On August 27, the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) will open an exhibition titled Deconstructing Nature: Environmental Transformation in the Lucas Collection. The show examines how artists in 19th-century Europe and French-occupied northern Africa depicted changing attitudes toward the environment. More than 50 works on paper from the museum’s George A. Lucas Collection will be featured, with a focus on different environments such as forests, fields, deserts, cities, and artist studios. The exhibition runs through January 11, 2026.
Thematic sections include depictions of the Forest of Fontainebleau—an area tied to France’s national identity—as well as wheat fields representing both rural life and agricultural labor in France. Another section addresses images of the Sahara Desert created by European artists during French colonization of Algeria, while urban landscapes highlight how natural resources shaped city life along rivers like the Seine and Thames. The final section explores how artists engaged with nature within their studios or by working outdoors.
Among notable works are Eugène-Stanislas-Alexandre Bléry’s The Large Trunk of a Beech Tree (1862), Jean-François Millet’s Woman Resting on Her Pitchfork (1855–1860), Eugène Delacroix’s Arabs of Oran (1833; published 1865), James McNeill Whistler’s Black Lion Wharf (1859), and Mary Cassatt’s By the Pond (c. 1896).
“Deconstructing Nature explores the range of artistic engagement with the natural world and highlights the critical role that art plays in shaping perceptions of the world through history and into the present day,” said Asma Naeem, the BMA’s Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director. “At a moment when we might be newly considering the importance of art within our society, this exhibition captures the ways in which it helps us see ourselves and our contexts more clearly and creates space for important conversations. We look forward to engaging our audiences with the extraordinary George A. Lucas Collection and themes of this exhibition.”
George A. Lucas was born in Baltimore but spent most of his life in Paris after moving there in 1857. Over five decades he built a collection approaching 20,000 objects—mainly prints and drawings—by 19th-century French artists. Scholars consider it one of the most comprehensive collections from that era. After Lucas’ death, his collection was brought to Baltimore for educational purposes; it was formally acquired by BMA together with Walters Art Museum from Maryland Institute College of Art in 1996.
The exhibition is co-curated by Joanna Karlgaard, Assistant Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs at BMA, and Robin Owen Joyce, Assistant Curator of Academic Engagement at BMA.
Support for Deconstructing Nature comes from several sources including Nancy Dorman and Stanley Mazaroff Fund via Baltimore Community Foundation as well as Henry Luce Foundation. An audio guide is available thanks to support from Getty Foundation through The Paper Project initiative.
The broader Turn Again to the Earth initiative receives backing from organizations such as Cohen Opportunity Fund, Baltimore Gas and Electric, Johns Hopkins University & Medicine, Eileen Harris Norton Foundation, and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield.
Founded in 1914, BMA holds over 97,000 objects spanning many cultures and eras—including what is recognized as the world’s largest public holding of works by Henri Matisse—and features significant collections across various media by both historic and contemporary artists from diverse backgrounds. Admission remains free to ensure accessibility for all visitors.
