Overview
Other sections of the United States are distinct—in weather, topography, and in the characteristics of their colonizing settlers—but the South is distinctive. Once the site of societal upheaval that threatened the unity of the country itself, it has evolved into a region that is defined by its history but struggles toward a more diverse and prosperous future.
Images of the people, life, and land of the American South are central to the MMFA’s permanent collection and were some of the earliest acquisitions made by the fledgling institution in the 1930s. The Museum has continued to build in this area over its almost 100-year history.
This installation of paintings spans both time and place, beginning with works made by such prominent artists of the State and region as J. Kelly Fitzpatrick and Anne Goldthwaite, while moving forward in time to include important artists of the 20th century, such as Charles Shannon, Carroll Cloar, and Jacqueline Bishop.
Above: Irving Wolfson (American, 1898–1981), G.I. Pool, Maxwell Field (detail), 1945, oil on canvas, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Gift of the artist, 1946.24
Organizer
Organized by the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, Alabama.
