The Greenwich Historical Society announced that the Mr. and Mrs. Raymond J. Horowitz Foundation for the Arts has approved a grant request of $89,000 to support John Henry Twachtman Online, a joint project of the Greenwich Historical Society and Lisa N. Peters, Ph.D.
John Henry Twachtman Online will be the definitive catalog of the work of Twachtman (1853–1902), an important figure in late nineteenth-century American art who is often considered the most original artist among the American Impressionists. The project was begun over two decades ago by Dr. Peters under the auspices of Spanierman Gallery, one of New York’s foremost American art galleries, which closed in 2013. It will now be published on the website of the Greenwich Historical Society.
The Greenwich Historical Society is an ideal repository for this project. While living in Greenwich from 1890 to 1899, Twachtman created his finest works and taught art classes at the Holley House, a boarding house in the community of Cos Cob, where he and several fellow American Impressionist painters periodically lodged. Since 1957 the Greenwich Historical Society has been the steward of the Holley House, now known as the Bush-Holley House Museum.
Today the Bush-Holley House anchors the Greenwich Historical Society’s newly expanded museum campus on the banks of the Mianus River. Establishing a digital catalog of Twachtman’s art at the Greenwich Historical Society thus serves as a virtual homecoming, bringing the artist’s work back to the place that was most significant to him.
The Horowitz Foundation’s support for John Henry Twachtman Online honors the deep appreciation that Margaret and Raymond Horowitz held for Twachtman’s art, reflected in their ownership of seven works by the artist, including the painting Old Salt Box, which they gave to the collection of the Greenwich Historical Society in 1988. The award further underscores of the Horowitzes’ long-standing dedication to supporting American art scholarship.
John Henry Twachtman Online received a grant of $5,000 awarded in 2019 by The Lunder Foundation. Established by Peter and Paula Lunder, The Lunder Foundation is dedicated to transforming lives and communities through art and has been an instrumental presence in American art through the establishment of the Lunder Institute for American Art and other initiatives.
Both grants from The Horowitz Foundation and The Lunder Foundation will enable this scholarly partnership between Dr. Peters and the Greenwich Historical Society to come to fruition.
