Joseph Stella: (1877–1946)

Joseph Stella’s artistic career defies easy categorization. He was simultaneously a modernist and traditionalist, a dual citizen of the Old and New World, a bold experimenter and masterful practitioner of time-honored artistic techniques. His iconic paintings of New York City, such as the Brooklyn Bridge and Coney Island, celebrate modernity and the Machine Age, while his exuberant paintings of the natural world speak to the spiritual revelation that guided and grounded him throughout his life. Until recently, the divergent aspects of Stella’s career “confounded his legacy.” But in Joseph Stella: Visionary Nature, the multi-venue museum exhibition that focuses on the artist’s lifelong engagement with nature, a more complete and nuanced understanding of his career emerges. Avery Galleries has the unique privelledge of handling a select group of works from the artist's estate. When exhibited together, Stella’s work of flora and fauna demonstrate his deep connection to and close observational study of nature as a way to invigorate his creativity and sustain his human spirit. "Lyrical Spirit: The Natural World of Joseph Stella," highlights Stella's lifelong deep connection to and close observational study of nature.