Nemeth Art Center

This summer we'll be showcasing one painting from our permanent collection each week. The Gabor and Edith Study Collection includes forty-two European paintings and spans 400 years.

For the first week, we'll be highlighting "Adam and Eve". This work most likely dates to the 17th Century and was painted in the Dutch style. It is based on a painting by Cornelisz van Haarlem which is currently in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Both images are posted below. The similarities in style, composition, and posing are striking. The version at the Art Center verges more toward fanciful, however, with a vibrant palette, stylized clouds, and an idealized landscape on the horizon.

The story of Adam and Eve has been a fertile one for painters. Artists ranging from Durer to Klimt have been inspired by the Biblical tale of the fall from grace. Our painting shows the rich iconography of the Adam and Eve genre. The symbols depicted include a unicorn, a severed head, a turtle, intertwining trees, the serpent angel, and, of course, the apple.

Come in this summer to see this colorful, rich painting.