CurrenT Exhibitions

VENETIAN SCENES by Walter Launt Palmer

December 15, 2007 - June 1, 2008

San Marco

Walter Launt Palmer (1854-1932)

ca. 1895

oil on canvas, ht. 19 ½ in., w. 29 ½ in.

signed, lower left "WALTER L. PALMER";

Albany Institute of History & Art, gift of Beatrice Palmer, daughter of the artist, 1942.034.033

In the late nineteenth century American artists were drawn to Venice and the Albany - born artist, Walter Launt Palmer was no exception. Although his first visit occurred in 1874, it was not until 1881 that Palmer began to paint the city and its environs in earnest. Concentrating on the landmarks around and near the Piazza San Marco, the Grand Canal, and San Giorgio he was able to capture the serene quality of Venice in an evolving Impressionist style that appealed to his American customers. Palmer painted more than one hundred Venetian subjects that were especially in demand from the late 1880s to the early 1900s.

The Garden Steps

Walter Launt Palmer (1854-1932)

1886

oil on canvas

Albany Institute of History & Art;1985.13

Palmer painted more than one hundred Venetian subjects that were especially in demand from the late 1880s to the early 1900s. During his productive and lucrative sixty-year career, Palmer painted landscapes of all seasons including his color-filled impressionistic snow scenes, detailed interior views of Victorian homes, and luminous Venetian scenes. Palmer was a master of mediums and worked well in oil, watercolor, pastel and mixed media. Above all, he was a gifted colorist.

This exhibition will include 10 Venetian scenes along with a selection of letters, photographs, diaries and other related materials drawn from the museum's collection.

Major support for this exhibition has been provided by James and Barbara Hoehn

The Albany Institute would like to thank Hawthorne Fine Art, LLC, New York City for funding the conservation of Interior, San Marco.