Minneapolis Institute of Art’s Paul G. Allen Family Collection

Walking through Mia’s new exhibit of landscape paintings is a trip through time and space.

This summer, travel across the globe in just a few footsteps at Minneapolis Institute of Art’s new exhibit. “Seeing Nature: Landscape Masterworks from the Paul G. Allen Family Collection.” The space features 39 dreamy landscape paintings (five of which are Monet’s) spanning 400 years and thousands of miles. Thanks to Microsoft co-founder, noted philanthropist, and art collector Paul G. Allen, art lovers can see works that have never toured as part of a collection. The exhibit will travel across the country this year and will be in Minneapolis now until September 18. And don’t miss Mia’s full-sensory experience featuring nature sound clips, transporting you to the various outdoor scenes.

More than half of the collection’s works are from artists enamored with landscapes and views from their travels. Monet painted the Waterloo Bridge in London over and over because he was so entranced by London’s early-morning smog. Edouard Manet’s close-up Impressionism painting of the water in Venice lets you feel Manet’s serenity as he gazed at the Grand Canal—a far cry from Canaletto’s detailed, postcard-like views of the same place.

Vivid pictures of the Grand Canyon are a complete turnaround from Venice’s muted tranquility. “Thomas Moran especially wanted to evoke the experience and vastness of the Grand Canyon, but the paintings aren’t necessarily topographically accurate,” exhibit curator Rachel McGarry said. David Hockney’s electric magenta, orange, and yellow 21-canvas painting, The Grand Canyon, is a giant and bright contrast against a dark gallery wall. And don’t miss Arthur Wesley Dow’s weakly-lit, shadowy, purple-and-blue Grand Canyon—it will make you want to jump on the next flight to Arizona for the sunrise.

If you’re looking for a sense of familiarity, Monet’s famous Giverny water lilies, Georgia O’Keeffe’s soft flowers, and Paul Cézanne’s Montagne Saint-Victoire make an appearance. The collection shows the artists’ passion for their homes as well as their urges to travel, explore, and immerse themselves in places through what they did best—creating landscape art.

“Seeing Nature: Landscape Masterworks from the Paul G. Allen Family Collection”
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Now – Sept. 18
2400 Third Ave. S., Minneapolis
new.artsmia.org