Vernon Court on Bellevue Avenue in Newport Rhode Island

UPCOMING EXHIBITION & EVENTS

Rhode Island Illustrator Mary Jane Begin

at the       Join the the National Museum of American Illustration in celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, and the launch of Mary Jane Begin’s new book Willow Buds, The Tale of Toad and Badger- the first book in a series of stories about the Wind in the Willows characters’ early years and how they became such great friends. BOOK SIGNING By Illustrator Mary Jane Begin Saturday June 14th 4:00pm SLIDE PRESENTATION & LECTURE & BOOK SIGNING By Illustrator Mary Jane Begin Saturday July 12th 3:00pm   For more information on Mary Jane Visit: www.maryjanebegin.com

'The Most American of American Art'

Welcome to the National Museum of American Illustration, where artworks from the ‘Golden Age of American Illustration’ and from other eras, are presented in the ‘Gilded Age’ architectural frame of Vernon Court (1898). Visitors can appreciate our American Imagist Collection as a medley of beautiful pictures, but also as an historical overview of our unique culture. These works are our visual history, indeed they are American civilization illustrated. The original paintings and drawings in the Collection were specifically created for reproduction in books, periodicals, advertisements, and art prints. In the process, illustrators created iconic images, a mythology of our history, and a virtual catalog of bygone styles and days. We cordially invite you to take The Grand Tour of the Museum.

The National Museum of American Illustration exhibits original artworks from its permanent collection which feature the 'Golden Age of American Illustration' (1895-1945) and historically, the greatest illustration artists such as:

Maxfield Parrish J.C. Leyendecker

N.C. Wyeth J.M. Flagg

Norman Rockwell Charles Dana Gibson

Howard Pyle Jessie Willcox Smith

H.C Christy Harrison Fisher

Vernon Court was designed by Carrére & Hastings, architects of the New York Public Library, The Frick Collection, The Flagler Museum in Palm Beach, Nemours (DuPont mansion museum in Wilmington), Neue Galeriein NYC, United States Senate Office Building, and other nationally recognized architectural monuments.   The adjacent Stoneacre grounds, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, legendary first American landscape architect, designer of Central Park, White House grounds, National Park System, many Newport estates, and other notable projects, have been restored, revitalized and preserved. The Frederick Law Olmsted Park and Vernon Court's grounds have a number of Champion Trees of the USA, including Ginko, Japanese Zelkovas and Yeddo Spruce. A Memorial Arch in honor of Louis I. Kahn, the greatest American architect of the second half of the 20th
century, will be constructed in the future. This unique tripartite project comprises a great step forward towards protecting and enhancing our nation's architectural and artistic heritage. Vernon Court combines art from the 'Golden Age of American Illustration' in 'Gilded Age' architecture. It is truly an alliance of art and architecture, rarely achieved and unique. Other comparable institutions are the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Albert Barnes Foundation in Pennsylvania, Borghese Gallery in Rome, Kenwood English Heritage and the Wallace Collection in London. The National Arts Club is the founding institution supporting of the Museum, a private undertaking of great national significance.
Vernon Court   492 Bellevue Avenue   Newport   Rhode Island 02840