Painting & Sculpture

William Edmondson, Bess and Joe, c. 1935, Limestone. Museum Purchase through the bequest of Anita Bevill McMichael Stallworth and gift from Salvatore J. Formosa, Sr., Mrs. Pete A. Formosa, Sr., Angelo Formosa, Jr. and Mrs. Rose M. Formosa Bromley in loving memory of Angelo Formosa, Sr., wife Mrs. Katherine St. Charles Formosa, and Pete A. Formosa, Sr.

Cheekwood’s American art collection includes 600 paintings and 5,000 prints, drawings and photographs. The collection spans the history of American art. Its strength centers on “The Eight” (Henri, Luks, Sloan, etc.), a collection assembled in the 1980’s and early 90’s through a multi-million dollar bequest. Other strengths include the sculptures of William Edmondson, photographs of Louise Dahl-Wolfe, and a vast variety of post WWII prints. Recently, the Museum has pursued a consciously focused acquisition process, which has been supported by an active Collectors Group. This includes paintings by Luks, Shinn, Davies, James Hamilton, William Bradford, and seven more sculptures by William Edmondson (now the largest Edmondson collection).