CINCINNATI, OHIO.- The Taft Museum of Art owns hundreds of exquisite artworks, many of which were acquired by Cincinnati art patrons and museum founders, Charles and Anna Taft. A Breath of Fresh Air: Nature Inspires Rarely Seen Works from the Taft Collection presents six paintings and five works of decorative art from the museum’s collection for a special exhibition on view since February 17 through to May 19, 2024 in the Sinton Gallery. Due to limited space in the museum’s galleries these works are rarely on view. This exhibition offers an extraordinary opportunity to experience these beautiful works alongside the many other nature-inspired objects on display in the museum galleries.

With their colorful petals, rippling water, and cloudy skies, the artworks in this exhibition invite contemplation of the natural world. Dutch artist Willem Maris’s painting of ducks and ducklings near a serene pond, a French snuffbox featuring pocket-sized views of a Portuguese estate, and two Chinese containers delicately painted with flowers and fruit showcase various ways that artists throughout history have employed nature to communicate messages, tell stories, and express emotion.

A conservator recently treated two of the artworks included in this exhibition: a French Souvenir (writing case) decorated with dozens of diamonds and a Chinese Writing Box that has never before been on public view.

“Each work in this exhibition offers a meditation on nature and how artists interpret the natural world. The Taft is excited to share these artworks, one for the first time, for visitors to enjoy,” says the Taft Museum of Art’s assistant curator Angela Fuller, who is curating the show.

The Taft Museum of Art is recognized nationally as a museum leader that passionately engages people with the arts as envisioned generations ago by our founders, Anna Sinton Taft and Charles Phelps Taft. Today, the Taft is a truly unique art museum, holding National Historic Landmark status for both its historic house and Duncanson murals.

The Taft Museum of Art
A Breath of Fresh Air: Nature Inspires Rarely Seen Works from the Taft
February 17th – May 19th, 2024