FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 08/14/2023
Special exhibition of award-winning early Oregon artist opens at the Pittock Mansion in Portland, OR
[Portland, OR]—Pittock Mansion opened its new summer and fall exhibition, Eliza Barchus: A Woman of Resilience, an exhibition of exquisite landscape paintings and rare ephemera from an award-winning early Oregon artist.This exhibition will be on display at the Pittock Mansion until March 3, 2024, and is included in the general admission ticket. The end date for Eliza Barchus, A Woman of Resilience exhibition at Pittock Mansion has been extended from February 11, till March 3, 2024.
Eliza Barchus: A Woman of Resilience showcases over sixty-five landscape paintings and personal ephemera. Barchus’s chair and paintbrushes from her studio, awards, family albums, and suitcase are displayed alongside her breathtaking renditions of Mount Hood, Mount Rainier, Crater Lake, and other sites throughout the American West. The exhibit boasts the largest collection of Barchus paintings ever before publicly displayed.
Eliza Barchus (1857-1959) was a critically acclaimed Oregon artist who spread the romance of the American West to the other parts of the country with her landscape oil paintings. Her life spanned the Panic of 1893, the Great Depression, and two World Wars. She operated her art studio and sold paintings direct to purchasers through the mail and at local venues in and around Portland. Barchus won critical acclaim and several notable awards in her fifty-year career. At the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition and Oriental Fair in Portland, Barchus’s collection of Pacific coast paintings won a gold medal. Eleanor Roosevelt celebrated Barchus’s 100th birthday in 1957 in her national syndicated newspaper column, “My Day”. The Oregon Legislature posthumously named her “The Oregon Artist” in 1971.
“Pittock Mansion is honored to showcase the inspiring story and art of Eliza Barchus. At the turn of the century when economic opportunities for women were few, Barchus found creative and boundary-pushing ways to advance her artistic career and support her family. She was not only a landscape artist par excellence, but a savvy entrepreneur who endured many adversities yet emerged successful in her ventures,” said Paula Gangopadhyay, CEO of Pittock Mansion. “We are extremely proud to have produced this stunning exhibition, in close collaboration with the collectors: Charles Muehleck, Karla Pearlstein, Elizabeth Tilbury, and Eliza Barchus’s great granddaughter, Lisa Ingle. We hope our visitors will immerse themselves in the art, reflect on history and go away inspired with a can-do attitude.”
This exhibition is made possible, in part, with generous donations from The Ritz Family Foundation, Daniel Bergsvik and Donald Hastler, Karla Pearlstein, and Elizabeth Tilbury.
The majority of the paintings and ephemera in the exhibit are from the Pam and Charles Muehleck collection. “I acquired my first Barchus painting over forty years ago, and after learning more about her remarkable early Portland life, I began my journey of collecting her work. It has been a life-long rewarding experience. Barchus paintings shine when placed in the richness of residential settings, where she intended her oils to be viewed. I truly appreciate the Pittock Mansion’s interest in presenting this exhibit in their wonderful historical mansion for the enjoyment of their visitors,” said Charles Muehleck.
Pittock Mansion has launched a new vision, Pittock 2.0, which aims to transform Portland’s iconic historic house into a dynamic and relevant history museum. “As part of the new vision, our goal is to expand our stories to shed light on the broader period between the mid-1800s and the mid-1900s. By doing this, we aim to recognize the many people and factors that influenced this critical phase in local and national history,” added Gangopadhyay.
Pittock Mansion plans to offer an annual series of exhibitions and public programs at the mansion. Pittock Cultural Connections will continue to offer winter and spring exhibits around stories of the many diverse communities who shaped Portland. Pittock Art Connections will bring exhibits every summer and fall on art, architecture, photography, and more.
The Pittock Campus houses three historic buildings: the 1914 Mansion which was the home of the Pittock family, the Gate Lodge, the home of the estate keeper, and the Garage, home of the chauffeur. All three buildings are now open (after a period of closure during the pandemic).
Hours: July through October: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM. November through June: 10 AM – 4:00 PM Monday through Sunday. Opens at 12 noon on Tuesday.
Admission to the mansion and the gate lodge: Adults: $15.50; Seniors: $13.50, Youth: $11.50. Children under 6: Free. Members: Free. Discounted admissions are also offered through our Access programs.
For media inquiries, please contact lhasenmiller@pittockmansion.org
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About Pittock Mansion: Pittock Mansion is a 1914 historic house museum in Portland, Oregon operated by Pittock Mansion Society, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, in collaboration with Portland Parks & Recreation that owns and maintains the buildings on Pittock Campus. Pittock Mansion Society has a mission to inspire understanding and stewardship of Portland history through the Mansion, its collections, and its programs. Visit pittockmansion.org to learn more.
