HARTFORD, CONN.- “Peter Blume: Nature and Metamorphosis,” opens at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, Conn., July 3 and runs through Sept. 20. The exhibition explores Russian-born American modernist Peter Blume’s (1906-1992) central role in the development of American modernism and examine his impact on late 20th century narrative painting. “Nature and Metamorphosis” is the first major exhibition of the artist since 1976 and it brings together a selection of his paintings, drawings and related archival materials, which span movements from Surrealism to Magic Realism and Precisionism. The exhibition was organized by Robert Cozzolino, Ph.D., Senior Curator of Modern Art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, in Philadelphia; an abbreviated version of the exhibition will be shown in Hartford.

In 1930 Blume moved to Sherman, Conn.—where he would remain with his wife for the remainder of their lives—and began to create ambitious, often large-scale, paintings that explored multi-layered themes and expressed major concerns of the 20th century. His elaborate allegories dramatized the growth of cities, the creative process, cultural memory, political power and regeneration. A consistent theme in his work is metamorphosis—whether in nature, manifested in dreamlike imagery or as a working method traced in the numerous drawings and studies he made for compositions. As a way to demonstrate his intense and meticulous creative process, a major feature of the exhibition is the display of his preparatory drawings.

“The Wadsworth Atheneum is honored to be the only additional venue for this exhibition, which shines a rare but essential light onto one of Connecticut’s finest and most influential artists,” said Erin Monroe, The Robert H. Schutz, Jr. Assistant Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture. “Blume’s work is not only important when looking at the role our state has played in attracting and inspiring pioneering artists, but also when looking at our own collection of modern and contemporary works.”

“Nature and Metamorphosis” features several major large-scale paintings that occupied Blume over many years. He meticulously designed paintings by thinking through working drawings using a wide range of media made with surprisingly diverse approaches. Through this process, Blume discovered the formal structure and iconographic content of his major works, including, “The Eternal City”, (1934–37), and “Tasso’s Oak,” (1957-60), which has not been exhibited publicly since 1961).

The exhibition also considers Blume’s relationships with an international community of artists and writers, who were his friends and neighbors in Northwestern Connecticut after fleeing Europe during WWII.

Companion Exhibition
In conjunction with “Nature and Metamorphosis,” the Wadsworth Atheneum also presents a selection of works from its permanent collection titled, “Visions from Home: Surrealism in Connecticut,” July 3 – Oct. 18, 2015. This companion installation examines the bohemian community of artists that flourished in Northwestern Connecticut beginning in the 1930s, and illuminates Blume’s aesthetic and personal connections with leading modernists such as Alexander Calder, Arshile Gorky, Kay Sage and Yves Tanguy. Featuring a selection of paintings, drawings, sculpture, photographs, artists' letters, and archival materials from the Wadsworth Atheneum and Julien Levy Gallery, “Visions from Home,” reveals relationships that developed between these artists and their social circles, which included visionary collectors and art dealers such as Kirk Askew, A. Everett "Chick" Austin Jr., (Former Director of the Wadsworth Atheneum), Julien Levy and James Thrall Soby. “Visions from Home: Surrealism in Connecticut” is organized by Erin Monroe, The Robert H. Schutz, Jr. Assistant Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture.