Mid-July in Newport is a merrie marathon of galas, dinners, events, dances, luncheons, and parties galore. How appropriate that kicking off this week is the Newport Art Museum‘s exhibition of artist Howard Gardiner Cushing (1869-1916) and a nod to Honorary Chair, Minnie Cushing Coleman, the artist’s granddaughter, for whom this commemoration represents 10 years of devoted efforts. 

A much anticipated evening, the “Summer Art Party” is a true Newport story, a celebration and powerful homecoming for Cushing, reuniting his works with the city that shaped his vision and career. 

Cushing’s extraordinary range of works … including richly atmospheric depictions of everyday life, evocative portraiture, fantastical scenes, and large-scale murals, many of them with an overlay of the exotic … support his enduring artistic legacy which bridged the traditions of 19th-century realism with the bold innovations of early modernism. To carry out his spirit, the gallery walls were repainted to capture the colors that prevail in his paintings, a hallmark of his masterful talents!

His wife, and muse, Ethel Cochrane Cushing, is the lodestar of this show, her beauty captured in many nuanced portraits … sharing a touching scene with her son … at their oceanside home, “The Ledges.”

One immediate and compelling takeaway from this show is Cushing’s breadth of fascination with nature, from flowers to sea creatures (feature image), birds, deer, and panthers … and his enviable ability to turn each into a fanciful, whimsical image!

One painting in the galleries is perhaps more familiar to Newporters than others…the portrait of Flora Whitney, eldest daughter of Gloria Vanderbilt Whitney, close family friend to, and patron of, Cushing. A version of this painting now hangs over the bar at the namesake restaurant, Flora, in Gardiner House, co-owned by Cushing’s great-grandson (note the Cushing settee, the same settee on which Flora was posed in 1906).

Very importantly, this is the first major retrospective (bringing together almost 55 paintings) in decades of one of the Gilded Age’s most visionary – and overlooked – American artist. On a remarkable note, 90 percent of Howard Gardiner Cushing’s work remains in the care of family descendants and private collections. What a special opportunity this event represents for his hometown and art aficionados.

For a taste of the evening, I reference the invitation’s stated “Attire” – “a night of theatrical glamour, Belle Epoque elegance, and avant garde flair – bold silhouettes, jewel tones, and turn-of-the-century spirit, in true Newport style!” Capturing and inspired by the art that was the backdrop to the evening.

Friday, July 11th was truly a feel good, joyful evening, with cooperating weather, where people gathered to honor and laud a singular talent whose contribution to American art deserves renewed recognition. KUDOS to Danielle Ogden, Creative Director, Ricardo Mercado, Guest Curator, and Ruth S. Taylor, Interim Executive Director.

Designed by architect William Adams Delano (1919), the Cushing Memorial Building (founded by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney) was created to house the artist’s work and stands as one of the earliest American museum spaces dedicated to a single artist. Cushing was a founding member of the Newport Art Association (which became the Newport Art Museum) and maintained a studio at “The Ledges.” 

The Exhibition, “Howard Gardiner Cushing, A Harmony of Line and Color” is open July 12 through December 31, 2025.