Daingerfield and the Tonalist Instinct
On view May 31 – October 19, 2025
Blowing Rock Art & History Museum
Blowing Rock, North Carolina
www.blowingrockmuseum.org
“Daingerfield & The Tonalist Instinct” explores the development of Tonalism—a distinctly American response to early modernist impulses in painting—and its connection to Elliott Daingerfield (1859–1932). Featuring works by Daingerfield and other key figures, the exhibition examines how tonalist principles were applied to the landscapes of the American South and became a significant influence on Daingerfield’s artistic evolution.
Due to the wide range of Daingerfield’s interests—from religious subjects to landscapes, still lifes, and interior scenes—his work resists categorization within a single genre. This exhibition offers a focused lens through which to understand and contextualize one particularly influential current within his broader practice.
The exhibition draws from Blowing Rock Art & History Museum’s (BRAHM) permanent collection, several private collections (including promised gifts to the Museum), and works from three public institutions: the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, The Johnson Collection in Spartanburg, SC, and the Asheville Art Museum in Asheville, NC. BRAHM appreciates the support and collaboration of the directors and staff at these partner institutions.
[Image: Elliot Daingerfield, Landscape, undated, watercolor on paper, 9 1/4 x 10 3/4 inches; Framed: 19 7/8 x 21 1/4 x 2 inches. On loan from The Johnson Collection, Spartanburg, South Carolina.]
