The UBS Art Gallery

Etchings are produced by covering a copper plate with a ground of varnish, then drawing on the plate with a stylus. Sketchy effects and details are possible because the ground offers little resistance to a stylus. The plate is then immersed in acid, which eats away a thin layer of copper exposed by the stylus. After the acid bath, the plate is inked and printed. The depth of the “bite” in the plate determines how much ink the incised lines will hold, and thereby their width and darkness when printed. John Austin Sands Monks’ The Patriarch (c. 1885), a majestic portrait of a ram with tightly curled coat of hair and twisting horns, shows the exceptional level of detail and texture that can be achieved in a print.

Some painter-etchers preferred to wipe the plate clean, leaving ink only in the etched lines, while others introduced “plate tone” by spreading ink on the uncut surface as well. William Merritt Chase’s portrait Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (c. 1882) is a striking example of the varying tones possible in etching. Longfellow’s bright white beard and flowing hair are defined by loose, subtle hatching, in stark contrast with the dark tone encircling his profile.

John Austin Sands Monks (American, 1850-1917) The Patriarch, c. 1885 Etching, plate:16 x 14 in. Credit: The Parrish Art Museum

William Merritt Chase (American, 1849-1916) Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, c. 1882 Etching, plate: 8 x 6 3/8 in. Credit: The Parrish Art Museum

By the 1870s, the ease and accessibility of railroad travel made it possible for urban artists to spend their summers working in the country or along the coastline. Artists found the expressive and atmospheric possibilities of etching to be ideally suited to local landscapes and First Impressions will feature pastoral views of East Hampton, Southampton, Montauk, Georgica Pond, Gowanus Bay, Niagara Falls, the Hudson River and Lake George. Some artists etched on the spot from nature, but most sketched their subjects during summer sojourns and etched their plates later in the studio.

Mary Nimmo Moran was distinguished for etching en plein air, taking her copper plates to picturesque sites in the Hamptons. Her “Where Through the Willows Creaking Loud, is Heard the Busy Mill” (1886) is a calm scene, with a summer breeze seeming to stir the lush, detailed foliage. The overwhelming abundance of nature dwarfs several small figures along the river’s edge and windmills in the distance. Peter Moran’s Summer Time (c. 1887) also depicts a subdued landscape in which carefully rendered cows drink from a stream.

Mary Nimmo Moran (American, b. Scotland, 1842-1899) "Where Through the Willows Creaking Loud, is Heard the Busy Mill," 1886 Etching, plate: 24 3/4 x 32 5/8 in. Credit: The Parrish Art Museum

Peter Moran (American, 1841-1914) Summer Time, c. 1887 Etching, plate: 18 3/8 x 25 5/8 in. Credit: The Parrish Art Museum

Thomas Moran (American, b. England, 1837-1926) Untitled (Fishing boat on storm-tossed sea; after Harry Chase), 1890 Etching, plate: 27 x 19 3/4 in. Credit: The Parrish Art Museum

The ocean appealed to painter-etchers because of the unique challenges of conveying movement, light and varied weather conditions. Thomas Moran’s Untitled (Fishing boat on storm-tossed sea; after Harry Chase) (1890) captures a dramatic moment as a sailboat struggles against crashing waves. Augustus D. Van Cleef’s The Tomb of a Modern Leander, Fisher’s Island (1882) is a simple scene with profound emotional impact. Illustrating a waterside gravestone, Van Cleef refers to the mythological character Leander, who drowned in a storm while swimming to meet his beloved on the far shore. The somber narrative of the story is underscored by the flat composition and diffuse light of the print.

Augustus D. Van Cleef (American, fl. 1877-1884) The Tomb of a Modern Leander, Fisher's Island, 1882 Etching, plate: 4 1/2 x 8 7/8 in. Credit: The Parrish Art Museum

Etchings that depicted realistic or romanticized aspects of everyday life were widely popular with collectors. William Henry Lippincott’s Stolen Moments (1888) shows a young woman at leisure, quietly reading a book. The subject’s dress and surroundings identify the sitter with the well-heeled women who might decorate their homes with such a print. Nostalgic works like Thomas Waterman Wood’s Fresh Eggs (1882), in which two children gather eggs from a barn, were poignant reminders of daily life in bygone eras and the disappearance of the rustic farming lifestyle.

