A breathtaking and first-of-its-kind exhibition in St. Pete is entering its final week on display. “Survival of the Fittest: Envisioning Wildlife and Wilderness with the Big Four, Masterworks from the Rijksmuseum Twenthe and the National Museum of Wildlife Art” has been a smash hit at The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art (150 Central Avenue), and its final day on display at the museum is this Sunday, May 26.
The incredible exhibition brings together masterpieces from across the world, showcasing the most famous works of history’s greatest artists in the world of wildlife. Survival of the Fittest transports museum guests to the natural habitats of our world’s most majestic animals, creating imagery just as impressive now as it was 100+ years ago when these paintings were the first depictions of such scenes that many had ever laid eyes on. Access to the exhibition is included with museum admission.
The exhibition title references Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, which had a revolutionary impact on how Western cultures envisioned their relationship with the other animals on Earth. In the post-Darwin era, a group of classically trained painters (who came to be known as the Big Four) emerged and helped establish a vision of wildlife and nature that remains with us today.
“These four artists came at a point in Western history where they were able to travel into the field and study wildlife in its natural environment. Back in the studio, they transformed those experiences into works of art that rang true to nature,” said exhibit curator Adam Duncan Harris, Ph.D. “Earlier artists didn’t have that opportunity or the cultural impact of Darwin’s scientific work.”
Survival of the Fittest is the first time The James Museum has featured the paintings of four European masters. With 45 compelling masterworks, this exhibition comments on current conversations on land and wildlife conservation, offering profound insights into humanity’s evolving relationship with the wild. Known today as the Big Four, these artists – German-American Carl Rungius (1869–1959), Germans Richard Friese (1854–1918) and Wilhelm Kuhnert (1865–1926), and Swedish artist Bruno Liljefors (1860 1939) – revolutionized Western perspectives on our connection with Earth’s creatures.
The captivating collection places the Big Four’s paintings in an international context, exploring colonialism, Darwinism, art history and alternative perspectives on wildlife and nature. This stunning exhibition captivates with the awe-inspiring beauty of nature and invites visitors to reflect on their own relationship with the natural world.
Paired with the incredible galleries already on display at The James, a day spent inside the soaring walls of the museum is enough to transport guests through time, across the country, and throughout the most majestic and other-worldly locations on Earth. Tickets to The James can be found here, and all tickets include access to Survival of the Fittest.
“It’s exciting for us to have so many works by European masters exhibited at The James for the first time,” said Emily Kapes, Curator of Art at The James Museum. “Highlighting the best wildlife art is a core part of what The James Museum offers our guests. Survival of the Fittest is the perfect introduction to the Big Four artists who revolutionized art depicting nature and wildlife.”
“Survival of the Fittest: Envisioning Wildlife and Wilderness with the Big Four, Masterworks from the Rijksmuseum Twenthe and the National Museum of Wildlife Art” is curated by Adam Duncan Harris, Grainger/Kerr Director of the Carl Rungius Catalogue Raisonné and organized by the National Museum of Wildlife Art.
The exhibition’s final day is Sunday, May 26, after which the masterworks will be returned to their homes at the Rijksmuseum Twenthe in the Netherlands and the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. This is a rare opportunity to see these incredible pieces side by side right here in St. Pete. Learn more about Survival of the Fittest at thejamesmuseum.org.
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