Art
The Bruce Museum’s art collection includes approximately 3,200 works spanning the mid-nineteenth century to the present day, with particular strengths in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century American art by members of the Cos Cob art colony.
The Bruce Museum hosted annual exhibitions between 1912 and 1926 by members of the Greenwich Society of Artists, many of whom were leading figures of the Cos Cob art colony. Acquisitions from those exhibitions form the nucleus of the Museum’s collection of American Impressionism, including work by Emil Carlsen, Childe Hassam, Elmer Livingston McRae, Mina Fonda Ochtman, and Leonard Ochtman. Since that time, the Museum has deepened its holdings in nineteenth- and twentieth-century American and European art across a wide range of media, namely paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, and works on paper. Photography represents a rapidly growing area of the collection.
The collection strategy for the Bruce will continue to emphasize the trajectory of modernism from 1850 to the present day, encompassing global contemporary art as part of its focus.
Alfonso Ossorio, Red Sacrifice
Alfonso Ossorio, Red Sacrifice
Alfonso Ossorio (American, born Philippines, 1916–1990) Red Sacrifice, 1950 Watercolor and wax on paper Bruce Museum, Gift of the Artist, 72.34
Andy Warhol, Sachiko Bower
Andy Warhol, Sachiko Bower
Andy Warhol (American, 1928–1977) Sachiko Bower, 1977 Silkscreen on paper Bruce Museum, Gift of the Frederick R. Weisman, 85.30.01
James Jacques Joseph Tissot, Admiring a Portfolio
James Jacques Joseph Tissot, Admiring a Portfolio
James Jacques Joseph Tissot (French, 1836–1902) Admiring a Portfolio, circa 1883 Pastel on linen Bruce Museum, Museum Purchase made possible in part by the Pasculano Acquisition Fund, 2008.01
Jasper Johns, Untitled
Jasper Johns, Untitled
Jasper Johns (American, b. 1930) Untitled, 1992 Color lithograph Bruce Museum, Gift of Edward Lampert, 2001.02
Jaune Quick-To-See Smith, Untitled
Jaune Quick-To-See Smith, Untitled
Jaune Quick-To-See Smith (American, Citizen of Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nation, b. 1940) Untitled, 1983 Lithograph on paper Bruce Museum, FIC97.20.05
Lester Johnson, Crowd of Men
Lester Johnson, Crowd of Men
Lester Johnson (American, 1919-2010) Crowd of Men, 1967 Brush and ink, colored chalk, gouache, charcoal, and pencil on paper Bruce Museum, 97.01
Louise Nevelson, Totem’s Presents
Louise Nevelson, Totem’s Presents
Louise Nevelson (American, born Ukraine, 1899–1988) Totem’s Presents, 1965, Etching and aquatint, Bruce Museum, Gift of the I Have A Dream Foundation, Stamford, CT, 2001.05.03
Mary Nicholena MacCord , Front Door
Mary Nicholena MacCord , Front Door
Mary Nicholena MacCord (American, 1864–1955) Front Door, circa 1890 Watercolor and gouache on paper Bruce Museum, 93.16
Paul Signac, La Bouée
Paul Signac, La Bouée
Paul Signac (French, 1863–1965) La Bouée (Sainte Tropez et Port), 1894 Color lithograph Bruce Museum, Gift of Reba and Dave Williams, 2011.09.01
Robert Motherwell, Elegy Elegy Black
Robert Motherwell, Elegy Elegy Black
Robert Motherwell (American, 1915–1991) Elegy Elegy Black, 1983 Lithograph Bruce Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Brittain III, 98.11
Romare Bearden, Three Women
Romare Bearden, Three Women
Romare Bearden (American, 1911–1988) Three Women (Easter Sunday), 1979 Color lithograph Bruce Museum, Gift of Raymond Dubrowski, 82.28.01
Sam Gilliam, Untitled
Sam Gilliam, Untitled
Sam Gilliam (American, 1933–2022) Untitled, 1977 Lithograph, handmade paper and collé Bruce Museum, Gift of Susan Ball and John Brigham, 2012.08
