"Alexander von Humboldt and the United States: Art, Nature, and Culture" Curator's Video Tour
Description:
This exhibition reveals how the influential naturalist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) shaped American perceptions of nature and the way American cultural identity became grounded in our relationship with the environment. Chapter 1 0:00 Who was Alexander von Humboldt? Curator Eleanor Jones Harvey introduces us to the Prussian naturalist. Chapter 2 8:22 How did natural monuments become symbols of America’s cultural identity and subjects for Hudson River School painter Frederic Church? Chapter 3 14:32 Humboldt’s abolitionist ideas influenced American art and culture and President Lincoln’s creation of Yosemite as a natural monument to a post Civil War society. Chapter 4 18:31 Learn how Humboldt’s strong belief in the equality of races extended to all of the Americas and inspired paintings of Native Americans by George Catlin and others. Chapter 5 25:01 Humboldt’s circle included artist and inventor Samuel Morse, and James Smithson who would be influenced by the naturalist in the founding of the Smithsonian. Chapter 6 31:13 Humboldt’s ideas are reflected in the Smithsonian’s mission and in Frederic Church’s Aurora Borealis with its emphasis on science, nature, and the interconnectedness of all things. "Alexander von Humboldt and the United States: Art, Nature, and Culture" is organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum with generous support from: Joanne and Richard Brodie Billings and John Cay Fern and Hersh Cohen Sheila Duignan and Mike Wilkins Marie M. Halff Liliane A. and Christian W. E. Haub Raymond J. and Margaret Horowitz Endowment Kandeo Asset Management Maureen and Gene Kim LATAM Trade Capital Robert Lehman Foundation Henry Luce Foundation The Lunder Foundation — Peter and Paula Lunder Family Provost of the Smithsonian Lucy S. Rhame Holly and Nick Ruffin Jacquelyn and William Sheehan Smithsonian Scholarly Studies Awards Terra Foundation for American Art Kelly Williams and Andrew Forsyth This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. Lenders to the Exhibition: Albany Institute of History and Art American Philosophical Society Autry Museum of the American West Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Archiv Boston Athenæum Cincinnati Art Museum The College of Physicians of Philadelphia Concord Free Public Library Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Detroit Institute of Arts Établissement public du château, du musée et du domaine national de Versailles The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia George Glazer Gallery Hessisches Landesmuseum, Darmstadt Robert W. Hoge and Immaculada Socias Hoge Independence National Historic Park Joslyn Art Museum Library of Congress Maryland Historical Society Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association Museum of Fine Arts, Boston National Gallery of Art National Gallery of Art Library National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution The New-York Historical Society New York State Museum Mr. and Mrs. Robert F. Norfleet Jr. Olana State Historic Site, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Smithsonian American Art Museum Smithsonian Libraries Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History Sons of the Revolution in the State of California Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Nationalgalerie Terra Foundation for American Art The Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello Timken Museum of Art Alan V. Weinberg and one Private Lender
Video Duration:
35 min 18 sec
YouTube Keywords:
Smithsonian American Art Museum Washington DC Gallery Place Portrait Lunder Luce Conservation Kogod sculpture statues web series short film museum landmark culture humanities visual arts
