ART! The Soul of the Sitter, Contemporary Portraiture in RI – Gilbert Stuart Birthplace

Image above: Laurel Wearing Head Scarf, watercolor on plate Bristol, Nancy Gaucher-Thomas

Work by ten contemporary Rhode Island artists, interhung with works by Gilbert and Jane Stuart. The exhibition runs now through October 8th, hours below:

SUMMER HOURS: July 5 – September 10, 2023
Open Wednesday through Sunday
HOURS: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

FALL HOURS: September 15 – October 8, 2023
Open Friday, Saturday & Sunday
HOURS: 10:00 am – 4:00pm

The gallery is located within the Gilbert Stuart Birthplace, located at 815 Gilbert Stuart Road, in Saunderstown, RI, 401-294-3001.

There is a charge for admission; no charge for museum members.

What has long set the work of Gilbert Stuart apart from his peers, even within his own lifetime, goes beyond his ability to accurately reproduce the likenesses of those who sat for him.  Rather, in his time with the subject he would endeavor to get them to open up to him, to reach beyond the surface and to capture an innate individuality.  “[Stuart] would call up different emotions in the face he was studying.  He chose the best, or that which he found most characteristic, and with the skill of genius used it to animate the picture.”

Each of the works in this exhibition follow in the tradition of Stuart – they present an opportunity to join in this conversation between artist, sitter and viewer, a chance to engage with the soul of the sitter.

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