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Hartley
at Home aims to perpetuate the ongoing conversation about
Marsden Hartley's life and work.
On March 23, 1951, the heirs of the
Marsden Hartley estate left a gift to Bates College in compliance with
his wishes, the last remaining effects from Corea, Maine, where Hartley
lived and kept a studio.
The collection was left as a memorial to the Lewiston
artist of international recognition and historical note.
On July 4, 1955, Hartley's niece, Norma
Gene Berger, made an additional gift of her property of the artist
to the College. Included in the gift were two sketchbooks, two small
early oil paintings, and memorabilia dating back to 1882.
Other items of aesthetic and historic significance
comprise a part of the collection: original manuscripts of Hartley's poems, rare
autographed editions of his published books, the artist's palette, brushes, and
easel, an early Mark Tobey painting given to Hartley by that artist in friendship,
and more items dating through the year 1943.
The Marsden Hartley Memorial Collection of ninety-nine drawings is important
as the largest collection of the artist's work in this medium. With the
inclusion of his memorabilia in the permanent collection, an important
and valuable part of the artistic and cultural heritage of the State
of Maine - and of American art history - resides at Bates.
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