Mary Cassatt (American, 1844-1926) is one of the greatest American artists in history. She has contributed subtle yet powerful and lucid observations of women’s daily lives, with a particular focus on the tender moments between mothers and their children, presenting them as artistic subjects worthy of full, nuanced consideration. Mary Cassatt: Labor and Leisure includes Cassatt’s permeating depictions of domestic labor and recreation and underlines the complex relationship between women and society in light of the worlds of (and expectations from) the women of her time.

This exhibition presents important etchings, aquatints, and oils on loan from the New York Public Library, Adelson Gallery New York, and the High Museum of Art, as well as works from AAM’s Permanent Collection. It offers a look into Cassatt’s evolving style and influences in artmaking from Japanese printmaking to the Impressionists and invites viewers to consider the relationship between the women Cassatt depicts and the multi-layered societal forces at play.