George and Barbara Gordon began collecting work by Mathias J. Alten more than 50 years ago. An outdoor enthusiast who traveled throughout Michigan, George was particularly fond of Alten's landscapes. As the Gordon's collection grew, they sought an opportunity to share their love of Alten's work with others. A partnership with GVSU was formed, and the George and Barbara Gordon Gallery was constructed as part of the Richard M. DeVos Center in Fall 2000. Soon after, as the collection increased, additions to the space were made. This resulted in the now roughly 2,500 square foot gallery space, spanning two floors, that features the university's collection of Alten's work.
 

George and Barbara Gordon Gallery, Room 102E and 202E
Richard M. DeVos Center, Building E
401 Fulton St W E
Grand Rapids, MI 49504

Hours:  Fridays and Saturdays 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. or by appointment with the GVSU Art Gallery
Please note that the Gordon Gallery will be closed Saturday Oct 18 for Fall Break 2025

Closed days the University is closed, holidays and holiday weekends, Spring Break, and Fall Break

German-born American artist Mathias Joseph Alten (1871-1938) immigrated to the United States in 1889 at the age of seventeen. During this period, the country experienced swift economic and urban growth driven by industrialization and immigration. Alten’s family settled in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a premier furniture manufacturing center and a desirable location for immigrants in the late nineteenth century. Here, amidst a rapidly changing world, Alten went on to establish a family, home, and studio for the entirety of his career.

Like many American painters of the period, Alten was drawn to the major artistic and cultural centers of Europe and the United States. Beginning in 1898 and continuing over the next four decades, he traveled extensively to pursue artistic training, exhibit his work, and engage with fellow artists. Despite his attraction to distant locales and artistic communities, Alten chose to keep his professional home in the same city and state that welcomed his family during the late nineteenth century. As a result, his work was influenced by the landscapes and techniques he discovered abroad, but remained deeply connected to the rural Michigan landscape widely featured in his paintings.

Over his career, Alten created more than 3,000 works of art, initially influenced by the French Barbizon and Dutch Hague Schools and later by the Impressionism movement. His work embraced a fluid style consistent with an Impressionist-inspired brush, and despite the many changes he encountered, his fascination with quiet places and the old way of doing things prevailed. He repeatedly sought out and celebrated traditional laborers and nostalgic settings even as modernization transformed life in the early twentieth century.

Reflection (as defined by Oxford Languages)

1. The throwing back by a body or surface of light, heat, or sound without absorbing it.
2. Serious thought or consideration

Drawing on a diverse collection of works from the GVSU permanent collection, “Beyond the Surface: Exploring Reflections in Art” delves into the multifaceted concept of reflection. Included are 42 modern and contemporary artists who explore the use of mirrors, water, glass, and innovative materials to create images that challenge our perceptions and invite us to look deeper.

Each piece encourages viewers to contemplate not only what is visible but also the unseen stories, spaces, and ideas mirrored back at us. In certain instances, artists use reflection to create expressive and revealing images of subjects in their work, and in others, they include themselves in contemplative self-portraits. Some works blur the line between real and reflected places, with exacting mirrored images that challenge our perspective. Other examples engage the uneven nature of reflection, as wind, rain, and light diffuse the landscape.

Through painting, printmaking, drawing, and photography, these artists invite viewers to pause and consider the act of looking – how surfaces, memories, perception, and emotions can mirror and distort reality. This exhibition celebrates the power of art to mirror our realities but also aims to inspire dialogue about the nature of perception and existence.

Victoria Adams, Mathias Joseph Alten, Stewart Ashlee, Rick Beerhorst, Marina Cifuentes, Elaine Dalcher, Baily Duemling, Jill Eggers, Kobayashi Eijiro, Margaret Farmer, Donna Ferrato, Tim Fisher, Ralph Gibson, Douglas R. Gilbert, William Henry Jackson, Tsuchiya Koitsu, Robert Koropp, Stanley Krohmer, Matthew E. LaVere, Claudia S. Liberatore, Cyril Lixenberg, Debra Lomason, David Lubbers, Bruce McCombs, Reginald B. Meller, Bonnie Palutke, Paul-Émile Pissarro, David Plowden, Endi Poskovic, Mary Reusch, Seymour Rosofsky, Matthew Schenk, Brian T. Scull, Ricardo Rafael Tavárez, Roger Timermanis, Einar de la Torre, Javier Torres, Victor Vasarely, Ignacio Videla (Diaz), Robert von Sternberg, Jimmy W., Ron Wyffels

Grand Valley State University holds the largest public collection of Alten’s work in the world. The George and Barbara Gordon Gallery, in conjunction with GVSU’s Special Collections of Alten Family Archives, serve as vital resources for the study of the Alten’s work.

• Read Mathias Alten at 150 from GV Magazine
• View Mathias Alten paintings in the GVSU art collection database
• Visit the Mathias Alten Catalog Raisonné (pictured at right, or below if using a mobile device)
• Purchase or check-out the 2017 printed publication "Mathias J. Alten: An Evolving Legacy"
• Mathias J. Alten Timeline (Now on view on the Richard M. Devos Center's 2nd Floor, outside the gallery)
• Download the Gordon Gallery Brochure (pdf): page 1 | page 2
• Download the Mathias Alten Poem (pdf): page 1 | page 2

Location:

Richard M. DeVos Center, Building E, Room 102 and 202
401 Fulton Street West, Robert C. Pew Grand Rapids Campus

Robert C. Pew Grand Rapids Campus Map

Gordon Gallery Hours:

Open Fridays and Saturdays 1:00-5:00p.m. except days the University is closed.  
Please note that the Gordon Gallery will be closed Saturday, Oct 18 for Fall Break 2025

Closed on holiday weekends: 
New Year's Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring and Fall Breaks.

Private tours and special open hours may be arranged by contacting the Art Museum.