Bertha Sophia Menzler Peyton, Grand Canyon, Oil on Canvas, Courtesy of the Huntsville Museum of Art.

Rebels with a Cause: American Impressionist Women is a landmark exhibition from the Huntsville Museum of Art. Culled from the HMA’s Sellars Collection of Art by American Women, this exhibition features 54 works that exemplify the influence of French Impressionism on American art beginning in the late 19th century. Specifically, this exhibition focuses on works by American women who rebelled against the convention of their day by exhibiting alongside their male counterparts. Although once marginalized, today’s art historians are rediscovering their accomplishments and establishing their rightful place in the expanding narrative of American art history. Their roles as sophisticated artists, their talent embodied in beautiful works of art, and the trails they blazed toward a more modern perspective on culture helped to initiate the ever-evolving conversation between art and gender.

The exhibition also showcases works that adopt the various hallmarks of what became known as the American Impressionist style, as well as works that branch out beyond Impressionism’s strict definitions, reflecting more individual artistic approaches. Subjects include accomplished florals and still-lifes, elegant portraits, engaging genre scenes, and landscapes both intimate and panoramic, reflecting many different regions of the country and world.