Taking the Train to Rome, Italy, 1945. Watercolor, 21 x 13.5 in. (34.29 x 53.34 cm). Fontaine Archive
Visit This Exhibit
On display April 8, 2026 - May 24, 2026.
Open Wednesday – Sunday
11 AM – 4 PM CST
Accessibility
This exhibit is located on the second floor of the Museum, which is not ADA accessible. An album of the artwork and descriptions is available at the front desk.
-America 250-
Paul Fontaine and his WWII Watercolors
“There is power and drama here.”
— Robert Creighton, “Combat Artist,” Worchester Sunday Telegram, October 28, 1945
on display at the Neill-Cochran House mUseum
April 8, 2026 - may 24, 2026
In celebration of America 250, the Neill-Cochran House Museum is honored to present America 250: Paul Fontaine and his WWII Watercolors. Paul Fontaine was an academically-trained artist, educated at the Worcester Art School and Yale University, whose career spanned seven decades and who was best known for abstract expressionist artwork from the mid-1950s forward.
Fontaine’s career was put on hold by World War II, during which he served in the 5th Army, II Corps of Engineers. At the end of the war and during the early months of its aftermath, Fontaine painted his experiences as a soldier in Italy, particularly moments of down time. He sent twenty watercolors to the United States, where they circulated in a traveling exhibition to six institutions around the country. Seven of those watercolors are on view in the exhibition, which contextualizes the works within the span of Fontaine’s seven decade career.
IMPORTANT DATES:
Opening Reception: April 11, 2026Curator Talk with Claudia Chidester: May 17, 2026
selected images
June 1950, Paris, Paul Fontaine, Photo by Willy Maywald.
About the artist
Paul Emile Fontaine (1913-1996) was born in Worcester, MA to French-Canadian parents. He was early on encouraged to be a painter, deciding to pursue this artistic path as a teenager. In 1932 following completion of high school and in the height of the Depression he enrolled at the Worcester Art Museum School in Worcester, MA, graduating in 1935.
From there, Fontaine launched a successful career, graduating from Yale University and embarking on a global adventure that spanned almost the entire 20th century across the western hemisphere.
Sponsors
Exhibition Sponsor - Fontaine Archive
Sponsorship
Become a sponsor for this exhibition or an exhibition-related event? Click the button below or contact Cristina Feldott at (512) 478-2335 or cfeldott@nchmuseum.org.
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