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Works from the “Golden Era” of Painting in Vermont
1910 to 1970
Bell_Carnival-at-Royalton-VT-1
Works from the “Golden Era” of Painting in Vermont:
1910 to 1970

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.

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"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

Upcoming Exhibitions

For the Love of Vermont: The Lyman Orton Collection

“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

For the Love of Vermont:
The Lyman Orton Collection

By Anita Rafael with Lyman Orton

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.”

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“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