In 1811, James Bowdoin III, the founder of the College, bequeathed his family’s collection of European and American art, laying the foundation for this museum. For over two hundred years, supporters have built on this legacy, and collecting continues to this day. This installation brings together works from the Museum’s collection, including several important acquisitions, to highlight visual expression in Renaissance Europe and the Americas. On both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, distinct creative traditions have flourished over centuries. While Europe played an important role in the development of art in the United States and other colonial nations in the Americas, Indigenous artists have nurtured their own artistic practices rooted in the lands they have called home for millennia. Additionally, Americans of African descent and from other parts of the world have imported their own cultural heritage, offering contributions to what has come to be understood as the art of the Americas.