‘Snow at Argentuil’ | The Gallery Comes Home

In art terms, In Situ means “in its original place,” a designation for artwork that lives in its place of origin. Think of a mosaic floor among ruins, a fountain sculpture in a park, an installation crafted for a specific venue. Here, In Situ means the story of how a lifetime of art collection leads to a permanent place in one of the world’s finest museums. In Situ is a Kansas City story.

“There are lots of stories here at the museum,” explains Doug Allen, Chief Information Officer at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. And a new chapter has begun with the donation of 29 objects — some of the greatest names and pieces of impressionist and post-impressionist art — from collector and philanthropist Henry Bloch.

Episode 5 enters the story through “Snow at Argentuil,” a representation of how artists played with light, and takes us through to the end of the series, where all may not be as it seems, but all is as it should be.

In Situ: Impressions from the Bloch Galleries highlights each painting and portion of the process in a video here on flatlandkc.local for five consecutive Wednesdays beginning May 10, combining all the short stories into one 30-minute documentary airing at 7 p.m. on June 7 on KCPT. Find the previous episodes here.