Landscape Drawings from the Marsden Hartley Memorial Collection

June 12 – October 3, 2009

Marsden Hartley was born in Lewiston and during his lifetime expressed the hope that a memorial collection be established in his hometown. In 1951, the heirs of the Marsden Hartley estate left a generus gift to Bates College, the last remaining effects from Corea, Maine, where Hartley lived and kept a studio.

In 1955, Hartley’s niece, Miss Norma G. Berger, made an additional gift to the collections. This gift included ninety-nine drawings from two sketchbooks and works by other artists in Hartley’s personal collection. These drawings, made in ink and graphite, span several decades, cover a wide range of subjects, and comprise the largest collection of the artist’s work in this medium. Many served as studies for some of the artist’s most important paintings. A selection of the ninety-nine drawings in the Marsden Hartley Memorial Collection are exhibited each summer.

  • Marsden Hartley, [Maine Coast, Sea and Rocks], ca. 1938-43, graphite on beige paper, 7 1/2 x 11 in., Marsden Hartley Memorial Collection, Gift of Norma Berger, 1955.1.88
    Marsden Hartley, [Maine Coast, Sea and Rocks], ca. 1938-43, graphite on beige paper, 7 1/2 x 11 in., Marsden Hartley Memorial Collection, Gift of Norma Berger, 1955.1.88
  • Marsden Hartley, [Dogtown Study: Rocks, Junipers, Fenceposts], ca. 1930s, black ink on white paper, 6 7/8 x 9 7/8 in., Marsden Hartley Memorial Collection, Gift of Norma Berger, 1955.1.35
    Marsden Hartley, [Dogtown Study: Rocks, Junipers, Fenceposts], ca. 1930s, black ink on white paper, 6 7/8 x 9 7/8 in., Marsden Hartley Memorial Collection, Gift of Norma Berger, 1955.1.35
  • Marsden Hartley, Alpspitze, October 28, 1933, sepia ink on beige paper, 7 1/8 x 10 1/4 in., Marsden Hartley Memorial Collection, Gift of Norma Berger, 1955.1.31
    Marsden Hartley, Alpspitze, October 28, 1933, sepia ink on beige paper, 7 1/8 x 10 1/4 in., Marsden Hartley Memorial Collection, Gift of Norma Berger, 1955.1.31
  • Marsden Hartley, [Seacoast with Sand Beach, Rocks, Trees, and Clouds], ca. 1936-43, graphite on beige paper, 8 1/4 x 10 3/8 in., Marsden Hartley Memorial Collection, Gift of Norma Berger, 1955.1.25
    Marsden Hartley, [Seacoast with Sand Beach, Rocks, Trees, and Clouds], ca. 1936-43, graphite on beige paper, 8 1/4 x 10 3/8 in., Marsden Hartley Memorial Collection, Gift of Norma Berger, 1955.1.25
  • Marsden Hartley, [Seacoast with Sand Beach, Rocks, and Trees], ca. 1936-43, graphite on beige paper, 8 1/2 x 11 1/2 in., Marsden Hartley Memorial Collection, Gift of Norma Berger, 1955.1.24
    Marsden Hartley, [Seacoast with Sand Beach, Rocks, and Trees], ca. 1936-43, graphite on beige paper, 8 1/2 x 11 1/2 in., Marsden Hartley Memorial Collection, Gift of Norma Berger, 1955.1.24
  • Marsden Hartley, [Seacoast with Trees, Rocks, and Driftwood], ca. 1936-43, lithographic crayon on white paper, 8 1/2 x 11 1/4 in., Marsden Hartley Memorial Collection, Gift of Norma Berger, 1955.1.27
    Marsden Hartley, [Seacoast with Trees, Rocks, and Driftwood], ca. 1936-43, lithographic crayon on white paper, 8 1/2 x 11 1/4 in., Marsden Hartley Memorial Collection, Gift of Norma Berger, 1955.1.27