Object number1946.3.3
A View of Palestine
Datec. 1898/1899
Artist
Henry Ossawa Tanner
(American, 1859-1937)
CultureAmerican
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsFramed: 31 1/8 x 46 7/16 in. (79.1 x 118 cm)
Unframed: 22 7/16 x 37 in. (57 x 94 cm)
Unframed: 22 7/16 x 37 in. (57 x 94 cm)
Credit LineGift of Mrs. Walter Driscoll (Margaret L. Weyerhaeuser, class of 1923), Mrs. F. Rodman Titcomb (Elizabeth L. Weyerhaeuser, class of 1915) and Mrs. Robert J. Sivertsen (Sarah Weyerhaeuser, class of 1930)
On View
On viewPeriod19th c
Classification(s)
Vassar Exhibitions
Exhibition HistoryPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, "Henry Ossawa Tanner, Modern Spirit," January 27 - April 15 2012;Cincinnati, Ohio, Cincinnati Art Museum, "Henry Ossawa Tanner, Modern Spirit," May 26 - September 9, 2012;
Houston, Texas, The Museum of Fine Arts, "Henry Ossawa Tanner, Modern Spirit," October 14, 2012 - January 6, 2013;
Once Upon a Time in America: Three Centuries of US-American Art, Wallraf-Richartz Museum, Köln, Germany, November 23, 2018 - March 24, 2019;
For Liberation and For Life: The Legacy of Black Dimensions in Art, Albany Institute of History and Art, Albany, NY, August 23 - December 31, 2025
Label TextAn African-American artist, Tanner made this work during a time when American artists of color experienced obstacles pursing training and living as professional artists. They had to travel to Europe to find opportunities to exhibit their work and paint and continue their art education. After two years of study with Thomas Eakins at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Tanner traveled to Paris, his off-and-on home from then on, and attended the Académie Julian. The son of an African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) bishop, he met with much success that translated into wider recognition in the United States and a commitment to empathetic portrayals of African-American life, followed by a deep engagement with Biblical subjects. In 1898-99 he traveled to Palestine in the Middle East and painted this bird’s-eye view.
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge.
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