ralph cahoon

Mermaids Delight At Cape Cod Museum

Filed under: Art

Cape Cod in the summertime is an artist's paradise and the Cape has a long tradition of many artists. One of the most classically Cape Cod artists is Ralph Cahoon, a native Cape Codder whose legacy lives on at the Cahoon Museum of American Art in Cotuit, Massachusetts. A new exhibit at the museum, "Chasing the Mermaids," is dedicated to Ralph and his wife, Martha Farham Cahoon. The museum is their former home and studio, a Colonial Georgian home that was built in 1775.

Cahoon was born in Chatham in 1910 and died in 1982. His graceful mermaids in fantastical scenes often featuring clipper ships and hot air balloons were some of his most popular and well-collected works. The exhibition which is currently on and runs until September 19 features more than 50 works across four galleries that are arranged in mostly chronological order with some paintings with similar themes gathered together. The paintings were gathered from collectors for the exhibit.

Ralph and Martha Cahoon began as furniture restorers and decorators, painting folk scenes on trunks, tables and other pieces. When an heiress asked the Cahoons to make framed pictures to sell in her gallery their art career took off. First lady Jacqueline Kennedy even bought a pair of the paintings in 1961. The Cape Cod Times reports that the highest selling price for a Cahoon painting was $179,000 in 2000.

[via ArtFix Daily]

Tags: cape cod, folk art, museum exhibit, museum exhibition, ralph cahoon

ralph cahoon

Mermaids Delight At Cape Cod Museum

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