The Course of Empire

This is a museum based on a series of paintings titled The Course of Empire by American artist, Thomas Cole. This exhibit looks at the different stages of empire throughout history, using exmaples from Anitquity to the Post-WWII period. The exhibit is thematically cohesive rather than aesthetically cohesive. Each gallery is comprised of one of the five painting in Cole’s series--which depicts what he presents as the five stages of the rise and fall of civilization--and various works that we feel resonate with each painting.