Marsden Hartley: Adventurer in the Arts is now on display at the New Mexico Museum of Art (NMMoA), retracing the artistic and physical journey of the prolific American modernist painter. 

Born in New England, Hartley (1877–1943) traveled extensively throughout Europe and North America. His exposure to a myriad of places gave his paintings a unique multicultural perspective. 

“Hartley’s significance as an artist can be attributed to his lifelong commitment to learn from cultures and landscapes that differed from those immediately available to him,” says Vilcek Foundation President Rick Kinsel. “The Vilcek Foundation fosters appreciation for the arts and the contributions of immigrants to the United States. By developing Marsden Hartley: Adventurer in the Arts, we are able to showcase both Hartley as a revolutionary modernist and the ways individuals and societies are enriched through cultural exchange.” 

Following a Traveler

Marsden Hartley lived a unique life—he devoted himself to bettering his craft, spending time in a great number of places in North America and Europe to do so. By incorporating experiences and techniques from various communities, Hartley not only improved his artistry but laid the foundation for the American modernist movement. 

With support from the foundation’s cofounders Jan and Marica Vilcek and from Kinsel, Vilcek Foundation curator Emily Schuchardt Navratil began to develop Marsden Hartley: Adventurer in the Arts as a testament to his impact on American art and culture. 

In order to gain a greater understanding of Hartley’s work, Navratil traveled to numerous locations where he spent his life, including New Mexico. She eventually partnered with the Bates College Museum of Art, home to the Marsden Hartley Memorial Collection, to finalize the traveling exhibition.  

Navratil says it was always her hope to show the exhibition in places that spoke to the artist, such as Hartley’s hometown of Lewiston, Maine, and the American Southwest. 

“I am thrilled to bring Adventurer in the Arts to the NMMoA, an institution that supported Hartley in the late 1910s when he lived and worked here,” says Navratil. “New Mexico resonated deeply with Hartley—he wrote of attending Pueblo dances and ceremonies and left the Southwest vowing to return. The closest he came were his New Mexico Recollections, painted in Berlin in the early 1920s, six of which are featured in this exhibition.”

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About the Exhibition

The exhibition contains numerous historical artifacts as well as 40 paintings and drawings, the core of which was assembled over 20 years by Jan and Marica Vilcek and Kinsel. As part of the Vilcek Foundation’s art collection, the works of Marsden Hartley support an enduring commitment to engage and amplify varied perspectives. 

The works in the exhibition span 36 years of Hartley’s extensive career and include pieces inspired by his time in the Southwest, such as New Mexico Recollection #14, alongside souvenirs of his travels.

Snapshots, travel mementos, and keepsakes from the Bates College Museum of Art’s Marsden Hartley Memorial Collection, as well as the Vilcek Collection’s iconic Schiff (1915), which was created during Hartley’s time in Germany, are featured in the exhibition. This is only the second time Schiff will be shown in the United States.