NEW BRITAIN, CONN.- The New Britain Museum of American Art presents special exhibition Lure of the Sea: Masterworks of American Coastal Art from March 21 through Summer 2025.

For centuries, the coastal landscape has served as a vibrant arena in which American life, industry, and creativity have flourished. Lure of the Sea: Masterworks of American Coastal Art features nearly one hundred paintings, works on paper, and sculptures that explore the profound impact of coastal environments on the nation’s artistic and cultural development, as well as its collective imagination and identity.

Lure of the Sea explores broad themes, including the evolution of American “marine” art, from its traditional depictions of historical maritime vessels, events, and locales, to emotionally imbued expressions of nature’s power, beauty, and allure. The exhibition considers the coast’s relationship to industry, leisure, and the emergence of artist colonies that coalesced along the shoreline, inspired by the interplay of land and sea.

Spanning 150 years of creative output by leading American artists, including William Bradford, Alfred Thompson Bricher, Frederick Judd Waugh, William Partridge Burpee, Childe Hassam, Rockwell Kent, and N.C. Wyeth, Lure of the Sea offers invaluable insights into American life as it has unfolded along the maritime frontier, inviting viewers to engage deeply with the artistic legacy shaped by the sea.

This exhibition is drawn exclusively from the NBMAA’s collection and commemorates the tenth anniversary of the Museum’s landmark gift of coastal and marine art by collectors and longstanding supporters, Charles J. and Irene Hamm.

For over four decades, Charles and Irene Hamm dedicated their time and resources to developing a renowned art collection focused on American coastal art. The Hamms’ labor of love was last displayed at the New Britain Museum of American Art in the 2015 exhibition Over Life’s Waters: The Coastal Collection of Charles and Irene Hamm. Each work in the collection has been handpicked by Charles and Irene Hamm. When forming their coastal art collection, the couple decided they would collect works by American painters, alive or dead, in any medium, of any time, which attracted their eyes and emotions. Unlike most collectors who decide to focus on specific periods or styles, the Hamms have embraced painters working from the early 19th century right through to the present day in an exceptionally wide variety of media and manners.

To state that the Hamms have been passionate about the sea would be both accurate and revelatory. Charles was born in Brooklyn Heights, a stone’s throw from New York’s East River. Irene’s life as a native Floridian was shaped by her proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. Together, the Hamms have sailed along several continents and enjoyed owning a series of both sail and power boats. Their Connecticut residence on the Long Island Sound was designed to display their coastal art collection and maximize their views and feeling of connection to the water.