Returning January 8 to the Denver Art Museum is the Petrie Institute’s Western American Art Symposium. This year, the annual daylong event will delve into an unlikely pairing of works by Winslow Homer—known for his depictions of rocky Eastern coastlines—and Frederic Remington—famous for his vision of the American West—in anticipation of the museum’s upcoming exhibition, Natural Forces: Winslow Homer and Frederic Remington. Frederic Remington (1861-1909), The Buffalo Runners—Big Horn Basin, 1909, oil on canvas, 30⅛ x 51⅛ ”. Courtesy of the Sid Richardson Museum, Fort Worth, Texas, 1950.3.1.30.

“Because both Homer and Remington are bound to geographical regions—Homer to New England and Remington to the West—we don’t often think of their shared experiences and context,” says Thomas Brent Smith, director of the Petrie Institute. “Both matured from their early days as illustrators to create works that explored man’s relationship with nature. At a time when the definition of what it means to be American was hotly debated, these artists gave their audiences visions of what America could look like.”Frederic Remington (1861-1909), The Fall of the Cowboy, 1895, oil on canvas, 25 x 35⅛”. Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas, Amon G. Carter Collection, 1961.230.

Winslow Homer (1836-1910), Indian Boy with Canoe, ca. 1895, watercolor on paper, 16½ x 24”. Denver Art Museum: The T. Edward and Tullah Hanley Memorial Gift to the people of Denver and the area, 197.417.Co-organized by a team of four curators, the exhibition will feature more than 60 works, revealing common artistic themes and techniques used by the two acclaimed American artists.

“The first exhibition of its kind, Natural Forces will present visitors with new aspects of the two artists’ oeuvres and stories that contributed to Homer and Remington’s legacies as distinguished figures in American art,” says Christoph Heinrich, the Frederick and Jan Mayer director of Denver Art Museum. “We look forward to showcasing an exhibition of Homer and Remington works connected by the time in which they lived, a time of rapid urbanization, industrialization and modernization across America.” Winslow Homer (1836-1910), Pickerel Fishing, 1892, watercolor on wove paper, 11¼ x 20”. Portland Museum of Art, Maine: Bequest of Charles Shipman Payson, 1988.55.11. Image courtesy Portland Museum of Art.

Frederic Remington (1861-1909), The Cheyenne, modeled 1901 (cast 1903), bronze, 20⅞ x 24⅜ x 7½”. Denver Art Museum: Funds from William D. Hewit Charitable Annuity Trust, 1981.14A-B. Photography © Denver Art Museum

Moderating the symposium is Patricia Limerick, the faculty director and chair of the board of the Center of the American West at the University of Colorado Boulder. Throughout the day, Limerick will be joined by speakers including Smith and Jennifer Henneman of the Denver Art Museum; Diana Greenwold of the Portland Museum of Art; Maggie Adler of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art; and Mark Thistlethwaite of Texas Christian University.

Smith says that visitors can look forward to “...a diverse selection of of thoughts on the two artists that highlight their commonalities and argue for their continued relevance today.”

The symposium will also include coffee and breakfast to start the day; a warm welcome and introduction from Smith; lunch at the History Colorado Center; and happy hour to conclude the evening. Tickets for this year’s Western American Art Symposium are available to the general public for $65, $55 for Denver Art Museum members, $45 for “Museum Friends” and $20 for students. —

Petrie Institute’s Western American Art Symposium
January 8, 2020
• Check-in and late registration, 9 a.m.
• Welcome speech from Thomas Brent Smith, 10 a.m.
• Morning lectures begin, 10:15 a.m.
• Lunch at History Colorado Center, noon
• Lectures resume, 1:30 p.m.
• Happy hour, 4 p.m.
Denver Art Museum, 100 W. 14th Avenue Parkway, Denver, CO 80204
(720) 865-5000, www.denverartmuseum.org

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