In the first decades of the Twentieth Century, four young American artists – Arthur Dove, Marsden Hartley, John Marin and Georgia O’Keeffe – began developing a new, modern vision with images of the country’s landscape, ranging from the mountains of New Hampshire to the coast of Maine and from the streets of New York City to the desert of New Mexico.

“In the American Grain: Dove, Hartley, Marin, O’Keeffe and Stieglitz” on view from September 30 through January 2 at the Currier Museum of Art, features more than 40 paintings by these artists, as well as photographs by Alfred Stieglitz, drawn exclusively from the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. This exhibition not only highlights these breathtakingly original and influential works, but also looks at the importance of art patronage in this country. The Currier is the only New England venue on the national tour.

Georgia O’Keeffe, “Red Hills, Lake George,” 1927, oil on canvas, 27 by 32 inches. The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.

“Drawing inspiration from the landscape, these artistscreated vibrant, abstract works that were intrinsically American,”remarked Sharon Matt Atkins, assistant curator at the CurrierMuseum of Art. “This exhibition offers the exceptional opportunityto view these artists’ groundbreaking innovations in-depth. It alsoallows us to highlight the Currier’s strong collection of Americanmodernism.”

“In the American Grain” focuses on the pioneering artists associated with the prominent artist and dealer, Alfred Stieglitz. At the beginning of the Twentieth Century, Stieglitz was at the center of avant-garde circles in New York City. His gallery, 291, was one of the first to display revolutionary works by European artists such as Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. Stieglitz’s promotion of abstract art attracted young American painters like Dove, Hartley, Marin and O’Keeffe, who became known collectively as the Stieglitz Circle. United in their belief that pure abstract forms had the potential to communicate ideas, these artists were committed to inventing a new American art that was local, innovative and intensely felt. Turning to nature as a source of inspiration, they created dramatically abstracted views of the American countryside, including areas in New Hampshire, Maine, New York and New Mexico.

John Marin, “Mt Chocorua – White Mountains,”1926, wa-tercolor and graphite pencil on paper, 163/4 by 211/2 inches. The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.

“In the American Grain” also considers the relationshipbetween these artists and Duncan Phillips, who founded the PhillipsCollection in 1921. With unwavering financial and moral supportfrom Stieglitz and collectors like Phillips, the success of theStieglitz Circle set the stage for a new American aesthetic. At onetime a conservative art critic, Phillips had initially dismissedthe European avant-garde, but after World War I, he came to termswith abstraction and became a tireless champion of living Americanartists. As a result, Phillips formed an aesthetically cohesiveunit of paintings, drawings and photographs, acquiring the world’slargest and most representative group of paintings by Dove, keyexamples of every aspect of Marin’s development, signature works byO’Keeffe and Hartley and important photographs by Stieglitz.

“In the American Grain: Dove, Hartley, Marin, O’Keeffe and Stieglitz” complements the Currier’s own holdings of art by the Stieglitz Circle. To coincide with this exhibition, major works by these artists and their contemporaries from the museum’s collection will be highlighted. Together, these displays will illuminate the pivotal role that these American artists played not only in transforming Twentieth Century painting, but also in creating a lasting impact on the history of art.

The Currier Museum of Art is at 201 Myrtle Way. For information, 603-669-6144, ext 108, or www.currier.org.