Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933) was the son of Tiffany and Co. founder, Charles Lewis Tiffany, and most famous for his signature work with stained glass.  His distinctive Art Nouveau glasswork is so well known that the fact Tiffany started out as a painter may be overlooked.  He trained with several famed artists of his time, including studying under American landscape painter George Inness. 

This weekend, an exhibit opened at the Nassau County Museum of Art, featuring approximately 125 of Tiffany’s oil paintings and works on paper.  The works are on loan from a private Long Island collection to the museum, located in Roslyn Harbor, New York.

Tiffany traveled extensively in Spain and North Africa, and several works in this exhibit reflect the inspiration he found there; this would be an influence that would later shine through again in his “Orientalizing” glasswork. 

Examples of Tiffany paintings done much closer to home are also represented in the Nassau County Museum show, with such oils as “Pushing Off the Boat at Seabright, New Jersey” and “View of Laurelton Hall,” Tiffany’s home in Long Island. 

Tiffany’s decorative arts are not forgotten either, as the exhibit includes some of his stained glass windows and lamps.  The show will run through March 18, 2012.

(Report: Christine Bolli for ARTFIXdaily)