The Maximilian - Bodner Expedition

The Maximilian - Bodner Expedition

Travels in the Interior of North America, 1832-1834
Dates: 
Monday, September 2, 2013 to Friday, October 18, 2013

This exhibition showcases Swiss artist Karl Bodmer’s (1809–1893) vivid reflection of the landscapes, wildlife, frontier settlements, and American Indian peoples that he and German explorer and naturalist Prince Maximilian of Wied encountered during their expedition along the Upper Missouri River in 1832 to 1834.

The Maximilian-Bodmer Expedition: Travels in the Interior of North America, 1832–1834 is organized by Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, NE, and is drawn entirely from its Maximilian-Bodmer Collection. This exhibition is made possible with support from the Nebraska Arts Council and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment for the Arts, as well as the Richard P. Kimmel and Laurine Kimmel Charitable Foundation, Inc

In 1832, Maximilian and Bodmer embarked on a two-year journey that would take them up the Missouri River and into the heart of the West. Joslyn’s celebrated Maximilian-Bodmer collection includes watercolors, drawings, manuscripts, and memorabilia from their voyage, as well as the printing plates used to create 81 spectacular engravings that illustrated Maximilian’s 1843 publication, Travels in the Interior of North America, 1832, 1833, 1834.

In 1989, through a partnership between Joslyn Art Museum and Alecto Historical Editions in London, a limited edition of engravings was printed using Bodmer’s original ca. 1840 plates and carefully hand-colored by master craftsmen. This exhibition comprises 40 of these prints illustrating Maximilian and Bodmer’s travels. It will be on view in communities throughout Nebraska in 2013 and 2014. A mobile tour — accessible at (402) 881-3138 — highlighting 17 artworks in the exhibition will be available at each venue.