Maxfield Parrish Exhibition Open Now Through January 6

Exhibition Features Original Paintings and Vintage Prints by Maxfield Parrish
Includes Largest Painting Ever Displayed in the MSV

Winchester, VA 08/24/18… An exhibition featuring the work of Maxfield Parrish—one of the twentieth century’s most popular American painters and illustrators—will be on view in the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley (MSV) from September 1, 2018, through January 6, 2019.

Maxfield Parrish: Paintings and Prints from the National Museum of American Illustration will present nearly 100 works from the 1890s through the 1940s, including original paintings and vintage prints. Organized by the National Museum of American Illustration in Newport, Rhode Island, the exhibition’s presentation at the MSV is generously sponsored by WINC 92.5 FM.

Images by Maxfield Parrish (1870–1966) are universally popular and instantly recognizable due to their long-standing proliferation on calendars, art prints, greeting cards, magazine covers, and books. Maxfield Parrish: Paintings and Prints presents works from all periods of Parrish’s career, including early periodical and book illustrations with fantastical romantic images, commercial advertising, and the popular Edison Mazda (General Electric) calendars. Maxfield Parrish’s “girls on rocks” images were ubiquitous in the 1920s, with an estimated one of every four American households having a Parrish print on display.

“This is a beautiful exhibition of extraordinary works of art by one of America’s most beloved artists,” says MSV Director of Exhibitions Corwyn Garman. He notes that that quality of the vintage prints is exceptional, and that the exhibition offers visitors a special opportunity to see several paintings by Parrish displayed alongside the vintage prints of the works.

According to Garman, the exhibition presents 18 original paintings by Parrish, one of which is the largest ever displayed at the MSV. Nearly 11 feet tall and six feet wide, A Florentine Fete-Sweet Nothings, was painted about 1911 for display in the Girls’ Dining Room in the Philadelphia headquarters of the Curtis Publishing Company. This work appeared on the cover of the April 1921 edition of Ladies’ Home Journal, a vintage copy of which is on view in the exhibition along with other magazine covers featuring Parrish’s work, such as LIFE, Ladies’ Home Journal, and Collier’s. A 1923 art print of Parrish’s Daybreak, regarded by many as the most popular art print of the twentieth century, is among the many vintage art prints included in the exhibition.

The MSV is hosting a reception celebrating the MSV display of Maxfield Parrish: Paintings and Prints from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 8. The cost of the event—which includes admission to the exhibition and light hors d’oeuvres and mini desserts—is free to MSV Members and $20 for all others. Beer, wine, and Parrish Blue Lagoon Cocktails will be available for purchase. Advance registration is required to attend the event. Those interested in registering for the September 8 reception may do so on www.theMSV.org/Parrish or by calling 540-662-1473, extension 208.

A regional cultural center, the MSV is located at 901 Amherst Street in Winchester, Virginia. The MSV includes galleries displaying permanent collections and rotating exhibitions, the Glen Burnie House, seven acres of gardens, and is the future home of The Trails at the MSV, which will provide three miles of trails for walking, running, or biking. The galleries and exhibitions are open year-round; the house and gardens are open April through December. The MSV is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday (11 a.m. to 4 p.m. January through March). Normally closed on Mondays, the MSV will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Labor Day Monday, September 3, and New Year’s Eve Monday, December 31, 2018. Admission fee information and details about programs and workshops organized in conjunction with Maxfield Parrish: Paintings and Prints are available at www.theMSV.org or by calling 540-662-1473, ext. 235. –END–