William Henry Lippincott (American, 1849-1920) Stolen Moments, 1888 Etching, plate: 23 13/16 x 16 1/2 in. Credit: The Parrish Art Museum

Thomas Waterman Wood (American, 1837-1903) Fresh Eggs, 1882 Etching, plate: 15 3/16 x 11 in. Credit: The Parrish Art Museum

Established in 1898 by Samuel Parrish, The Parrish Art Museum is dedicated to collecting, preserving, and interpreting American art, with a focus on the art and artists of Long Island’s East End—one of America’s most enduring art colonies. Over the years, the Museum has evolved into one of the region’s most significant cultural institutions, where diverse audiences can explore and experience American art.

Since its founding, the Museum’s holdings have grown to encompass a distinguished collection of American art from the nineteenth century to the present. Particular strengths are the work of famed American Impressionist William Merritt Chase, who founded and taught at the Shinnecock Hills Summer School of Art in the 1890s; and works by the important figurative painter and critic Fairfield Porter, who lived in Southampton from 1949 until his death in 1968. Other artists represented in the collection include Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner, Willem de Kooning, Larry Rivers, Dan Flavin, Chuck Close, Eric Fischl, April Gornik and Elizabeth Peyton, among many others.

The Parrish is in the early stages of planning for a new building to be designed by the internationally renowned architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron. A new facility will enable the Museum to display more of its collection, increase its special-exhibition program, and expand its diverse offerings. For additional information on the museum’s exhibitions, directions, or hours visit www.parrishart.org.

UBS has a longstanding and ongoing commitment to the support of the arts and culture. UBS sponsors four exhibitions each year in The UBS Art Gallery, located in the lobby of its building at 1285 Avenue of the Americas, New York City. Through its exhibition program, the Gallery offers non-profit arts and cultural organizations a midtown Manhattan exhibition space and the opportunity to introduce their programs to a new audience. The UBS Art Gallery enables many institutions to organize and mount exhibitions that might not otherwise be seen. These exhibitions encourage interest in the arts among the hundreds of employees, clients and members of the general public who pass through the UBS building each day.

UBS also has its own art collection. Recognized internationally as one of the most important corporate collections of contemporary art, The UBS Art Collection comprises more than 900 paintings, photographs, drawings and sculptures by many of the world’s leading artists from 1950 to the present. UBS is proud of this heritage of collecting and embraces the Collection as a treasure to be shared with our employees, clients, shareholders and other individuals passionate about art through international loans and tours of selected works. To further share our Collection with the public, UBS provides permanent online access to works in the Collection, information on the artists and online exhibitions via an interactive web museum at www.ubs.com/artcollection.

UBS, one of the world's leading financial firms, is the largest wealth manager, a top tier investment banking and securities firm, a key asset manager and the leader in Swiss retail and commercial banking. Headquartered in Zurich and Basel, UBS employs 69,500 people and has offices in 50 countries. It is a Swiss public company listed on the SWX Swiss Stock Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE). In the U.S., UBS is one of the biggest private client businesses with a client base of nearly 2 million private clients and approximately 7,500 financial advisors in over 350 offices.

Exhibitions at The UBS Art Gallery

Walker Evans
Organized by Yale University School of Art
August 24 – November 17, 2006

Jardin Galerie: Children’s Art
November 30, 2006 – January 12, 2007

Mashantucket Pequot Museum: Gifts of the Forest, Native Traditions in Wood and Bark
January 25 – April 27, 2007

Hours and Admission
The UBS Art Gallery is located in the UBS Building at 1285 Avenue of the Americas (between 51st and 52nd Streets) in New York City. The Gallery is on the ground floor of the building and exhibition hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Admission is free.


**For recorded exhibition information: (212) 713-2885**