Olana and the Thomas Cole National Historic Site are collaborating on a major national exhibition, titled "Cross Pollination: Heade, Cole, Church, and Our Contemporary Moment." It addresses the continuing influence of the Hudson Valley on American art and the cross pollination that is taking place across centuries.
It stems from Martin Johnson Heade’s unprecedented series of hummingbird and habitat paintings, The Gems of Brazil (1863-64), and explores their unique relationship to the epic landscapes of Hudson River School artists Thomas Cole and Frederic Church, and their continued relevance to artists working today.
For more, we welcome curators Kate Menconeri from the Thomas Cole Site, Will Coleman from Olana and Mindy Besaw from the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas.