Pennsylvania Art

Explore the art and artists of Pennsylvania throughout The Westmoreland’s galleries.

Scenes of Industry

The Great Search: Art in a Time of Change, 1928–1945 (Part 2)

Drawn primarily from The Westmoreland’s collection, amplified by key loans, this exhibition provides fresh insight into the individuals, experiences, and aesthetics that define American modern art, such as in Ernest Fiene’s Night Shift, Aliquippa (1936), one of The Westmoreland’s best-known and loved paintings. Other Pennsylvania artists in The Great Search include Charles “Teenie” Harris, Virginia Cuthbert, John Kane, and others.

Landscapes

George Hetzel and Scalp Level

This exhibition showcases the artwork of George Hetzel and his students from the Scalp Level School, celebrating the rich artistic heritage of Southwestern Pennsylvania and profound influence that Hetzel and his students had in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Portraits

Mary Cassatt’s Mother and Two Children

This visitor favorite by Pennsylvania artist Mary Cassatt recently returned to The Westmoreland after being part of Mary Cassatt at Work, a prestigious, nationally-touring exhibition organized by the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The Westmoreland welcomes the curator of this exhibition for a talk on May 4 .

Decorative Art

Domestic Life in the 19th Century

This gallery showcases a blend of high- and low-style decorative arts and furniture paired with paintings that depict both urban and rural domestic subjects, including embroidery, gardening, and childcare. Furniture made in Lancaster and Lebanon Counties is displayed alongside pieces from Fayette and Westmoreland Counties, highlighting the pride and craftsmanship of the broader Pennsylvania region.

 

Folk Art

Fraktur Collection

The Westmoreland’s fraktur collection, made in Westmoreland County primarily by schoolteachers from the 1780s to the 1840s, illustrates the evolution of the tradition brought to Pennsylvania by German and Swiss immigrants.

 

Contemporary Art

Pennsylvania in Progress

The Westmoreland opened in 1959 with the aim of building an American art collection that captured the spirit of Pennsylvania art. Pennsylvania in Progress honors this vision by juxtaposing works from the inaugural exhibition, 250 Years of Art in Pennsylvania, with recent acquisitions.