Anton Art Center | Visions of American Life: Selections from the Nancy and Sean Cotton Collection of American Art

American artists have always found beauty in the people, landscapes, and distinctive cultures that surround them. The paintings included in this exhibition, made between 1850 and 1940, offer unique views of the world and the subjects that inspired their makers.

These works depict the private and public spaces that shaped national life. They capture significant places in the country’s history as well as simple pleasures and everyday moments.

From modern cityscapes to still-life paintings, the striking images in this exhibition reveal a variety of ways artists envisioned American life.

image: Jane Peterson (America, 1876–1965). Women and Children in the Park, 1908. Oil on canvas; 18 × 24 in. (45.7 × 61 cm). Nancy and Sean Cotton Collection.