Overview

Find a bit of respite this holiday season among the lush landscapes and opulent still lifes by one of the most important American artists of the 19th century. Nature and Opulence: The Art of Martin Johnson Heade, on view in the Museum’s new Bradley Family Gallery, is the first major exhibition on the artist in nearly 20 years. Largely forgotten by scholars and collectors after his death, Martin Johnson Heade is now being revisited as one of the most varied and inventive painters of his generation.

Heade was the only major American painter of the time to devote equal attention to landscape, marine, and still-life subjects. He traveled the world and created powerful canvases of thunderstorms at sea, exquisite Victorian still lifes of flowers, and evocative paintings of South American hummingbirds accompanied by tropical orchids.

The warmth and sheer beauty of this exhibition make it one everyone can enjoy this holiday season.

mofa-boston

Image Gallery

Martin Johnson Heade, Salt Marshes, Newburyport, Massachusetts, about 1866–76. Oil on canvas, 39.37 x 76.83 cm (15½ x 30¼ in.). Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Gift of Maxim Karolik for the M. and M. Karolik Collection of American Paintings, 1815–1865, 47.1152. Photograph © 2016 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Martin Johnson Heade, Magnolia Grandiflora, about 1885–95. Oil on canvas, 38.42 x 61.28 cm (15⅛ x 24⅛ in.). Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Gift of Maxim Karolik for the M. and M. Karolik Collection of American Paintings, 1815–1865, 47.1169. Photograph © 2016 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Martin Johnson Heade, South American River, 1868. Oil on canvas, 66.04 x 57.47 cm (26 x 22⅝ in.). Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Gift of Maxim Karolik for the M. and M. Karolik Collection of American Paintings, 1815–1865, 47.1153. Photograph © 2016 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Martin Johnson Heade, Passion Flowers and Hummingbirds, about 1870–83. Oil on canvas, 39.37 x 54.93 cm (15½ x 21⅝ in.). Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Gift of Maxim Karolik for the M. and M. Karolik Collection of American Paintings, 1815–1865, 47.1138. Photograph © 2016 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Martin Johnson Heade, Approaching Storm: Beach near Newport, about 1861–62. Oil on canvas, 71.12 x 148.27 cm (28 x 58⅜ in.). Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Gift of Maxim Karolik for the M. and M. Karolik Collection of American Paintings, 1815–1865, 45.889. Photograph © 2016 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Martin Johnson Heade, Orchids and Hummingbird, 1875–83. Oil on canvas, 35.88 x 56.2 cm (14⅛ x 22⅛ in.). Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Gift of Maxim Karolik for the M. and M. Karolik Collection of American Paintings, 1815–1865, 47.1164. Photograph © 2016 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Martin Johnson Heade, Dawn, 1862. Oil on canvas, 31.11 x 61.59 cm (12¼ x 24¼ in.). Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Gift of Maxim Karolik for the M. and M. Karolik Collection of American Paintings, 1815–1865, 47.1143. Photograph © 2016 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Artist Bio & Timeline

Martin Johnson Heade (1819–1904)

Martin Johnson Heade traveled the world to capture the beauty of nature, from the coastlines of New England to the harbors and interiors of the Caribbean and Latin America. Follow his travels and milestones in the timeline below.

1819 Born in rural Bucks County, Pennsylvania
1830s Trains with local folk artist Edward Hicks and paints early portraits
1848–49 Extended trip to Europe; exposure to the art and artists further advances his artistic progress
1850 Visits Midwestern cities—St. Louis, Chicago and Madison—in search of fresh material and commissions
1858 Moves to New York City and establishes permanent studio—abandons portraiture for real passions, landscape and still-life painting
1859–63 Paints his earliest dated marsh scene; briefly moves to Rhode Island and then Massachusetts to concentrate on marine and wetland subjects
1863–70 Travels three times to Latin America and the Caribbean—Brazil, Colombia, Jamaica, Nicaragua, and Panama—making sketches and studies for later works
1883 Moves permanently to St. Augustine, Florida, where the sensuality of his late still lifes—critically compared to “odalisques on a couch”—did not go unnoticed by Victorian audiences

Holiday Happenings

With wine tastings, live holiday music, and more than 40 galleries, the Milwaukee Art Museum is always a great way to enjoy the season with family and friends.

Highlights include:

  • One-of-a-kind artistic holiday gifts in the Museum Store
  • Free, live music in Windhover Hall
  • Kohl’s Art Generation hands-on activities and exhibitions for kids on winter break
  • Friday Night Flights in the new East End Wine Bar and special tasting events
  • NYE Celebration—fine dining, live entertainment and dancing
  • A variety of additional exhibitions on view – covering everything from classical mythology to German Expressionism

The Museum is open Christmas Eve Day, the Monday after Christmas, New Year’s Eve Day, and New Year’s Day.

Visit the calendar for a full list of holiday events and holiday hours.