Holland Sentinel.com  | Posted March 5, 2021
by Sentinel Staff

A watercolor painting by Mathias Alten, a well-known West Michigan artist. An exhibit on Alten will be hosted at Holland Museum from March 12-July 25.

HOLLAND —A new exhibit is coming to Holland Museum this month.

“Mathias Alten: Beyond the Oil Paintings,” will open Friday, March 12. The exhibit will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Alten, one of West Michigan’s most well-known artists.

Alten was a German-American impressionist painter based in Grand Rapids. He was best known for his land and seascape oil paintings, though he also dabbled in portraits and watercolors with a variety of subject matter.

The museum will display some of Alten’s watercolors and sketches from the Grand Valley State University Art Gallery Collection, and will be the only venue hosting the images this year.

In addition to the artwork, the exhibit will include a timeline of Alten’s life, from his birth in Germany to his death in 1938.

“We are thrilled to partner with GVSU Art Gallery to host this birthday celebration,” said Holland Museum Executive Director Ricki Levine. “The watercolors and sketches highlight a transformative artist rooted in West Michigan.”

This isn’t the first time in the past few years Holland Museum has hosted an exhibit of Alten’s work. One was also held in 2019 following a donation of pieces from Anita M. Gilleo.

To accompany the exhibit, the museum will have a family gallery guide and related programming, including a virtual program at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 29, exploring Alten’s drawings with Michigan-based artist and teacher Royce Deans, “Inside the Artist’s Mind: Mathias Alten’s Drawings.”

A second virtual program will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 13, exploring Alten’s medium of choice with Joel Zwart, curator of exhibitions at GVSU Art Gallery, “The Artistic Practice: Exploring Mathias J. Altens’ Medium of Choice.” To register for either program, visit hollandmuseum.org.

The exhibit will remain on display at the Museum — 31 W. 10th St. — until Sunday, July 25. Current hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays and Fridays and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday.

Read the Holland Sentinel article.