My Lady Nicotine

Maurice Prendergast prints bring sunny parks, crowded beaches and the canals of Venice to life in jewel-like patches of colour. Prendergast was an American Post-Impressionist whose watercolours and oils of people at leisure look like bright mosaics, and he was a member of the famous group The Eight. Our collection of fine art prints includes his Venice watercolours, Central Park and Boston scenes, New England beaches and Paris sketches.

About Maurice Prendergast

Maurice Brazil Prendergast and his twin sister Lucy were born on 10 October 1858 in St. John's, Newfoundland, where their family ran a trading post. When it failed the family moved to Boston. As a boy he was apprenticed to a commercial artist and worked wrapping packages in a dry-goods shop, which may have sharpened his eye for bright, flat pattern. He never married and was close all his life to his younger brother Charles, also an artist.

From 1891 to 1895 he studied in Paris at the Académie Colarossi and the Académie Julian. He met James Morrice, Walter Sickert and Aubrey Beardsley, came to know the work of Vuillard and Bonnard, and was one of the first Americans to understand Cézanne. A trip to Venice in 1898 inspired some of his most admired watercolours.

Exhibitions in Chicago and New York in 1900 brought acclaim, and in 1908 he showed with The Eight at the Macbeth Galleries, although his style had nothing in common with their Ashcan realism. He showed seven works at the 1913 Armory Show, and collectors such as Albert Barnes supported him. Despite poor health and growing deafness, he kept exhibiting until his death in New York on 1 February 1924.

Style and Subjects

Prendergast built his pictures from small patches and dabs of bright colour, so that crowds, trees, water and buildings fit together like a mosaic of flat shapes. Figures are simplified into rhythms of hats, parasols and dresses.

His favourite subjects are people at leisure: promenades, parks, beaches, festivals and the busy squares of Venice. He worked in watercolour, oil and monotype, and his later oils grow richer and more decorative.

Famous Works

• Excursionists, Nahant (about 1896), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Day-trippers on the seaside promenade near Boston.
• Piazza di San Marco (about 1898–1899), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Crowds and flags in Venice's great square, from his first Venetian trip.
• Umbrellas in the Rain, Venice (about 1898–1899). Bright umbrellas crossing a Venetian bridge.
• May Day, Central Park (1901). Children and families celebrating spring in the park.
• Snow in April (1907), The Phillips Collection, Washington. A late snowfall turned into a pattern of colour.
• Beach No. 3 (about 1913), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Bathers and strollers on a New England beach.
• Picnic by the Inlet (about 1918–1923), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. A late, richly patterned picnic scene.

Decorating with Prendergast Prints

Prendergast's cheerful scenes are perfect for living rooms, kitchens, bedrooms and children's rooms. Their bright, patterned colour suits white or pale walls, and a group of Venice or beach watercolours makes a joyful gallery wall.

The Central Park pictures are lovely in a city apartment or hallway, while the New England beaches and coves, such as Salem Cove, bring summer light to a bathroom, sunroom or holiday house.

FAQ

What art movement was Maurice Prendergast part of?

Prendergast is generally seen as an American Post-Impressionist. He was also a member of The Eight, although his style had nothing in common with their Ashcan realism.

What are Maurice Prendergast's most famous works?

His watercolours of Venice, such as Piazza di San Marco, and his scenes of Central Park and New England beaches are among his best known.

Who were The Eight?

The Eight were American artists who exhibited together at the Macbeth Galleries in 1908 in protest against the National Academy of Design: among them Prendergast, Robert Henri, John Sloan, George Luks, Everett Shinn, William Glackens and Arthur B. Davies.

What makes Prendergast's style recognizable?

Look for patches of bright colour fitted together like a mosaic, simplified figures with hats and parasols, and scenes of people at leisure.

Where can I see Prendergast's paintings?

Works are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Phillips Collection.

Related Artists

• William James Glackens: fellow member of The Eight
• Arthur Bowen Davies: fellow member of The Eight
• Édouard Vuillard: French painter whose work placed him in the Post-Impressionist camp
• Pierre Bonnard: French painter he came to know in Paris
• Childe Hassam: Boston Impressionist who inspired him