Just ten years before the famous "Eight" organized in 1908 and became known as "The Ash-Can School", a splinter group from the Society of American Artists organized to oppose academic tradition in favor of of individual experiments, calling themselves "The Ten". This group included Twachtman, Weir and Childe Hassam, among the most advanced American painters of the time.
Born in 1859, Hassam received his early training in Boston and, as a young painter, established a reputation as a luminist, even before his firsthand encounter with the impressionists. In Paris in the mid-eighties, Hassam was influenced especially by the work of Monet. Throughout his life, the American scene was recorded and interpreted in his impressionist style.
Recently acquired for the J. Emory Coffin Collection "Bridge in Snow" is an outstanding example of the impressionist technique combined with an unusual palette to interpret the scene. The cold greys accent the cold light. Figures emerge from the background where architecture and atmosphere are all but one.
Source: Bulletin, October 1961.
Exhibition History"Selected Works from the Des Moines Art Center's Permanent Collection," organized by the Waterloo Municipal Galleries, sponsored by the National Bank of Waterloo, Oct. 24 - Nov. 20, 1983, (circulated to: Charles H. MacNider Museum, Mason City, Jan. 15 - Feb. 26, 1984; Muscatine Art Center, April 1 - May 13, 1984; Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, May 27 - July 1, 1984; Sioux City Art Center, July 15 - Aug. 26, 1984)
"Highlights from Three Collections: The Bohen, Coffin and Cowles Collections," Des Moines Art Center, July 8 - Sept. 11, 1983
"76 - A Birthday for a Nation and for a Museum," Charles H. MacNider Museum, 10th Anniversary Exhibition, Mason City, Jan. 10 - Feb. 15, 1976
"A Look at American Landscapes," Charles H. MacNider Museum, Mason City, Jan. 9 - Feb. 19, 1966
"Childe Hassam," Hirschl and Adler Galleries, N. Y., Feb. 18 - Mar. 14, 1964
Published ReferencesHUGO REISINGER COLLECTION SALE, The Plaza, New York, Jan. 18-19, 1916, cat. no.25, ill. (In the sale catalogue, the illustration of this painting shows the date 1894 following Hassam's signature. This date is no longer on the painting)
DMAC Bulletin, Oct. 1961, cover ill.
"Childe Hassam," Hirschl and Adler Galleries, N. Y., 1964, exh. cat. no.33
"76 - A Birthday for a Nation and for a Museum," Charles H. MacNider Museum, 1976, exh. cat. no.20
THE NATHAN EMORY COFFIN COLLECTION, a portfolio of fifty selections from the collection, published by the Des Moines Art Center in 1981 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of Nathan Emory Coffin, b/w ill.
"Selected Works from the Des Moines Art Center's Permanent Collection," Waterloo Municipal Galleries, 1983, exh. cat. no.16
DES MOINES ART CENTER: SELECTED PAINTINGS, SCULPTURES AND WORKS ON PAPER, Des Moines Art Center, 1985, ref. pp.81 & 82, b/w ill. pl.59, p.82
AN UNCOMMON VISION: THE DES MOINES ART CENTER, Des Moines Art Center, 1998, ref. & color detail p.135, color ill. p.134
Richard Haw "Art of the Brooklyn Bridge: A Visual History", Routledge, 2008, color ill. pg. 102
Image (visible): 31 1/4 × 24 3/8 in. (79.4 × 61.9 cm)
Images (1)
Audio (1)
DSM Speaks Audio Tour with Abe Goldstien, Community Member
Run Time: 43 seconds
Recorded by Abe Goldstien, CultureALL Community Ambassador / 2022
The crunch of snow under my soles. The brisk wind chilling my soul. Snow accumulating on the street, on my coat, on my hat. Icicles sprouting from my mustache. The stillness in the air calming me. The gaze on my glasses enticing me with kaleidoscopic imagery. The lights of the city a blur and the dusk behind me. The flicker of streetlights leading me forward. The empty benches waiting for lovers to meet. Alone in my thoughts. People going one way while I carve my own path. This is my happy place.
Abe Goldstien Bio
Having retired from a 40+ year career in advertising, Abe happily spends his days volunteering at Moore Elementary School in Des Moines. Somehow, he still manages to pursue his passions: promoting and writing about jazz, including a weekly radio show; playing the accordion; educating people about the Jewish religion and Yiddish culture; and doing freelance advertising projects for a variety of clients. But in Abe’s world, there is still time to try something new, like the Des Moines Speaks project.
DES MOINES SPEAKS
DSM Speaks are short audio reflections on artwork in our permanent collection, written and voiced by diverse members of our community. Contributors to this program were selected in partnership with CultureALL and the Des Moines Art Center. We hope by elevating these diverse ways of seeing we can encourage all visitors to connect more deeply and to see themselves and their identities within our walls.
