New Britain Museum of American Art


The New Britain Museum of American Art was founded in 1903 and designated the first museum featuring only American art in the United States. Over time, the collection grew to more than 10,000 pieces of art including colonial portraiture, American Impressionism, the Hudson River School and the Ash Can School. There is also a mural series entitled The Arts of Life in America by Thomas Hart Benton. The museum features a permanent collection, but also relies on loaned material and the work of emerging artists. The mission statement of the museum includes serving the people of Connecticut and the country through the art, maintaining and growing the collection of art, exhibiting a dynamic collection of art on a wide variety of subjects and educating the public about the arts. The more than 10,000 works in the permanent collection include nearly 1,200 oil paintings, more than 2,700 drawings like watercolors and pastels, more than 1,500 graphics, 202 sculptures, 216 photographs and nearly 1,800 illustrations. Works include pieces from John Trumbull, John Smibert, Mather Brown, John Singleton Copley, Ralph Earl, Charles Wilson Peale and more. The museum features an impressive collection of Impressionist art pieces including a pastel by Mary Cassatt. The museum offers an education program that includes school visits, adult and family programs, teacher resources, internships and travel programs.

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