Paul Harmon’s Petite Voyage Comes to the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center

Clarksville, TN – Over the course of 2020, Tennessee artist Paul Harmon created more than 100 works all under the size of ten inches.

Most of these small oil paintings are making their debut in the Planters Bank Peg Harvill Gallery of the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center this month.

Along with a selection of Harmon’s painted boxes and bottles, the exhibition, The Petite Voyage, treats viewers to the still lifes and figures reminiscent of the artist’s much larger canvases.

Among these familiar scenes is a forest of landscapes full of red-roofed houses and swaying trees, not often found in Harmon’s series.                                                      

Harmon says of the work “About the little oils [3 X 4”, 4 X 5” and 5 X 7“], I have always had a fondness for little amateur landscapes that I have admired in Paris flea markets. Naive and honest, but without an awareness of art markets or the like.”

“An old saying has it that artists are art collectors that cannot afford to buy art. In that vein, I have painted my own personal collection of art most usually made by shut-ins and old deep-country widows. About the naive part, I am not, but somewhere amid painting several hundred very little paintings, I drifted far away from the fast lane world and entered into a very sweet and simple place,” continued Harmon.

Paul Harmon’s work is represented in numerous galleries, museums, major corporate and private collections in Europe, Asia, and the USA. Collections include the Tennessee State Museum, the Tampa Museum of Art, the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, the Museum of the Principality of Monaco, and the city of Caen, France. The Petite Voyage is on view now through February 6th, 2022.

About the Customs House Museum

Located in the heart of historic downtown Clarksville, Tennessee, the Customs House Museum and Cultural Center is the State’s second-largest general museum. The original portion of the building was constructed in 1898 as a U.S. Post Office and Customs House for the flourishing tobacco trade. Incorporating a number of architectural styles, the original structure is one of the most photographed buildings in the region.

With over 35,000 square feet of the region’s best hands-on activities and special events…people of all ages agree – the Customs House Museum is well worth the stop!

The Explorer’s Gallery is packed with fun, learning, and fantasy in Aunt Alice’s Attic, McGregor’s Market and kitchen, and of course – the Bubble Cave! Finally, get “all aboard” to see our fantastic model trains. Our volunteer engineers “ride the rails” every Sunday afternoon from 1:00pm to 4:00pm.

Regular museum hours are 10:00am to 5:00pm Tuesday through Saturday, and 1:00pm to 5:00pm on Sundays. Adult admission is $7.00, Senior Citizens and College ID $5.00, Ages 6 to 18 $3.00, and under six years and Museum members are free.

The Customs House Museum is located at 200 South Second Street. For more information, call 931.648.5780 or visit their website at www.customshousemuseum.org