Museum of Art

June 12 – September 5, 2026

Consisting of over seventy drawings, pastels, watercolors, and paintings from the collection at the Bates College Museum of Art, Carl Sprinchorn: Points of View chronicles the life and work of under-recognized modern artist Carl Sprinchorn (1887-1971). The exhibition provides an expansive view of Sprinchorn’s evolving practice from the 1900s to the 1960s, focusing on his ability to capture the action and emotion of a moment. Emigrating from Sweden to study with Robert Henri as a teenager, Sprinchorn first drew from observation in New York City. He then spent years traveling to Europe, Santo Domingo, Mexico, and the American West. His first prolific period of artmaking in Maine took place in Monson in the 1910s and 20s, when he produced mysterious figures and moody landscapes. Returning to Maine at the end of the 1930s, Sprinchorn portrayed rural life around Shin Pond through sweeping seasonal landscapes, striking portraits of male figures, and lively sketches of hunting and logging. From homosexuality and labor to immigration and the natural environment, Sprinchorn’s story intersects with wide-reaching social issues from the United States in the twentieth century that continue to resonate today.

The exhibition will be accompanied by the catalogue Carl Sprinchorn: A Rediscovery, published by the University of Maine Press in collaboration with the Ogunquit Museum of American Art and their exhibition Carl Sprinchorn: All the World is a Painting, on view from August 6 to November 15. Together, the catalogue and concurrent exhibitions place Sprinchorn on the national stage alongside his peers—where he is long overdue.

Opening Reception: Thursday, October 1, 4-6 PM

Curated by Assistant Curator Samantha Sigmon, the exhibition and related programming are made possible with funding from the Jane Costello Wellehan Endowment Fund, the William A. Gosling ‘65 Fund, and the Alex Katz Foundation.

Banner image: Carl Sprinchorn, Twitchers at Jerry’s Landing, May 10-14, 1941, crayon on paper, Bates College Museum of Art, gift of the Carl Sprinchorn Admiration Society, 2018.5.37.