Hunter’s ‘Harvey Dunn’ looks at the life, legacy of an early illustrator
When illustrator Harvey Dunn died in 1952, his obituary in The New York Times bore the headline “Harvey Dunn, 68, Artist, Teacher.”
A three-month exhibition opening Friday, July 1, at the Hunter Museum of American Art will explore the artistic and teaching career of this icon of late 19th- and early 20th-century American illustration, whose work had enormous influence on the way Americans saw their lives portrayed. “Masters of the Golden Age: Harvey Dunn and His Students” will continue through Sunday, Oct. 2.
The 80- piece exhibition highlights Dunn’s stunning, painterly illustrations for the prominent periodicals of his day, including Scribner’s, Harper’s, Collier’s Weekly, Century, Outing and The Saturday Evening Post. Rich in detail and color, these illustrations allowed audiences to visualize current events and stories in newspapers and magazines in the era before photography rose to prominence.
The exhibition also features powerful works created for the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I, in which the artist, as visual journalist, recorded the unforgettable realities of battlefields and war hospitals. Additionally, the collection includes Dunn’s prairie paintings, inspired by his lifelong love of South Dakota’s landscape and history.
The exhibition also features original artworks by several of Dunn’s students, including Dean Cornwell, Henry C. Pitz, Mead Schaeffer, Harold von Schmidt, Frank Street, Saul Tepper, John Clymer, Lyman Anderson and James E. Allen. Artworks are drawn from the collection of the South Dakota Art Museum, as well as the Kelly Collection of American Illustration Art, The Illustrated Gallery, the Eisenstat Collection of American Illustration, Norman Rockwell Museum, Collection of Carol and Murray Tinkelman and other private lenders.
The exhibition is a collaboration of Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Mass., and the South Dakota Art Museum in Brookings. Stephanie Plunkett, the chief curator and deputy director of the Norman Rockwell Museum, is in town for the opening. She will offer the first event in programming related to the exhibition. Her Art Wise program, scheduled tonight, June 30, offers insights into Dunn’s legacy.