The Good Life

During Pacific Northwest summers, winter rain becomes a distant memory, fading away as we take time to enjoy friends, family and the outdoors. It’s this sentiment that is at the heart of the exhibition The Good Life, which features approximately 30 paintings, drawings and prints drawn from Maryhill’s permanent collections.

Created between 1850 and 1950 by American and European artists, these works celebrate life in all of its impulsive, joyful and nostalgia-infused glory. The Good Life is divided into three sections: gatherings where family and friends are depicted dancing, playing music together, sewing, socializing and enjoying each other’s company; still life paintings, created not only for the sake of painting, but to celebrate abundance and to be consumed and enjoyed; and, people in the landscape, relishing nature and relaxing out of doors.