As the Dixon Gallery and Gardens celebrates its 50th anniversary, we're looking back at the exhibition that helped launch our institution's public history: Mary Cassatt and the American Impressionists.
Opening on July 4, 1976, the exhibition marked two significant milestones:
It commemorated the 50th anniversary of the death of American artist Mary Cassatt, while also participating in the nationwide celebration of the American Bicentennial.
More importantly for the Dixon, it was the first exhibition presented after the museum opened its doors to the public earlier that year.
The exhibition brought together works by Cassatt alongside paintings by fellow American Impressionists.
Born in Pennsylvania in 1844, Cassatt spent much of her career in France, where she became closely associated with the French Impressionists and developed a lifelong friendship with Edgar Degas. Through her artwork and advocacy, she helped shape the appreciation of Impressionism in the United States.
The exhibition held special meaning for the Dixon's founder, Hugo N. Dixon. The final artwork he added to the collection was The Visitor, a painting by Mary Cassatt, and the only American work he acquired. The exhibition served as a tribute to his legacy and vision for the collection.
Organized by the Dixon's first director, Michael Milkovich, the exhibition featured loans from major museums and private collections across the country, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Brooklyn Museum. For a young institution presenting its first exhibition, securing these loans was a remarkable achievement and a testament to the confidence other museums placed in the Dixon's future.
Fifty years later, that inaugural exhibition remains an important chapter in our history. It set the standard for the scholarship, collaboration, and artistic excellence that continue to define the Dixon today.
As we celebrate both the Dixon's golden anniversary and commemorate the 100th anniversary of Mary Cassatt's death, we're reminded that great institutions are built on great stories.