We are thrilled to announce the exhibition Donnamaria Bruton: From Sense to Soul at the Newport Art Museum through October 16, 2022, curated by Francine Weiss, Ph.D. The exhibition accompanies Georgia O'Keefe: Things I Had No Words For.
Bruton began her artistic career by making compelling works of art that were dark and emotional until she began making frequent visits to The Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia with her uncle and mentor, artist Edward L. Loper, Sr. Inspired by the artists she saw there, such as Pierre Bonnard and Henri Matisse, Bruton brightened her palette and began depicting dreamy interiors sometimes referencing domesticity. Bruton focused on interiors during the 1990s shifting to exteriors in the 2000s. Embarking on a series of landscapes, Bruton created otherworldly scenes imbued with the same feelings and sensations as her earlier works. In an artist statement submitted to RISD in 1991 the Bruton wrote, “Rising above the human condition has truly been a journey from sense to soul. A pilgrimage to a holy or secret place of refuge. My body of work is a reflection of my ongoing search for truth and poetry of that experience.” Featuring key works from the artist’s career, this exhibition reveals the artist’s passage from “sense to soul.” - Newport Art Museum
