You might be familiar with French Impressionists like Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. But did you know American painters also put their own unique spin on this artistic movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries?
This summer, the Denver Botanic Gardens invites visitors to explore the world of American Impressionism and Realism with Blue Grass, Green Skies: American Impressionism and Realism from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
This new exhibition, on view now through September 14 at the York Street location, features 17 works by artists like Mary Cassatt, Childe Hassam, Ernest Lawson, John Henry Twachtman and William Wendt.
These American painters took inspiration from the glowing colors and fluid brushstrokes of European Impressionism. But they also forged their own unique path, riffing on the work of their European colleagues while exploring the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere.
Their pieces also depict quintessentially American scenes—from California’s wildflower fields and Maine’s rocky coves to East Coast urban scenes and intimate interiors.
“American Impressionists, like their French counterparts, captured qualities of light in the landscape around them, making for a great complement to the gardens,” says Lisa Eldred, director of exhibitions, art and learning engagement and head curator of art at Denver Botanic Gardens.
Blue Grass, Green Skies was curated by Leah Lembeck, an expert in European painting and sculpture and American art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Funding support comes from Art Bridges. It was previously shown at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts in Salt Lake City and the New Britain Museum of American Art in Connecticut.
Hosting the exhibition at Denver Botanic Gardens was an opportunity to partner with these organizations to “share American masters with the Rocky Mountain region,” Eldred adds.
Blue Grass, Green Skies is more than an art show. It skillfully weaves together painting, nature and history, showing how American Impressionism grew up alongside the Garden Movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. At that time, gardening was becoming a national obsession.
“Americans shifted away from formal European-inspired gardens to create home gardens that celebrated native plants and pollinators—practices still championed today,” says Eldred.
The main exhibition takes place indoors in the Freyer – Newman Center, where Denver Botanic Gardens is offering enhanced accessibility features, like large print gallery text, braille, audio descriptions and glasses to support visitors with color vision deficiency.
But step outside and you’ll quickly realize there’s even more to discover. Once you’ve finished strolling through the gallery, Eldred recommends grabbing a map to find each of the six frames in the gardens. They’ve been intentionally positioned to highlight specific landscape vignettes.
“This exhibition connects galleries to gardens, offering a unique opportunity to explore both,” says Eldred. “In the gallery, landscapes and domestic scenes present life through the eyes of the American Impressionists. Outdoors, visitors can discover gardens in changing light, punctuated with large gilded frames inspired by the exhibit to highlight compositions in our living landscape. This multi-layered experience offers multiple ways for people of all ages to enjoy the world around them.”
Want to dive even deeper into the world of American Impressionism? To coincide with the exhibition, the gardens are hosting an array of immersive events, including drop-in art making sessions, plein air painting classes, tours, lectures and more. A pop-up shop next to the gallery also offers a curated selection of Impressionism-inspired gifts, from stationery to scarves, perfect for taking a piece of the experience home.
Whether you’re a seasoned art enthusiast or simply enjoy ambling among flowers, Blue Grass, Green Skies offers a multi-sensory journey that celebrates both creativity and the natural world.
“I hope visitors leave the experience excited about art and gardens both, inspired to enjoy and celebrate nature in their own way, whether through trying their hand at painting or planting a garden,” says Eldred.
Admission to the exhibition is included with general entry to Denver Botanic Gardens. Learn more online at botanicgardens.org/exhibits/blue-grass-green-skies.
