MASSACHUSETTS.- Nancye Tuttle of the Sun Staff reported, “It’s not necessarily a facelift, but Whistler’s Mother definitely looks a bit brighter and cleaner. At least the detailed copy of the famed Lowell-born painter’s most illustrious painting Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 has a fresh appearance. Painted by artist Edith Fairfax Davenport (1880-1957), who was James McNeill Whistler’s first cousin once removed, it has been an important part of the permanent collection at the Whistler House Museum of Art since 1926, when Davenport  loaned it to Lowell Art Association. Later, she left it in a bequest to the organization.

 

After a recent restoration, it was the centerpiece of "After Whistler, the Artist and His Influence on American Painting", an exhibit at the High Museum in Atlanta showcasing artists who were inspired by Whistler. Now, all cleaned up, it will return to its place of honor at the Whistler House.A suggested donation of $25 per person is requested and will be used for Partners in Preservation, an ongoing program to clean, restore and preserve the works in the museum’s permanent collection. .