By Marilyn Bauer
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Three blockbuster shows with three headliners in three mediums arrive at the Dayton Art Institute on Friday.

More than 175 objects will be on display in The Glass of Louis Comfort Tiffany, Monet and the Age of American Impressionism and Ansel Adams and the American Landscape.

"It's an inside look at some of the world's most famous artists from the late 19th and early 20th centuries," says Alex Nyerges, director and CEO of the museum. "The three exhibitions offer a unique perspective on the different styles of art during this time period."

Monet inspired American Impressionists

The Dayton Art Institute's quintessential French Impressionist painting, "Waterlilies," was painted by Claude Monet in 1903. It was toward the end of the painter's life, when he had the luxury of creating waterlily gardens, then painting them.

Monet and the Age of American Impressionism is a visually stunning show of landscape and figure painting created in the United States between 1890 and the early decades of the 20th century.

Centered on "Waterlilies," it presents a visual timeline tracing American Impressionism from its French origins to entirely American in composition and representation.

The exhibition, which also explores the increased participation of female painters in American art, includes work by Cecilia Beaux, Mary Cassatt, Sorel Emil Carlson and Childe Hassam.

Tiffany took decorative arts to new heights

The Glass of Louis Comfort Tiffany illustrates how American designer and painter Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933) elevated the standards of decorative arts in America through his one-of-a-kindglass creations.

The show, which includes the re-creation of a Tiffany-era interior, features favrile glass (multicolored iridescent glass invented and manufactured by Tiffany), lamps, ceramics, metal work and accessories.

"Tiffany was America's premier Gilded Age designer," says museum director Alex Nyerges. "His pursuit of beauty within domestic interiors has yet to be surpassed.

"This exhibition demonstrates why the works created and designed by Tiffany and his studios are counted among the best examples of fine-art glass and decorative objects in the world."

Adams helped shape our landscape

Fifty photographs, 30 by American legend Ansel Adams, are combined in Ansel Adams and the American Landscape, an exploration of photography in the first half of the 20th century.

Photographers include Edward Weston, Imogen Cunningham, Laura Gilpin and Paul Strand.

"Ansel Adams occupies a unique niche in the world of art," says museum director Alex Nyerges, who curated this portion of the three-blockbuster shows.

"His elegant portrayals of nature and its beauty are among the most recognized and beloved images of the 20th century."

If you go

What: The Glass of Louis Comfort Tiffany, Monet and the Age of American Impressionism and Ansel Adams and the American Landscape.

When: Friday through Jan. 18. Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily, until 8 p.m. on Thursday.

Where: Dayton Art Institute, 456 Belmonte Park North, Dayton.

Admission: $10, $8 students and seniors, $5 youth, children under 6 free.

Information: (937) 223-5277, Web site