Lyman Orton
The Lyman Orton Collection of the Art of Vermont is the largest private collection of historical paintings, prints, and drawings of places and people of Vermont.
Lyman began collecting scenes of Vermont in the 1970s, and he continues to repatriate “lost” artworks of his home state. The collection includes works by dozens of talented men and women during what Lyman calls the “Golden Era” of painting – the years from 1910 to 1970.
The collection was first displayed in public at a special exhibition in the summer and fall of 2023. At the same time, Lyman Orton co-authored and published a 220-page companion book about his years of art collecting, titled For the Love of Vermont: The Lyman Orton Collection.
"In the magazine world, we often speak about a concept we call “sense of place.” It can be difficult to define. But sometimes a place leaves an imprint on people so indelibly that we cannot imagine them belonging anywhere else. Vermont is Lyman Orton’s place."
Mel Allen – Yankee Magazine, July/ August 2023
Framing the Future — SVAC Expansion
Imagine a must-see destination for art and nature in Southern Vermont, a cultural anchor in our community and a major draw for crowds of visitors from beyond the region. With a transformative new building on the horizon and a gift of an unparalleled collection of Vermont art, the time for building SVAC’s future is now.
Recent Exhibitions
For the Love of Vermont: The Lyman Orton Collection
The Manchester Community Library Exhibition
Presented by The Manchester Historical Society
June 14 – September 7, 2024
138 Cemetery Avenue
Manchester Center, Vermont 05255
Threshing at Blacks Farm, oil on canvas by Marion Huse (1896–1967)
For the Love of Vermont: The Lyman Orton Collection
The Pavilion Building Exhibition – Vermont Historical Museum
Presented by The Vermont Historical Society
Exhibit will run through December 2024
109 State Street (next to the State House)
Montpelier, Vermont 05609
The Birches, oil on canvas by Luigi Lucioni (1900–1988)
Themes
Exhibitions of the paintings, prints, and drawings in The Lyman Orton Collection are presented by Theme – unlike the shows that group paintings by artist.
Arranging the work by subject matter gives viewers the opportunity to see how creatively artists interpreted similar scenes around Vermont.
Here is a selection of a few artworks from each Theme.
Auctions
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Churches
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Country Fairs
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Covered Bridges
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Farms & Barns
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Landscapes
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Laundry
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Logging & Quarries
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Outdoors in Vermont
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Sugaring
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Village Life
View Gallery“For the Love of Vermont is the realization of the vision Lyman Orton had when he started hunting down and repatriating art decades ago. ‘I want to keep this art in the state for everyone’s benefit,’ he explains. ‘This collection tells our story of our Vermont life.’”
Mark Bushnell – VT Digger
Articles and Stories
Lyman Orton on Building the Collection of Vermont Art
On the occasions when Lyman Orton is asked how he decides to buy a particular painting for his collection, he says this: “I prefer images
A Vermont Art Mystery by Anita Rafael
The Lyman Orton Collection includes Vermont artwork in various media done by the Boston-born artist Irwin Hoffman (1901–1989). Hoffman spent his summers in Cavendish, Vermont,
The Collector by Mel Allen – Yankee Magazine, July/August 2023
For nearly half a century I have written about people and places I have known in New England, and I’ve never met anyone whose life
For the Love of Vermont:
The Lyman Orton Collection
The companion book to exhibitions of The Lyman Orton Collection tells the story of how he saves the art of Vermont from leaving his home state and, at the same time, repatriates dozens more artworks that have been scattered across America during the last century.
Lyman Orton collects paintings of Vermonters hard at work: logging, milling, sugaring, and farming. He collected paintings of Vermonters, well . . . being Vermonters: bidding at front-yard furniture auctions, spending a day at the village fair, and walking to church.
Colorfully illustrated with more than 100 paintings by 56 artists, the book is hardcover, with a dust jacket; 220 pages.
“Beautiful artwork, and one of the few art books that tells a story. The text is very readable, and definitely worth the effort or reading. I liked learning how Orton collected and brought Vermont paintings back to their home state. There’s a bit of nostalgia and history in the telling, as well as learning about the artists.”
“Wonderful book! Beautiful artwork, and one of the few art books that tells a story. The text is very readable, and definitely worth reading. I liked learning how Lyman Orton collected Vermont paintings and brought them back to their home state. There’s a bit of nostalgia and history in the telling of Lyman’s story, as well as learning about the lives of the artists.”
A 5-Star Review from an artist from New York