Reconsidering Bierstadt is the latest in an ongoing series of curatorial projects which highlight the relationships between cutting-edge contemporary art and the outstanding permanent collection of the Timken Museum of Art. Previous projects have looked at Rembrandt through the eyes of Dutch photographer/videographer, Rineke Dijsktra, and at the portrait practice of Anthony van Dyck through the vibrant work of Kehinde Wiley.

Beginning March 26 and running through June 8, 2025, the Timken’s American Gallery will be transformed by a staged encounter between the 19th-century American painter Albert Bierstadt and the First Nation (Cree) Canadian artist, Kent Monkman. In this season of renewal and rebirth, Reconsidering Bierstadt offers visitors the opportunity to freshly compare one of the Timken’s most beloved works, Cho-Looke, The Yosemite Fall (1864) with The Fourth World, a recent, challenging depiction of California’s historical landscape by Monkman.