 80 works by Auguste Rodin, European and American paintings, objects d’art from the palaces of the Queen of Romania, Orthodox icons, unique chess sets, and the renownedThéâtre de la Mode, featuring small-scale mannequins attired in designer fashions of post-World War II France. Baskets of the indigenous people of North America were a collecting interest of Hill; today the museum’s American Indian collection represents nearly every tradition and style in North America, with works of art from prehistoric through contemporary.
Maryhill’s William and Catherine Dickson Sculpture Park features more than a dozen large-scale works by Northwest artists. The Maryhill Overlook is a site-specific sculpture by noted Portland architect Brad Cloepfil; nearby are Lewis and Clark interpretive panels. Four miles east of Maryhill is a life-sized replica of Stonehenge, Stonehenge Memorial, which Sam Hill built to memorialize local men who perished in World War I. Nearby, the Klickitat County War Memorial honors those who have died in the service of their country since World War I.
The museum was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. In 2001 the museum was listed as an official site of the National Historic Lewis and Clark Trail and in 2002 was accredited by the American Association of Museums. In 2012 the museum opened the Mary and Bruce Stevenson Wing, a 25,500 square foot expansion that is the first in the museum’s history. The new wing boasts the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Education Center, a collections storage and research suite, a new cafe and terrace, and the Cannon Power Plaza with an installation of sculpture, and sweeping views of the Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood in the distance.
VISITOR INFORMATION:
Maryhill Museum of Art is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., March 15 to November 15. Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, $9 for college students with I.D., $5 for youth age 7-18 and free for children 6 and under. Maryhill participates in Museums for All, with admission set at $2 per person with an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card and a valid form of photo ID. Rate is valid for up to four individuals per EBT card. Admission to the Stonehenge Memorial is free; it is open from 7:00 a.m. to dusk daily.
Sandwiches, salads, espresso drinks, cold beverages, and freshly baked desserts and pastries, as well as a selection of local wines and craft beer are available at the museum’s cafe, Loie’s, from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily; the Museum Store features art and history books, jewelry and other mementos.
Maryhill Museum of Art overlooks the Columbia River on Washington’s SR 14, just west of US 97, 12 miles south of Goldendale, Washington; it is a scenic 45 minute drive from Hood River, Oregon and 30 minutes from The Dalles, Oregon. Drive times are 2 hours from Portland/Vancouver, 3.5 hours from Bend, 4 hours from Seattle, and 1.5 hours from Yakima. For further information, visit maryhillmuseum.org.
Above: Henrik “Henk” Bos (Dutch, 1901–1979), Eggs in Bowl and Blue Jar, c. 1960, oil on canvas, 14” x 16”; Collection of Maryhill Museum of Art